Menelaos “Manos” Tzafalias is a freelance journalist and producer based in Athens. As a result of the Greek debt crisis, he made a jump from lifestyle and food journalism to covering politics, economics and social affairs in his native Greece.
His work has appeared in the Independent, the Daily Telegraph and other international media outlets while he is a regular contributor to Al Jazeera English Opinion and NewsTalk FM’s The Pat Kenny Show.
Three recurring themes in his coverage are: the growing loss of Greece’s sovereignty to its official sector creditors and the collapse of its social model; the mass movement of people from Africa and Asia to northern Europe through Greece; and the rise and current plateauing of Golden Dawn, a neo-Nazi-inspired party. 
Menelaos was an associate producer for “Palikari: Louis Tikas and the Ludlow Massacre”, a documentary about migrants and labour relations in early 20th century America.
As someone who has grown up in Apartheid-era South Africa and Communist-ruled Romania, he believes things can change for the better despite all contemporary indications to the contrary.