About the Project

“Our Stories” is an oral history project focused on migration to Greece during the 1970s and 1980s. Through oral testimonies and photographic material, the aim is to raise awareness about the longstanding presence of migrant communities in the country, especially in Athens.

Migrant communities have been established in Greece since 1970. However, in public discourse, migration is commonly treated as a recent phenomenon. While more than 500000 migrants reside in the country, to this day, knowledge about their experiences, their journey, and the extent of their contribution to Greek society and economy, remains limited. This realization served as the motivation behind the inspiration and creation of the “Our Stories” project.

In this regard, “Our Stories” seeks to shift the narrative and contribute to documenting the history of migration to Greece, by placing the narratives of the migrants themselves on center stage. Using oral storytelling and city mapping as tools, the project aspires to highlight migrant communities as integral parts of Athens’ history. Meanwhile, we hope “Our Stories” will act as an opportunity to initiate a more sensitive public discussion and prompt a broader and more systematic documentation of migration history in Greece.

The interviews took place in the homes and communities of the participants or in spaces where they felt comfortable sharing their stories. The testimonies you will hear have been processed to protect the anonymity of third parties. To facilitate navigation for visitors, the interviews are divided into three thematic parts – where the content allowed for such separation, with a transcript memo for those who wish or need to browse the stories through reading.

Our Stories is an independent project by Sebene Eshete, implemented with the support of the Landecker Democracy Fellowship by the Humanity In Action Foundation. The discovery of people and stories was made with the contribution of the Greek Forum of Migrants.