Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Thursday warned against people becoming “trapped by history” in response to statements made by President Nikos Christodoulides a day earlier on the anniversary of the creation of Eoka.
Erhurman said that while knowing history and learning from past events is important, it is different from expecting future generations to remain confined by it.
Erhurman’s response to April 1 statements
“Knowing history is very important. Having historical awareness and learning from past events is equally important. But that is one thing, and being trapped by history and thinking, suggesting, and predicting that children and future generations should also be trapped there is quite another,” Erhurman said.
He added that people should “know history and learn from it”, but asked, “will we constantly look back, or … will we be able to look forward?”.
“These thoughts crossed my mind while reading the statements and comments made in the south on April 1,” he said.
Christodoulides links history education to settlement efforts
Erhurman’s comments followed Christodoulides’ remarks that informing future generations about Eoka is essential and connected to efforts to solve the Cyprus problem.
“Achieving our goals requires knowledge of our true history,” Christodoulides said, adding that this knowledge “does not in any way act against a possible solution”.
He said the viability of any settlement depends “to a large extent on the recognition of historical truth and certainly not on self-negation”.
Christodoulides also said his insistence on teaching the history of Eoka to future generations is “a message to our Turkish Cypriot compatriots, to Turkey, and to Great Britain”.
Different views of Eoka
Eoka is typically referred to as a terrorist organisation by Turkish Cypriots and as freedom fighters by Greek Cypriots.
What role should historical education play in efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem?
