Andreas and Cleo Frantzeskos
Interviewer(s):
Theo Xenophontos
Project:
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
INTERVIEW LOCATION:
Kingston, ON
LANGUAGE:
English
DATE:
May 28, 2023

Interview Summary:

Andreas Frantzeskos was born in Bogazi, Cyprus in 1938. Cleo Frantzeskos was born in Famagusta, Cyprus in 1942. They married in 1971 and lived in Famagusta until the Turkish invasion of 1974 forced them to flee. Cleo courageously gave birth to their second child amidst the invasion. In 1976, they migrated to Melville, Saskatchewan before settling in Kingston, Ontario in 1994.

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Interview Details
Categories and Themes
Content
Media
Date and Location
May 28, 2023
Kingston, ON
Interviewee(s)
Andreas and Cleo Frantzeskos
Interviewer(s)
Theo Xenophontos
Languages
English
Reference ID
FAMREF009
Project
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
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Categories
Associational Life
Canadian Society
Culture and Tradition
Working Life
Education
Historical Events
Migration
Rites
Tags
Cypriot Canadian Economic Relations
Cypriot Canadian Identity
Cypriot Intercommunal Violence
Cyprus 1974
Cyprus Coup
Dance
Entrepreneurship
EOKA
Greek Community
Greek School
Junta
Language
Marriage
Post-1974 Migration
Pre-1974 Migration
Religion
Restaurant Work
Sponsorship
Traditions
UK
USA
Decades Referenced
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Locations Referenced
Cyprus; Agios Ilias (Famagusta District); Apostolos Andreas Monastery (Famagusta District); Bogazi (Famagusta District); Gastria (Famagusta District); Trikomo (Famagusta District); Varosha (Famagusta District); Othello Castle (Famagusta); Famagusta; Kyrenia; Larnaca; Canada; Melville, Saskatchewan; Yorkton, Saskatchewan; Regina, Saskatchewan; Toronto; Scarborough; Keswick; Queen's University; Kingston; Belleville; Montreal; Newfoundland and Labrador; Huntsville, Alabama; The United Kingdom; Manchester, UK; Wales; Turkey
Occupation(s)
Andreas worked as an electrical engineer in refineries in Cyprus. Upon arriving in Canada, he worked as an electrician, plumber, and heating technician. For eight years, Andreas operated a gas station and bus depot that was a part of a motel Cleo helped to run in Melville, Saskatchewan. Afterwards, Andreas worked in a hardware store, before doing repairs and maintenance for a housing authority. Andreas and Cleo then owned a sporting goods and clothing store in Melville for a number of years. Once Cleo and Andreas moved to Kingston, he briefly worked at H&R Block for one tax season, before working as a night auditor. Cleo was a teacher in Cyprus and a Greek school teacher in Canada.
Parents Occupation(s)
Andreas' mother cooked for the workers who toiled her father's farm. Andreas' father was a cook, then a fisherman. Cleo's father was merchant exporter of potatoes and fruits. Her father also had a hotel in Famagusta. Her mother was a cook at that hotel.
Names Referenced
William Shakespeare; Makarios III; Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Theodoros Xenophontos; Helen Power (née Xenophontos)

[00:00:03] Family memories and life in Famagusta before 1974

[00:11:33] Fleeing Famagusta due to the invasion

[00:18:09] British divide and rule destroying coexistence  

[00:22:56] Details on how they met and migrating to Canada

[00:26:14] Life in Melville, Saskatchewan

[00:32:56] Organizing a Greek school in the province

[00:37:59] Family in Cyprus and Wales

[00:40:02] Adjusting to life in Canada

[00:42:43] Balancing Cypriot and Canadian cultures

[00:45:50] Leaving their possessions behind in 1974

[00:47:55] Details about their children adjusting to Canada

[00:50:41] Joining Greek groups due to a lack of Cypriots

[00:58:27] Communicating with family in Cyprus

[00:59:10] Andreas’ photography and film hobby

[01:00:56] Difficulties visiting Cyprus

[01:03:45] How audiovisual media helps to sustain heritage

[01:07:55] This generation lacking interest in Greek school

[01:09:17] Photographs aiding the remembering of the past

[01:10:52] The divide between being Cypriot and Canadian

[01:12:10] Uncertainty over Cyprus’ future due to Turkey

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