A Greek-American military cooperation in 1805 in Northern Africa

In 1805, the bey of Tripoli in Libya captured a ship of the US navy and imprisoned the 308 members of the crew. The American consul organised a military unit consisted of American marine corps and 30 Greek mercenaries. This group crossed 600 miles through the Sahara desert and after a battle in Derna managed to liberate the imprisoned.
There is a reference to this operation in the first two lyrics of the US marine’s hymn.

The Greeks and the football club of St George in Addis Ababa

(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek community in the horn of Africa’)

On January 7th, 1935 George Doucas and Ayele Atnash established the football club of St George in the Arada neighbourhood of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. The first team consisted of Ethiopians and Greeks coming mainly from mixed marriages. George Doucas was the first goalkeeper. During the Fascist Italian occupation in Ethiopia, the club became the symbol of the Ethiopian nationalism.

The Greeks in Zanzibar in the 1890s

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

Zanzibar was of foremost importance in the trade activity of the Indian Ocean for centuries. For that reason, few Greeks settled in there in the 1890s and started their business activity mainly as ship chandlers and traders.

The foundation of the Greek school in Arusha of Tanzania

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

In 1947, the Greeks of the then Tanganyika launched a fundraiser at the initiative of Christodoulos Galanos. Almost £24,000 was gathered. Among the major donors were G. Arnaoutoglou, Skoutaris, Arg. Monas, Mich. Kazamias, I. Kazamias, Ch. Antoniou, G. Chouris, F. Kontopoulos, N. Zachariadis, N. Athineos, N. Tsambourakis, the ‘Ralli Co.’, and the British administration. A plot of 140 acres, a few kilometers outside Arusha was bought at the price of £4,500 and the school was founded on 25/3/1949. The construction began in 1950 but the money was not enough for the completion of the school and the building of the boarding house. Finally, thanks to the generosity of Christodoulos Galanos the school was completed on 28/10/1952.

The Greeks and the African rumba

The Greeks played a significant role in the music industry of Congo by founding several recording companies like Olympia, Ngoma, Opika and others. In the 1960s, they contributed in the formation of African rumba which became popular throughout the world during the following decades.

Livieratos family: From Kefalonia to Romania, Egypt, Yemen and Ethiopia

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

Livieratos brothers established a company in the mid-19th century and settled in Romania selling wheat. Soon, they opened a branch in Egypt. One of the brothers, Anastasios moved to Aden and started trading coffee. From there, Livieratos Company expanded to the city of Harrar in Ethiopia which was the major coffee centre of the whole Northeastern Africa. Till the early 20th century, Livieratos Company had managed to open branches in Marseille and New York.

The Greeks of Dire Dawa (Ethiopia) in the 1910s

(excerpt from the book ‘The Greek presence in the horn of Africa’)

In 1902, the railway reached Dire Dawa in the southeastern of Ethiopia and the Greek workers were among the first Europeans who settled in. Over the next decade, Dire Dawa transformed into a modern city with restaurants, café and hotels such as the ‘Continental’ of Stelios Bololakos. Nearly and around the hotel there were most of the Greek trade stores and a cinema that belonged to Alexandrou. Undoubtedly, most of the Greeks were involved in the coffee trade. Some of the dominant trading houses were those of I. Vozikis, Michaelidis, Karellas, Papakonstantinou, Kermelis brothers, Varbetas, Vrachatis brothers, Philippatos, L. Kalos, T. Armantzas, M. Dalentzas, Diamantopoulos, E. Theofilou, Zafiriadis, Salavrakos, V. Klitsas, N. Baltsorias, Giannatos, C. Koutsogiorgis, G. Kalaidis, I. Tzelatis, Michalitsianou brothers.

The Greek community in Sudan (1843-2019)

The Greek community in Addis Ababa in the late 19th century

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

In the 1890s, the emperor of Ethiopia, Menelik II, decided to transfer the capital on Mount Entoto. This was the starting point for the building of Addis Ababa (lit. new flower). This decision demanded the presence of the appropriate skillful workforce. Several Greeks took part in several construction projects including streets, bridges, buildings and churches. Apart from the construction field, lots of Greeks were engaged in trade. Therefore, some of them were members of the local government such as Kleanthis Moschopoulos, who had been appointed as Head of State Security and Vassilis Diamandouros, who was the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce.

Emmanuel family: From Tenedos to Suez and Tanganyika, in the early 1900s

Emmanuel family: From Tenedos to Suez and Tanganyika, in the early 1900s

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

One of the typical stories of the Greeks settled in the Kilimanjaro area during the early 1900s is that of Gregory Emmanuel. Emmanuel was born in Tenedos Island and was working as an engineer for the Suez Canal Company. In Alexandria, he met his friend Meimaridis who was also from Tenedos. At that time, coffee cargo was being landed in Mombasa and transported by train to Voi in Tanganyika. Meimaridis had purchased a steam traction engine and intended to take over the heavy transport business between Voi and Moshi on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, a distance of about 90 miles. Meimaridis offered a partnership to Emmanuel and for the next years they carried building materials and other heavy freight around the Moshi area. Later, Emmanuel worked as a constructor for the railway and then as a farmer. Today the 4th generation of Emmanuel family still lives on the slopes of Kilimanjaro.

Loizos family: A route from Cyprus to Egypt and Sudan, in the late 19th century

Loizos family: A route from Cyprus to Egypt and Sudan, in the late 19th century

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

During the 1890s, a few Greek traders who used to live in Egypt expanded their business to Sudan. One of them was Aristides Loizos. In 1876, he left Cyprus and immigrated to Egypt. A decade later he settled in Sudan followed by his brothers Petros, Michael, Nikos and Konstantinos. They set up a trade business in Wadi Halfa and later throughout Sudan. In 1905, they also owned the ‘Grand Hotel’, one of the oldest hotels of Sudan.