From Kefalos Across the Continent: Tracing Greek Footprints in Africa

Yogurt and cheese are not traditional staples of Zambian cuisine. This is why the sight that greets you in a Lusaka supermarket can be so surprising: vast buckets of thick, Turkish-style yogurt, alongside feta and halloumi cheese… All bearing the same logo: Kefalos.

Kefalos is actually a Zimbabwe-based dairy brand, but its story begins with a Greek immigrant who first settled in Zambia and later moved to Zimbabwe. Naming his company "Kefalos" after his homeland, the island of Kefalonia, his halal-certified products now grace supermarket shelves not just in Zimbabwe, but in countries from Zambia to South Africa.

The Greek traces in the country aren't limited to Kefalos. A Greek Orthodox Church in a central city location, a Greek supermarket stocking products from Turkey, and a Greek restaurant are all testament to the community's lasting imprint on Zambia.

Anna Diakogeorgiou, who was born and raised in Lusaka to parents from Rhodes, recounts how her father came to Zambia years ago with a very close Turkish friend to start a business together, maintaining a deep bond until his passing. The shared stories of Turkish and Greek immigrants in Africa serve as an example of the unexpected collaborations between diasporas on the continent. Similarly, historical trade partnerships between Turkish and Greek communities in Egypt also bear the traces of such relationships.

This notably visible Greek presence in some African countries represents more than just a few spatial landmarks; it conceals a multi-layered history of migration and settlement spanning centuries.

When and How Did the Greeks Come to Africa?

In countries like Tunisia and Libya, which were once part of the Ottoman Empire, the Greek presence dates back to the 16th century. Greek merchants, particularly from Izmir, Crete, and Cyprus, settled in Ottoman ports across North Africa, playing a key role in Mediterranean trade. Today, Greek fishing villages in Tunisia and marketplaces built in Greek architectural styles in Libya stand as silent witnesses to this past.

Greek migration to Sub-Saharan African countries began in the last quarter of the 19th century. Driven by economic factors like poverty in rural Greece, frequent famines, and major agricultural disasters, the flow of migrants intensified. From the mid-19th century onward, this migration was shaped not only by economics but also by the geopolitics of the era. The opening of the Suez Canal turned Africa into a gateway between Europe and Asia, and with the construction of new ports and expanding trade routes, the continent's need for skilled labour grew. Greeks seized these opportunities, moving into shipping, trade, and infrastructure.

The advent of steamships facilitated long-distance migration, especially for those from the Aegean islands. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Greeks had spread to over 25 countries across the African continent. Though they didn't always form large population clusters, they often attained influential positions in the economic and social life of their new homes.

Two Historic Figures

One of the most fascinating figures of the Greek diaspora in Africa is George Stravelakis. Sold into slavery in 1822, he was raised by a prominent Tunisian family. Converting to Islam and taking the name Mustafa, Stravelakis rose to the highest echelons of the Tunisian state, serving as Treasurer (Haznadar), army lieutenant general, Bey in 1840, and finally as President of the Grand Council from 1862 to 1878.

The second is Dimitris Tsafendas, who assassinated South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, the architect of Apartheid, in 1966. The mixed-race child of a Cretan father and a Mozambican mother, Tsafendas harboured a deep resentment against the system due to its racial laws. He stated his act was "my duty" and was consequently sentenced to life imprisonment on grounds of insanity.

Spheres of Greek Influence: From Trade to Infrastructure

Unlike the significant Greek communities in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia during the Ottoman period, the Greek presence in Sub-Saharan Africa remained small-scale. Sudan was one of the first hubs for the Greek diaspora. In the early 20th century, Greeks constituted a large portion of the European population there, settling not only in major cities but also in remote rural areas. By the late 19th century, Greeks had moved into industry, establishing the first factories in Omdurman and Khartoum for tobacco, flour mills, and the production of oil, sesame oil, and cottonseed oil.

In Mozambique, Greek entrepreneurs invested in sectors like tobacco, dairy, juice, and plastic production, contributing to the country's industrialization. They played active roles in major infrastructure projects, such as the Zambezi Bridge connecting Malawi to Mozambique in the 1930s.

Ethiopia was another hub for Greek traders. This community, involved in infrastructure works around Addis Ababa, managed to deliver goods to distant markets like Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti despite challenging health conditions.

Over time, Greeks became established in agriculture, food processing, retail, hospitality, and transportation in many countries, notably South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria, and the Congo. In East Africa, some Greek families focused on farming and livestock.

However, the post-independence nationalization policies implemented across much of the continent from the 1970s onward led to a sharp decline in the number of Greek immigrants. Today, the population of Greek origin in Africa is estimated to be around 100,000. This number includes those who no longer hold Greek passports and new generations born from mixed marriages.

Although most Greek immigrants preferred to live in urban centers, they culturally remained quite inward-looking. While they built economic relationships with the local populace, social interaction was limited. The first migrants, who were typically male, often returned to Greece to find wives after their initial years on the continent. Intermarriage became more common in the second and third generations. Their relations with other European colonists were distant and limited. The Greeks were not rulers but entrepreneurs, a position that allegedly led to experiences of racism from British administrators in South Africa.

Current Trends and Greece-Africa Relations

According to data from historian and University of Johannesburg researcher Antonis Chaldeos, the Greek presence remains influential in countries like Zambia, Malawi, and Nigeria. However, in many other nations, the community is aging and shrinking. Greek Orthodox Churches continue to play a vital role in preserving cultural ties.

Greece's Africa policies are relatively quiet and low-profile. Diplomatic relations are largely limited to countries like South Africa, Nigeria, and Sudan. Greek NGOs run small-scale aid operations in health and education in some countries, and a religious connection persists between the Ethiopian and Greek Orthodox Churches. In contrast, the Greek government recently suspended asylum applications from North Africa, a move that publicly reflected its discomfort with illegal migration.

The Greek Legacy in Africa

The Greek diaspora in Africa, while never a visible crowd, has left a multi-layered legacy—from dairy products and churches to bridge construction and trade routes. What remains today is a blend of the cultural traces of older generations and the stories of those returning to Africa for new economic opportunities.

The stories told by second-generation immigrants like Anna Diakogeorgiou recall the shared lives built by Turkish and Greek merchants on African soil. Meanwhile, the success of the Kefalos brand is proof that products once brought by immigrants have now become part of the local culture.

Today, due to economic fluctuations in Greece, some families are making a return to Africa. While we may not speak of great waves of migration anymore, the tangible heritage left by previous generations makes it possible to stumble upon familiar tastes in very distant lands.

Sources:

http://seesoxdiaspora.org/publications/briefs/modern-greek-emigration-to-africa.-what-made-them-emigrate-to-africa-and-what-is-the-current-status-of-the-greek-presence
https://www.greeknewsagenda.gr/greeks-of-africa/
https://www.kefalosfood.com/#time 
https://greeksofafrica.blogspot.com/ 
https://neoskosmos.com/en/2021/10/11/life/opportunity-and-adventure-the-greek-presence-in-africa/ 

This article was originally published in Independent Türkçe on 30 July 2025.

https://www.indyturk.com/node/762968/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/bir-fincan-direni%C5%9F-ruanda-kahvesinin-y%C3%BCkseli%C5%9Fi