Androula Tsoukalas
Interviewer(s):
Theo Xenophontos
Project:
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
INTERVIEW LOCATION:
Belleville, ON
LANGUAGE:
English with some Cypriot Greek
DATE:
July 16, 2023

Interview Summary:

Androula Tsoukalas was born in Mesogi, Cyprus in 1943. In 1964, she migrated to Canada due to the intercommunal violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. In 1974, she aided her husband as he organized a protest in Ottawa following the Turkish invasion.

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Interview Details
Categories and Themes
Content
Media
Date and Location
July 16, 2023
Belleville, ON
Interviewee(s)
Androula Tsoukalas
Interviewer(s)
Theo Xenophontos
Languages
English with some Cypriot Greek
Reference ID
FAMREF013
Project
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
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Categories
Associational Life
Canadian Society
Culture and Tradition
Education
Historical Events
Homeland Activism
Migration
Rites
Working Life
Tags
AHEPA
Australia
Baptism
Cleaning Work
Cypriot Canadian 1974 Protests
Cypriot Canadian Identity
Cypriot Community of Toronto Inc.
Cypriot Intercommunal Violence
Cyprus 1974
Cyprus Coup
Dance
Engagement
English Learning
EOKA
Greek Community
Greek School
Junta
Marriage
Military Service
Post-1974 Migration
Pre-1974 Migration
Religion
Sponsorship
The Cypriot Brotherhood
UK
USA
WW2
Decades Referenced
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Locations Referenced
Cyprus; Mesogi (Paphos District); Timi (Paphos District); Polis Chrysochous (Paphos District); Limni Mine (Paphos District); Argaka (Paphos District); Prodromi (Paphos District); Paphos; Troodos Mountains; Kyperounda (Limassol District); Akrotiri (British Base in Cyprus); Canada; Toronto; Belleville; Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Belleville); Kingston; Trenton; Picton; Ottawa; Montreal; Halifax; Victoria; Vancouver; Australia; the United Kingdom; the United States of America; Russia; Ukraine; Israel; Palestine; Greece; Athens; Rhodes; Crete
Occupation(s)
As a child, she helped her mother as a basket weaver. Then when she was older, she worked at Limni Mine. Her first job in Canada was working as a dishwasher and then later on she worked as a cashier at Home Depot.
Parents Occupation(s)
Her mother was a basket weaver and her father was a government foreman. Her father also served in the Cyprus Regiment of the British Army during World War II.
Names Referenced
Chris Tsoukalas; Dimitrios Ioannidis; Georgios Grivas; Georgios Papadopoulos; King Paul of Greece; Makarios III; Spyros Kyprianou

[00:00:17] Biographical and familial background

[00:03:30] Leaving Cyprus due to the troubles in the 1960s

[00:08:56] Details about her childhood in Cyprus

[00:13:37] Details about EOKA and the troubles in the 1960s

[00:25:51] Interactions with Turkish Cypriots

[00:28:32] Imperialist politics in Cyprus

[00:31:53] Reasons for picking Canada over other countries

[00:35:32] Describing her first job in Canada

[00:38:47] Adjusting to life in Canada

[00:39:51] Fading Cypriot presence in Belleville  

[00:42:47] Connection with the Cypriot Community of Toronto

[00:44:39] Memories of 1974

[00:49:51] Arguments with junta supporters

[00:55:19] Cypriot dances & children attending Greek school

[00:56:56] Differences between Cypriot and Greek language

[01:04:06] Moving back & forth between Cyprus and Canada

[01:08:30] Association with AHEPA & Daughters of Penelope

[01:15:28] Cypriots in Victoria, B.C.

[01:19:20] Connection between Belleville & Kingston Cypriots

[01:20:57] Founding of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

[01:25:14] The importance of photography

[01:28:32] Harassment from a Greek over Cypriot identity

[01:31:58] Hopes for the future of Cyprus

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