The Greek community of Burundi in the 1940s.

The Greek community of Burundi in the 1940s.

Members of the Greek community of Vila Pery in Mozambique in 1915.

Members of the Greek community of Vila Pery in Mozambique in 1915.

The Greek traders in Sudan of 1896

The Greek traders in Sudan of 1896


(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek community of Sudan’)


In 1896, the army of Kitchener departed from Egypt and moved southwards. It was followed by some Greeks who provided the army with food and water. At that time, Wadi Halfa, on the border between Egypt and Sudan, was the end of the railway line that started from Cairo. Since the British wanted to construct a railway up to Khartoum, a distance of 910 km in the middle of the desert, a dozen of Greeks signed a contract with the British Army. Their responsibility was to provide the railway workers with water and food.

Τhe Greeks in Djibouti in 1900

Τhe Greeks in Djibouti in 1900

(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek presence in the Horn of Africa’)

Apart from the railway workers, who were the majority of the Greek community in Djibouti, in 1900, several traders settled down. Most of them worked as representatives of international European companies or as ship chandlers. In the following years to come, as the Djibouti port evolved into the most important commercial hub of the entire Red Sea, more Greeks settled in the city.

The Greek hero of Ethiopia in the 1850s

The Greek hero of Ethiopia in the 1850s

(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greeks presence in the horn of Africa’)

George Photis settled in Ethiopia in 1850. He was assigned to the army of the king of Gotzam and received the honorary title balabaras (commander of the guard) for his bravery. He was then known as Giorgis Balabaras and followed the Ethiopian army in the battles against Mahdi in Sudan and against the Italians in Adwa in 1896. According to testimonies, he was the only European who fought alongside Ethiopians against the Italians.

The Greek presence in the horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia)

The Greek philanthropist of Khartoum

(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek community in Sudan’)

Katarina Kakou was born in Suakin in 1893.Her father immigrated to Sudan in the late 19th century. At the age of 19, Katerina got married to Alexander Papadellis and had eight kids. Her husband died at an early age and Katerina had great difficulties in raising her kids. She used to sell several things in front of her house such as fruits, peanuts, cooked beans (fulia) to earn her living. Although she was poor she was giving help to anyone needed. Lots of people living in the neighborhood visited her in order to take a free meal. Katerina used to be a reference point for the entire region, till her death in 1983. For this reason, the street in front of her house was named ‘Katarina Street’.

The football team of the Hellenic Athletic Club of Khartoum in the 1930s

The football team of the Hellenic Athletic Club of Khartoum in the 1930s

(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek community in Sudan’)

During the pre-war period, the Greek football team took part in the local championship. The matches were usually held at the Gordon College. There were also two annual cups, the ‘Governor-General's Challenge Football Cup’ and the ‘Morhig Cup’. In 1931, H.A.C. played a total of 20 football matches with 14 wins, 3 defeats and 3 draws.

The Greeks of Omdurman (Sudan) in the 1890s

The Greeks of Omdurman (Sudan) in the 1890s

(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek community in Sudan’)

In 1885, the Mahdi forces conquered Khartoum. Those who survived the fall of Khartoum, including the 20 Greeks, were forced to convert to Islam, change names, wear local costumes and get married. The prisoners from Khartoum and the other cities settled in a district of Omdurman which was named Masalma (the district of Islamized) and received a monthly allowance. The Greeks formed a group that was represented by Dimitris Kokorempas.

The first Greek newspaper of Sudan

The first Greek newspaper of Sudan

(Excerpt from the book 'The Greek community in Sudan')

In 1911, two Greek entrepreneurs, Saoulis and Chrysantheou, founded Victoria Press and published the newspaper “Sudan Herald”. It was a four-page newspaper, written in English and Greek, and circulated once a week. Apart from Sudan, it was also distributed in Egypt, Ethiopia and Congo. After 1913, the newspaper was also accompanied by an Arabic edition of “Ra' id al-Sudan”.

The Greeks in Eritrea in the late 19th cen.

The Greeks in Eritrea in the late 19th cen.


In 1894, acording to the Italian census, 178 Greeks lived in Eritrea. Most of them resided in Keren and Masawa.That year they founded the first organised community in Eritrea, that of Keren.