World of Cyprus, The 1960-1974

A magnificent album by the eminent artist photographer Takis Demetriades, with informative captions written by Panos Ioannides. In the critical period of 1960 – 1974, a period which, with the events that marked it, changed the course of the history of our country, the sensitive lens of Takis Demetriades had recorded indelibly characteristic, we could say unique, people of Cyprus, at work, at leisure, deep in thought, people young and old, fine old men who make you proud just to see them, gentle, uncompromising or picturesque old women, who awaken in you feelings of respect and love. When you look at the photographs, a window suddenly opens in time and takes you back, to times that have gone forever, offering you a large series of images which describe and preserve the way the simple, unspoilt, average Cypriot lived, worked, thought and spent, in earlier times, his leisure – the people of the town or the village, of the soil and hard work, of the sea, the field or the tranquil monastery. In his foreword to the publication, the President of the Republic, Mr Tassos Papadopoulos, notes the important contribution of Takis Demetriades to the cultural activities of Cyprus and the perennial quality of his work. “…. through the unpublished series of black and white photographs which present the world of Cyprus during the period 1960 – 1974,” President Papadopoulos writes, “manners, customs and traditions come to life again. Memories and experiences are revived which are identified with the contemporary history of the Republic of Cyprus, since in a direct way and in relief they record and interpret history”. It was time for this unique work to come out of the artist’s archive, to remind us of the past, days, hours and people, many of whom have already departed this life but whose memory survives thanks to the lens of the sensitive photographer.