Today is the 90th Year Commemoration of the Smyrna Greek Genocide, the Great Fire of Smyrna, and the Asia Minor Catastrophe. This is a day when many Greek people the world over will take an extended look over their lives, especially those people who have ancestry from Smyrna, and remember their relatives and ancestors, those who fell in Smyrna from the events of 1922, and, those who fled for lands afar, to re-build their lives from the ashes, and emerge victorious.
When I think of Greek Smyrna, it evokes, for myself, many beautiful feelings and sentiments. Greek Smyrna, for me, is like a smorgasbord of wonderful things: a cosmopolitan place where its Greek inhabitants were able to flourish and prosper, and had their own distinctive way of life which could not be duplicated anywhere else. From their unique way of looking at life, their music, respect for religion, education and higher learning, wonderful family interactions, their cuisine and, above all, their pride in their Hellenism, these qualities set them apart from other branches of Hellenism for taking it to new heights, and exemplifying to all how to live with dignity, and respect for oneself. The Smyrnaean Greeks' quiet philosophies on life assisted them with the belief that they could achieve it all, no matter how difficult life could become.
I can only imagine what life would have been like in Greek Smyrna before the catastrophe, but photos, and documents from the era, definitely conjure up vivid images which remain in the mind. Here's a small example in the following video, which can be found here. Cosmopolitan Smyrna must have been a very interesting place to live, with its mix of different cultures living in close proximity to each other, and learning each other's ways of life, to each culture's gain. The Greek people of Smyrna living alongside cultures such as the Turkish, Armenian, Jewish, Assyrian, Dutch, and Italian people, for instance, would have been a revealing experience where one could hear different languages, witness customs, and soak up the sheer multicultural atmosphere.
With the horrendous circumstances of 1922, and the multiple tragic events which occurred up to this point, the decline of Hellenism in Smyrna after 2,500 years of Greek habitation there was, and still is, a tragic event not only for Greek people but also, the Turkish country itself. Both countries made terrible mistakes during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922, and it appears that in all their fighting and power plays, they forgot the fact that the Greeks of Smyrna were innocent pawns, stuck in the middle of a war which was way out of control. With the accompanying population exchanges of 1923 between Greece and Turkey, Turkey lost something forever which distinguished it vastly from other countries - a sense of refined polyethnicity, to a country with a single main culture.
The national move towards a "Turkey for the Turks" in these years, while on the one hand expressing a need to define oneself apart from other cultures, also reflected a country which was not being true to itself, effectively saying that the country was exclusively for Turkish people, and not to be shared, and enjoyed, by anyone else. It was also a denial of the fact that Greek people had lived in Asia Minor for many years - even before the entrance of the Turkish peoples, and that these people deserved, as much as the Turkish people did, to remain in the country, seeing their longstanding history of habitation there. The events of 1922 also suggested a sense that Turkish identity in this time was not a clearly defined matter, this evident from the actions of the perpetrators of the catastrophe. Apart from this, there was also a sense of insecurity entangled within this, that supposedly "foreigners" or the "European" element was to blame for this. It can be seen that multiculturalism, though, when handled properly, reaps rewards for everyone.
Take the case of Australia, presently a multicultural nation. Once a staid and colourless country, the entrance of multicultural elements brought with it new horizons which challenged the status quo, and initiated a wave of patriotism which did not exist in its inhabitants prior. Multiculturalism has enriched the country in a manner which would once have seemed inconceivable years ago. While problems are always bound to occur, as with anything, Australia is a successful example of how multiculturalism works well. Turkey was a country which once had a fine multicultural mix - I can only imagine how culturally barren it became after the exodus of Greek and other cultures. In Australia's case, subtract the contributions made by ethnic minorities, and their customs, and way of life, and you would be left with a very sterile country which would not living up to its potential, and, which would not be at the point it is today, without doubt.
Let us move forward to today, 2012, being 90 years after the Smyrna Genocide, The Great Fire of Smyrna, and the Asia Minor Catastrophe. It appears that Turkey is in the middle of a re-assessment of its history and this can mean only positive things for the recognition of Hellenism in Smyrna, and, indeed, all of Turkey. I also believe that there is a deep sense of underlying remorse on the part of Turkey regarding the Smyrna Greek Genocide, The Great Fire of Smyrna, and the Asia Minor Catastrophe, and a number of positive events in modern history bear out this movement. Witness the re-building of various destroyed and or dilapidated churches around the country. This is both a heart-rending moment in history, and, simultaneously, very gratifying for Greek people of Asia Minor heritage to witness the re-emergence of their culture which was lost in Turkey, to be finally given the recognition it deserves. For more information about this, please read here.
The possibility of an admission on the part of Turkey of its role in the Greek Genocide, and related incidents may not be forthcoming in the near future, but, this is not a given. This issue will always be a silent problem between both countries, but, if finally addressed in an appropriate manner, it will allow both countries to heal, and finally come to terms with what happened in the past. While nothing can ever reverse what happened in Smyrna in 1922, this would go some way in assisting those Greek families whose relatives lived, fled, or, were martyred in Smyrna, find some form of peace, and give their beloved ancestors' memories justice at long last.
