History by definition means “account or story”, in other words it is an account of our past detailing how we arrived at our present time, who we are and where we are going. Provided history is analysed with logic and criticism, valuable lessons can be drawn from it that will guide us into the future. To mutually benefit from history, an objective eye and impersonal approach is essential to not only facilitate reconciliation with others with whom we have engaged in conflict, but equally important to help our own community come to terms and comprehend the implications of its own actions on others.

For decades, the minds of Cypriot school children, both Greek and Turkish, have been shaped and carefully moulded to suit the official line of the government of the day, using school history books, often with reckless consequences for coexistence and national unity. Indoctrination, as it is universally known or the ‘demonising of the other’ is not a mere dimension of the politics of the Cyprus problem, nor is it an issue for those who remained in Cyprus as it too has taken its grip over the minds of diaspora Cypriots.  Much like a genetic disease, indoctrination untreated will spread unchecked through generations erecting boundaries between ordinary people, wherever they choose to reside in the world.

Indoctrination brought about by biased official history lessons that elevates one community over another hinders the development of intellectual thought and critical analysis of events, necessary to discuss and confront political and historical taboos, at the expense of a healthy functioning society. Indoctrination impedes the natural human thought-process, encouraging the citizen to accept and defend an already determined set of thoughts, while promoting docility. With a biased official history there is no need for you to ever think; it is done for you. But perhaps governments do not want us to engage in free thinking?

After all history books are a great way for the government of the day to filter information they have deemed ‘acceptable’ to the younger population under the pretext of education. Educating children becomes a centre stage for publicity as the official self-imposed image of the nation is undeniably bias in order to conceal official past and present errors.  Official history books with blanks and gaps are a useful but dishonest way to impose official politics of victimisation on citizens in order to strengthen the official policy of “us” the victims and “they,” the perpetrators.

However, citizens need to be able to think freely to make sense of the tragedy of their island community and the consequent issues of identity and human rights it poses. Nothing will ever be achieved by glorifying oneself in written history, while vilifying the supposed other. With such attitudes of victim/perpetrator, history will become predictable and unreliable sources of information that will benefit nobody.

Official history books in the Republic of Cyprus emphasize Cyprus’ classical Greek past portraying Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots in negative terms, describing these groups as “500 year guests,” or “barbarians”with a view to justify die-hard, underlying notions that Cyprus is a Greek island. So strong is their desire to control the minds of citizens, lest they fall astray of official thinking, the campaign is brought abroad. Recently the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Cyprus condemned Greek history books for not being patriotic enough on Cyprus, despite the fact that Cyprus is in fact a multi-cultural country.

Similarly, in official history books in the North, history seems to begin and end with the Ottoman period. More recently there is an unofficial game by historians knighted by officialdom to deprive the other of their history. A simple issue like the phenomena of Crypto-Christians in Ottoman Cyprus are over-emphasized by Greek Cypriot historians but totally disregarded by Turkish Cypriot historians at the expense of our knowledge and understanding. Discussion and objectivity, even in matters that occurred four centuries ago is difficult to achieve even today.

Politically, official history books are a very useful tool used by governments to glorify their own achievements and politics by getting pupils to repeat arguments from the ‘national perspective. Governments with an agenda for separatism or continued monopoly over a multi-cultural state will use history books to get their young citizens to view human rights and injustices from the eyes of their own community often using emotive and heroic language, and vainglorious versions of history to play on human feelings and emotions. Can you imagine, without an official history to lend support to their politics and repeat the same official arguments, how shorter would Denktash’ leadership have lasted or would Papadopoulos’ OXI campaign have ever reach such momentum?

With books crudely illustrating in great detail the Nicosia blood bath or the angry look of an invader marching with his rifle over a map of Cyprus, such images of mental shock for children inevitably lead to unfair generalisations, labelling and stereotypes dividing both communities who are effectively survivors of the same bloody war. Spyrou discusses labelling and stereotypes in greater detail in his study “Small imaginations: Greek Cypriot children’s construction of the Turk,”  where lessons of official history have left Greek Cypriot children blaming “Turks” for historical events like the fall of Constantinople. Evidently history lessons are doing more than teaching history…

There has been some positive developments in Cyprus in recent years, with the new Turkish Cypriot authorities in the North under Mehmet Ali Talat attempting to introduce enquiry based history lessons or a common history book. At present, there is no equivalent in the Republic of Cyprus, where President Papadopoulos is too busy promoting Hellenism. However, simultaneous attempts by the Turkish Cypriot leadership to curry favour with nationalist voters and censorship of text books to Greek schools in Karpaz / Karpasia recently have shadowed such efforts to reform history books.

Despite the ceasefire line, the war between Greek and Turkish nationalisms continues not on the Mesaoria plains but in the history books. Why would they change history books? After all, history books are too valuable as a political and nationalist tool to leave in the hands of non-bias ‘traitors.’ It is unrealistic to expect those in power and the forces behind them to share planning over such a powerful tool of mind control; compulsory history lessons. Little wonder, neither North nor the Republic is in any real rush to let go of their precious state history text books. ©.