The pioneering Greek spirit in Africa

What started out as the history of his own family led one man to trace the history of a community across a continent. PAUL LAMBIS meets him

For Antonis Chaldeos, what started out as a journey tracing his family’s history soon evolved into a fascinating series of books concentrating on the Greek presence in Africa and the communities’ significant contribution to their host countries.

Born in Athens, Greece, and currently residing in South Africa, Chaldeos is a historian, writer and research associate at the University of Johannesburg whose research focuses on the history of the Greek Diaspora in Africa. Despite having roots in Plomari on the island of Lesvos, Chaldeos’ research into his family history showed that by the end of the 19th century, his relatives had dispersed to several parts of Africa.

“Unfavourable political, social and economic conditions in the wider south-eastern Mediterranean region, and the strategy of the European colonial powers in Africa forced many Greeks to relocate,” he said. “It was a period of intensified competition between European countries for the exploitation of Africa that created the background and the conditions for the migration and settlement of many Europeans to the African continent.

“With the Suez Canal opening in 1869, the time it took to travel from Europe to Asia was significantly shortened, and new ports were established to refuel ships. These ports gradually evolved into entry points for exploration of Africa’s uncharted but naturally resource-rich countries,” he added.

According to Chaldeos, Greek immigrants preferred the urban centres as they intended to work for a short period of time and return to Greece with enough money to invest in a small business. Although some were involved in trade, a majority engaged in agriculture and livestock development with low prestige and uncertain profit.

“Many Greeks had farms and livestock in countries such as Kenya, Tanganyika, Rhodesia, Nyasaland and Mozambique,” Chaldeos told Living. “The Greeks dealt with the intensification of the existing crops and introduced new ones such as tobacco. They were pioneers. They invested their money and laid the foundations of the industrialisation in many countries, including Sudan, Zambia and Mozambique.”

By the turn of the 20th century, Greeks had spread into over 25 African countries, and their role in the local economy and society was decisive. “The Greek community was the largest among the Europeans in Khartoum at the time, with almost 2,500 living in the Sudanese capital, compared to a total of 3,100 Europeans, including those employed by the British colonial authority.

“The Greeks of Sudan concentrated their professional endeavours in two key areas: trade and construction. A few of them, however, ran cafés and eateries, one of which included a bar, bakery, and a restaurant that eventually became one of the largest in the city,” Chaldeos said.

While the Greek community in Sudan continued to thrive, those who had settled in Mozambique undertook the construction of one of the largest transport projects in southeast Africa – “a bridge in lower Zambezi, linking Malawi with Mozambique.”

Chaldeos’ research has led him to many stories that have struck a chord, including that of George Stravelakis, a Greek who was sold as a slave after surviving the Chios massacre in 1822 but went on to rise through the political ranks and eventually become the President of the Grand Council in Tunis. “I was also touched by the story of Dimitris Tsafendas, a Greek Mozambican of mixed race who became a symbol of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.”

Chaldeos’ successful book series explores the Greek presence in many African nations, including Tunisia, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Tanzania, South Africa and Malawi. The latest addition to his collection, which will be released at the end of this year, focuses on the Greek communities of West Africa.

“Although Greeks were among the first Europeans who settled in Africa in the 19th century, they were considered second-class Europeans,” Chaldeos said. “Greeks experienced a kind of marginalisation; they chose deliberate isolation from the colonial elite. This attitude was also derived from their need to preserve their ethnic identity within a multicultural society.”

Chaldeos clearly demonstrates in his books how the Greek immigrant’s identity evolved from the 1930s onwards. Many educated and experienced Greeks from Asia Minor, Aegean islands and Cyprus immigrated to Africa, living there with great tenacity, and rising to a higher social level.

Chaldeos’ years of arduous research were acknowledged in 2017 when he was honoured by the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa with the St Marcos Holy Cross for his contribution to the promotion of Hellenism in Africa. Although it was a turning point in his life, Chaldeos is also humbled by the innumerable emails and messages he has received from people and academics who have thanked him for preserving the presence of Greeks in locations few people are aware of.

Today, the total number of Greeks living in Africa is estimated at 100,000, excluding the descendants of mixed marriages. Most of them live in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Congo and Nigeria. However, in the last few years, the Greek communities in Africa are slowly increasing again, and they are actively working with their host countries to foster positive relationships between Greece, Cyprus and Africa.