Faultline Mini Documentary Highlights Crete’s Developmental Crisis [Video]

Crete Island is being systematically transformed into another case of lost history, hope, and identity. Since the 1960s, when the Greek government first began marketing tourism, the industry has reoriented tens of thousands of people and ruined countless villages and communities. The heart of what made Crete so special, its urban landscape and dear traditions, is being crushed underneath unsustainable practices and bad decision-making in general.  

A compelling new documentary by filmmaker and Faultline founder Andy Burgess sheds light on the dire situation facing Crete. The film, which features an interview with me about the work of APOKORONAS SOS and similar groups, brings to the forefront the pressing issues threatening Crete’s preservation. If we are to save Crete, the birthplace of Europe’s first great civilization, from further harm, we must heed the questions Andy’s film raises and take action. 

Engineering Destruction

Over the past few years, we’ve reported extensively on how bad decision-making and unbridled tourism marketing are negatively affecting Crete. The root causes of the degradation of once idyllic destinations like Crete are well known. The idea of “engineering” as our way of profit and solving the problems profit-making causes is at the crux of these issues. Giant corporations want to make more money from energy, so politicians and business elites start planning to turn places like Crete into solar batteries to increase supply. The government and outside influences push tourism with hundreds of millions in marketing and advertising efforts. These key players are “killing the goose that laid the golden egg for Greeks.” 

You see, peak oil was reached for most oil-producing countries decades ago. So, the whole “greenwashing” effort has a twofold purpose. First, large corporations and investment firms seek to grow wealth by pushing wind energy, photovoltaic farms, and other alternative energy means. Secondly, the companies in line for “engineering” these technologies have lobbyists and dealmakers roaming the globe to ensure profit is gained from every angle. This has been going on for decades. What has not been orchestrated resulted from short-term vision and criminal-level mismanagement. This is the case in the Burgess mini-documentary about the tragedy of Sfendili Village. 

In the 24-minute broadcast, Burgess discusses all the issues surrounding the water crisis and the Aposelemis Dam reservoir in the mountains of Heraklion Prefecture on Crete. The reservoir, intended to supply adequate water to the growing city of Heraklion and touristic Agios Nikolaos, submerged these ancient traditional villages a few years back. The reservoir also sank hundreds of hectares of olive groves and other fertile agricultural land. Climate change, a dry season, and the ever-expanding demand have nearly emptied the reservoir. The same scenario is playing out all over Crete and other Greek islands. Soon, very soon, citizens of once-thriving villages like Sfendili Village will be forced to leave. As illustrated in Burgess’ production, their lives will be inextricably changed for the worse.

Abandon All Hope

As for the outcast community of Sfendyli, there is little solace from those who claim sacrifices must sometimes made in the name of progress. The larger question is, “Was building this reservoir part of solution or a facet of the problem?” Clearly, shortsighted decision-makers, or those leveraging money interests, never care about long-term effects. For the decades since the 1960s, all that has mattered has been bandaid solutions to continue business as usual. Protecting Crete, or its people, was never high on the agenda.

There are many examples of places where once the people of Crete lived out their simple but rich lifestyles in a natural paradise. I will list a few below. 

Aklada—This traditional village, named for the wild pear tree, was one of Crete’s most picturesque and ancient hamlets, overlooking the bay of Agia Pelagia. Massive development of the seaside at Agia Pelagia resort town made the village a ghost town. 

Drakos—This remote village in the municipality of Agios Nikolaos has been inhabited since ancient times. The last resident left the village in 1979, probably moving like many others into the more densely populated Agios Nikolaos.

Kefala – Another ancient village that time has forgotten, Kefala overlooks another water reservoir constructed to “increase” supply during dry months. If you use Google Earth and view the lake from a satellite, you’ll see its level is also critically low. 

Kalathiana – Situated near ancient Gortys, Kalathiana was once one of Crete’s most picturesque and thriving villages. The now deserted village sits in the middle of some of the Island’s most fertile areas. It is now a historical landmark. 

Moussi—Located in the remote Sfakia region of Crete, Moussi was once famous for its watermills, which were used for grinding grain. Once more technologically advanced methods began being used on the island, the villages were forced to find jobs elsewhere. A unique feature of this village is that the houses were supplied with running water at a time when this was a luxury. 

Mikri Episkopi – Another deserted village that once thrived, Mikri Episkopi boasted of a fantastic temple (ruins above) dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord Christ. The temple, now in ruins, was once adorned with remarkable frescoes and built with unique architectural facets. 

The list of abandoned villages in Crete is now extensive. Places like Saridakides, Vleroma, Amygdalos, Skalia, Roukaka, and many others are all but forgotten pieces of the torn tapestry of traditional Crete. As sad as these lost communities are, a much more horrific situation is already underway. 

Going, Going, Gone!

In 2023 160,000 Greeks left the country in 2023. Since the financial crisis, another 500,000 left seeking better lives elsewhere. Georgios Tsertekidis of the Department of Social Work, Democritus University of Thrace, recently published a paper entitled “Brain Drain: Greece’s Open Wound”, in which he outlined some of the causes of the exodus of well-educated or skilled workers from Greece.

What is most relevant to my report is a passage from Tsertekidis’ texts – the “fact that most developing countries are affected by brain drain while the developed countries profit from it (Stark, 1991; Theodoropoulos et al., 2014).” The current state of affairs here on Crete makes me wonder if displacing communities all over Crete is not part of some grander scheme for land use. Whether this is true or not, every village in the island’s interior is increasingly populated by the aged.

Another facet of Tsertekidis’ paper hints at this transformation from another angle. He argues that an economy based on low-cost services needs to be reshaped into one where a high-skilled work force is set in place. As is the case in most such situations, the corporate entities take over farms and other operations, while more “modern” industries employ the population. So, in the end tradition, community values, and even religious connections are transfigured. The European Union and private investment entities have already set this in motion with programs to create a massive energy grid out of the island. The language of such programs goes something like this:

[the] EU-funded project CRETE VALLEY aims to transform Crete into a sustainable, decentralised energy system by 2028. 

The tragic end to this story is the total destruction of traditional Cretan life. Here in Heraklion, this elimination of the glue that once held these islanders together for millennium is prevalent. A plethora of small communities protesting wind generation farms, massive photovoltaic farms, offshore wind energy fields, and an array of infrastructure disasters do what they can. But those in charge of the business of Greece as a product are deaf to their complaints. It’s great that Andy Burgess of Faultline devote time and energy to raising awareness, but only great cohesion and effort by the rest of us can possibly make even the slightest difference.

I hope at some point, the greater public will wake up and save Crete and so many other island paradises.