One thing you learn about Cypriots is that they tie their national identity pretty heavily to Greek identity. The British influence is hard to ignore though. Even after fighting to get the British out, whether for independence or enosis (union with Greece), it’s visible. Most people speak English here. And cars do still drive on the left side of the road. 

One evening, at a late hour when I really should have been in bed, I was hanging out in my favorite Cypriot bar with my favorite Cypriot bar owner, George. His parents are both from here, but he grew up in the UK and speaks British-accented English. However, he’s been in Cyprus for 35 years now and speaks fluent Greek too. He teaches me little Greek phrases, and once when a group of British ex-pats were in the bar arguing about whether the shade cover out front is called an awning or a canopy, George jokingly insisted that both of those English terms were from the imperializing Brits, and only the term τέντα is appropriate (despite technically being British himself).

That all-too-late evening, after showing me dozens and dozens of photos of his travels in Greece, and insisting “just a half a pint more!” enough times that I couldn’t rightly say no, George began talking about Grigoris Afxentiou. He told me that Afxentiou was “set on fire by his own people.” I looked him up later, and I still don’t know exactly what George meant by that, because Afxentiou was born in Cyprus, fought the British, and was killed by the British. He was indeed burned alive though, after a battle that is greatly revered in Cyprus. He went out a hero according to most media I can find here. But he wasn’t what I would call British. Maybe George was referring to the story that Afxentiou ordered his soldiers to leave him there on the battlefield to fight the British alone. He is said to have repeated “I have to die,” four times, and his men did eventually follow orders, leaving him there to ultimately be killed.

The Cypriot identity straddles different nationalities, as many places that have been occupied for centuries do. On this side of the island, it is the Greek element that people identify with the most, with a bit of a love/hate for the British. They’re here, they’ve been here for quite awhile now, and they still have two military bases here. It doesn’t seem like it will be changing anytime soon. But the southern side of the island still identifies as Greek Cypriot above all.

-Rachel