It’s six weeks since the anti-austerity party Syriza swept to power in Greece. Greek writer Alex Andreou explains what it means to himPhotographer Zed Nelson finds out if other Greek voters are still celebratingThis January was the first time I voted in a Greek general election. I was born in Greece, in 1971, and grew up on the small island of Mykonos, moving to London in the 1990s. I had never before felt the urge to drop everything and travel back for an election. This time was different. The landscape had seismically shifted.Mykonos is a place of extremes, attracting more than a million visitors each summer, but with only 10,000 permanent residents. A cosmopolitan metropolis when the sun is shining; a buttoned-up village when the weather gets cold. My father grew up during the Nazi occupation. He had a pair of shoes only to be worn on Sunday. At the age of 17, his father gave him the equivalent of £10 and showed him the door. It was time for him to find his fortune. He ended up running a successful cafe. My mother was a civil servant. My sisters and I have all become professionals. What class does this make us?I had never before felt the urge to drop everything and travel back for an election. This time was different Continue reading...
 |
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com |
