Children of the Greek Civil War

Refugees and the Politics of Memory

Loring M. Danforth & Riki Van Boeschoten

This long awaited book was launched in Toronto by the CMHS on February 12th, with a “sold out” audience. Loring Danforth, Professor of Anthropology at Bates College in Maine, USA. was present for the Toronto book launch. He has written several books, including the most recent, The Macedonian Conflict:Ethnic Nationalism in a Transnational World. Riki Van Boeschoten, co-author and Associate Professor at the University of Thessaly, Greece, was unable to attend.

Mr. Danforth spoke about the process, selection of those interviewed and how long the research took the authors. Mary Rossos and Trajan Dimitriou were two of only seven interviewees that were included in the book, and were able to offer their insight and some of their experiences. Trajan was sent to the paidopoleis of Queen Frederica (which was the Greek version of child homes) while Mary Rossos was transported to Czechoslovakia. The stories of how the children and the “mothers” who were chosen to accompany them had to walk out of Northern Greece were heartbreaking. They were sent to various Communist countries in Eastern Europe, including Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, East Germany, and Uzbekistan (USSR).

This is not a book you can read quickly. There is a lot of information, and you may not agree with everything you read. But it is a worthwhile book, and important that it has finally been published. Apparently, there are plans to have it translated into Macedonian and Greek.

For the Q & A, the audience could ask either the author or Trian and Mary questions about the book. After the question period, the audience had a chance to mingle with a cup of Macedonian tea and some zelnik, made by one of our Board Members, Paul Thomas.