|
The
World Of Cyprus
|
|
| HISTORY | |
| “Kypros”: The First Cypriot Newspaper
By Ersi Demetriadou
|
|
| The history
of the first Greek newspaper published in Cyprus begins on May 21, 1878,
in Cairo. At an informal meeting of the Cypriot Brotherhood, a social,
charitable and educational association of Cypriot expatriates in Egypt,
it was proposed that a weekly newspaper by the name of "Kypros" be established
in Cyprus.
Theodoulos Constantinides, a Cypriot who had spent many years in Egypt teaching at the Greek schools in Alexandria and Cairo volunteered to assume the responsibility of publishing this newspaper at Larnaca. He was willing to quit his job at the Cairo Patriarchate Greek school and |
Despite the permits previously obtained from the Ottoman authorities, Constantinides
was not allowed to begin publication of "Kypros" by the British military
government. Sir Garnet Wolseley, the first British High Commissioner, was
opposed to freedom of the press. He nevertheless gave permission for the
commencement of publication of "Kypros" by mid August on condition that
an English language weekly would be simultaneously published by Constantinides.
Having no other option, Constantinides hired W. Palmer, a British national
who claimed to be a "Times" reporter and had arrived in Cyprus with the
influx of adventurers and speculators following the British army, to be
the editor of the English language weekly "Cyprus."
On August 29, 1878, the single sheets of "Kypros" and "Cyprus" simultaneously appeared at Larnaca. The two newspapers had nothing in common. In the first editorial of "Kypros" Constantinides praised the change in government and promised to work hard toward achieving the goals envisioned at the Cairo meeting. That is, serve the island's need in raising educational levels and providing information useful to the inhabitants always maintaining high journalistic standards. The English editor of "Cyprus" was more concerned with reporting on the activities of the British contingent, giving the results of horse races and cricket matches, and announcing the arrival of new shipments of whiskey and beer from England. Unfortunately for Constantinides, sales and subscriptions to "Kypros" and "Cyprus" were inadequate and the amount of printing work commissioned by the British government and the cigarette and tobacco merchants insufficient to defray costs. Before long he found himself in financial difficulty. Sometime toward the end of the year or early January 1879, Palmer proposed to Constantinides that he rent to him the printing house for one year at which time both "Kypros" and "Cyprus" would continue to be published. Constantinides would remain the editor of "Kypros" for a fixed monthly salary of £4. Palmer’s financial savvy proved less than that of Constantinides. He soon took out a loan from Henry S. & Co., a British trading company established at Larnaca after the occupation, using his rented printing house as collateral. Being unable to meet his payments, Henry S. King & Co. confiscated the printing house despite |
 |
|
| repatriate
to Larnaca with his family in order to become the publisher and editor
of "Kypros." The Cypriot Brotherhood members present at this meeting promised
to financially support Constantinides in purchasing a printing press and
to cover his expenses until the time the newspaper became financially independent
through annual subscriptions and sales. Constantinides was optimistic financial
independence should not prove difficult with a number of subscriptions
coming from Cypriot expatriates living in Egypt and sales in Cyprus. He
was also confident that with a printing press on the island, of which there
was none at the time, he would be able to assume some of the printing business
commissioned outside the island by the cigarette and tobacco merchants.
There was no time to lose. That same evening Constantinides traveled to Alexandria where a printing press was available for sale. The necessary permits were obtained from the Ottoman authorities for publishing a Greek weekly at Larnaca and after Constantinides finished giving the final examinations at the Patriarchate Greek school in Cairo, he sailed for Larnaca arriving a few days after the Ottoman government handed over administration of Cyprus to Britain. |
|