Loukis Akritas Commemorative Issue, Republic of Cyprus

Loukis Akritas Commemorative Issue, Republic of Cyprus

Postage stamps--Cyprus--History

Γραμματόσημα--Κύπρος--Ιστορία

Loukis Akritas was one of the most distinguished intellectual personalities of 20th Century Cyprus. He was born in Morphou in 1908 into a large but poor family. He studied in Morphou and graduated from the Pancyprian Gymnasium. He wrote articles for the newspapers in Cyprus and from 1930 for newspapers in Greece. He came into view as a journalist in 1935. In 1963 he was appointed Minister of Education in the Government of Papandreou in Greece. Just as thousands of Cypriots who fought in the Second World War alongside the allies either having been enrolled in the British forces or having proceeded to Greece, Loukis likewise found himself fighting in the mountains of Pindus, and he writes to his brother Evripides. "8th December 1940, My dear Evripides, I write to you from the Albanian mountains to send you my greetings and my love. I am exuberant that with thousands of young men I am doing my duty towards mankind. Life at the battlefront in spite of its hardships, which they do not understand, is of no interest to them. Alone, later, as night begins to fall we all remember our homes, our loved ones and we talk to them. Pride overwhelms me that as a Cypriot I am doing my duty twice". (Note: the first as a man as he says in his letter, the other as a Greek towards mother Greece which he implies) ""24th February 1941, My Dear Evripides, I am writing you once again from the Albanian mountains to tell you about the young men of Greece; they are demigods. For one to live and fight with them is a great honor. I am happy Evripidi that I fight today as a soldier and journalist so as to succeed in what all mankind longs for; and be sure we will win. We have with us the love of the people . Kisses Loukis."

Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus

Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία

Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus

Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία

Library of Cyprus University of Technology

Digital Heritage Research Lab of Cyprus University of Technology

25th October 2001

Designer: A. Ladommatos

Απαγορεύεται η δημοσίευση ή αναπαραγωγή, ηλεκτρονική ή άλλη χωρίς τη γραπτή συγκατάθεση του δημιουργού.

www.cypruspost.gov.cy

TIFF

EL, EN

Image

2001-AKRITAS-20

35.160417, 33.346556

Alex Matsoukis, Athens