Mytilini
A city nestled at the foot of mountains, overlooking the eastern waters, with cats, people, and motorcycles alike weaving between shops and homes up and down the steep streets, Mytilini is a city of salty breezes, motor sounds, and spectrum colors. But Mytilini is more than a home to a few isolated Greeks and some tourists — it is also a place of escape for the refugees of Kara Tepe.
Kara Tepe is a refugee camps near Mytilini, with about 1,200 men, women, and children between them seeking safety and peace in the countries further north and west. Many of them have fled their homes of violence, poverty, and destruction by way of Turkey and crossing the waters to the island of Lesvos, a floating landmass no more than 20 kilometers off the Turkish coast. Arriving here, they have been fenced in camps while they await decisions of their future in EU: acceptance, deportation, or continued limbo. While the interview process would have taken days or weeks, the accumulation of mass desperate migrations from multiple regions of distress coupled with stalemated politics have kept many here for years. With no work and surrounded by the never-changing, monotonous bustle of neighbors, government workers, and volunteers slipping in and out the gates of the camps, captivity and boredom takes a heavy emotional toll on residents of Kara Tepe.
In the mornings and early afternoons, Mytilini offers an option of escape for many of the refugees. Just a few bus stops away, refugees can temporarily be away from their dusty and monotonous realities and be among the effervescence of freedom and bustle and pace. You’ll find mothers of red, green hijabs and dresses pushing their little ones in strollers along the harbor. Fresh-faced young boys gather in groups in the tight alleyways and talk and laugh. Older men with weathered and leathered skin stand near the bus stop for a smoke, stopping and conversing with anyone familiar that passes. With no agenda and no place to rush to, they spend their time embracing their temporary freedom and humanity — far from the cage of Kara Tepe they sleep among. Cornered on the tiny island of Lesvos by the politics of the EU and the restlessness and tension of home, refugees find a few hours of liberation and dignity in Mytilini.
A city of cramped clothing shops, perfume vendors, and fish sellers all on one street with a sight of the grandiose church always in view, Mytilini speaks with culture and energy. Although not officially citizens of this glowing city, among the vibrant colors of the shops and residencies, refugees seem to elevate the aesthetic of Mytilini all the more. Their polychromatic languages, kaleidoscopic cultures, and multihued skins meld in harmony with the backdrop of waters, architecture, and mountains.
