The Twice a Stranger Exhibition is a cross-media project about the greatest forced migrations and population exchanges of the 20th century, when millions of people were uprooted and forced to move to new homelands.
Personal testimonies and rare archive footage are combined in multimedia video installations that bring visitors face-to-face with the survivors of these traumatic events.
The exhibition was created by Greek production company Anemon, with the support of the Cultural Programme of the European Union. It is co-organised by the University of Oxford, the Benaki Museum, the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, Istanbul-Bilgi University and Tolle Idee! It is supported by the A.G. Leventis Foundation, the Goethe Institut, the British Council, the Greek Refugee Council and the Centre for Asia Minor Studies in Athens.
The exhibition took place in Istanbul and Nicosia earlier in 2012 and will open on 18 September 2012 at the Benaki Museum on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe.
In March 2013, the exhibition will travel to the Army Museum in Stockholm before going to Luxembourg and other European museums.
Opening: 18 September 2012
Exhibition: 19 September–25 November 2012
Where: Benaki Museum
Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/321708851258649 and www.facebook.com/twiceastranger
Live story telling
Every Sunday from 23 September to 25 November 2012 both children and adults will have the opportunity to take part in the live story telling of The Promise at the Benaki Museum.
This original story is about the Greek-Turkish population exchange that took place between 1922–24 as seen through the eyes of two seven-year-old girls, one Greek and one Turkish, who lived on the outskirts of Smyrni.
The live story telling performances are taking place as part of our Our Shared Europe programme, whose aim is to acknowledge the contributions of different communities to the shaping of modern European culture and society and build a more inclusive view of the continent that we all share.
When: Every Sunday, 23 September–25 November 2012 (12.00 midday)
Where: Benaki Museum
Music event: Sunday Morning at the Megaron
The Athens Concert Hall's highly popular educational event Sunday Morning at the Megaron presents a tribute to Twice a Stranger. Through music, dance, storytelling, food and shadow puppets, the event will reflect the culture of Asia Minor, the Pontus, Cappadocia, Eastern Thrace and Crete, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Smyrna Catastrophe.
When: 21 October 2012, 11.00
Where: Athens Concert Hall
Documentary film screenings
Every Saturday and Sunday from 22 September to 25 November 2012, join us at the screenings of four documentaries featuring the experience of being a refugee, with a focus on Asia Minor and Cyprus. The screenings will take place in the auditorium of the Benaki Museum and aim to increase understanding of the forced migrations of the 20th century and their social, political and cultural implications.
When: Every Saturday & Sunday, 22 September–25 November 2012
Where: Benaki Museum
Gourmet evenings
Come along to the Gourmet Evenings we're organising in collaboration with the Benaki Museum restaurant, where you'll have the chance to sample a range of dishes and wines from different regions of Asia Minor, Pontus, Cyprus and India.
When: Every Thursday, 20 September–22 November 2012 (20.00–23.00)
Where: Benaki Museum
Information
British Council
Anastasia.Andritsou@britishcouncil.gr & 210 369 2334
Anemon Productions
info@anemon.gr & 210 721 1073