Irene Klokkari
Memories of Famagusta:
Recapturing the image of the city
through the memories of refugees
University of Brighton
Tutors: Karin Jaschke, Mark Campbell
Residents of the Cypriot city of Famagusta had to flee after Turkey invaded Cyprus and shelled the city in 1974. More than 40 years on, the city remains a ghost town as part of the Turkish military zone, its once glamorous resort of Varosi long derelict. Former residents, unable to return to their homes and businesses, are psychologically incapable of moving on. Latterly, social media has helped to strengthen remembrance.
Irene Klokkari’s family are refugees from Famagusta and in this dissertation she looks at recapturing the image of the east coast city – both its spatial and sensory dimensions – as they and other refugees once knew it.
The result is an oral and drawn history applied and evaluated to become what Klokkari calls ‘an original memory tool’. This includes a re-drawing of the main commercial street of the town, Democratias Avenue, using the memories of 30 refugees of different age, gender and background.
The dissertation discusses plans for how the city might look if and when Famagusta is inhabited again. It concludes that the collective memory of those that still call Famagusta home should be strongly considered when planning for the future of this long-deserted city.