TORONTO – The Hellenic Heritage Foundation (HHF) announced the continuation of its podcast series Greece’s Darkest Decade, Part Two: Civil War.
Produced by the HHF’s award-winning History Committee, Greece’s Darkest Decade Part Two: Civil War, is a five-part podcast continuing where Part One left off, at the end of World War II. The following years would not bring peace to Greece, as the groups who fought to liberate Greece had competing visions of the country going forward. On March 31, 1946, 80 years ago, the nation plunged into further years of war.
This story is told using voices from Canada’s immigrant community, from the HHF Greek Canadian Archives at York University (HHFGCA).
“The eldest members of our community, who were mostly children and adolescents in the Civil War, shared their stories about the trauma they endured and the reasons why sought better lives abroad,” said Sandra Gionas, History Committee Chair. “We felt it was our responsibility to bring their stories forward so that they may never be forgotten.”
The podcast series is hosted by Gionas, a journalist, along with Angelo Laskaris, a PhD candidate at York University, whose interviews form the basis of the collection at the HHFGCA.
Various historians, political scientists and people with lived experience also appear on the podcast to illustrate the events such as the Dekemvriana, the White Terror, guerilla warfare, and the Paidomazoma.
Podcast episodes can be downloaded on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or listened to at www.hhf.ca. Episodes drop weekly until April 21.
The HHF Presents also has produced previous seasons on various chapters in Greek and diaspora history. Exodus: The Stores of 1922 won the 2023 Canadian Ethnic Media Association’s award for Best Podcast Series. The Idea of Greece was featured as part of the Greek Republic’s campaign to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution. The HHF Presents seasons on the student siege of the Athens Polytechnio, and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus have also been nominated for Heritage Toronto Public History awards.
The HHF History Committee was also awarded the 2019 Heritage Toronto Community History Award for its year-long efforts to commemorate the 1918 Anti-Greek Riots in Toronto.
The HHF’s History Committee is made up of volunteers from all walks of life, with a passion for our history. They engage in public history projects that will enrich the lives of our Greek Canadian diaspora, and through podcasting, walking tours and public exhibits.