Cyprus Puzzle

Imagine a country of almost a million people. Then divide it two-thirds to one-third, each section with its own culture, religion, food, flag, language & traditions. Nowhere has the contrasts more striking than the ancient city of Nicosia, Europe’s last divided capital. Call it a slice of Berlin...

The island of Cyprus: The third largest island in the Mediterranean, after Sicily and Sardinia. Ruled during various periods by the Greeks, Romans, Ottoman Turks and British. It was politically and physically split in 1974, when tensions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots came to a head and Turkey intervened to stop a coup led by a Greek military junta. "Reality takes shape in memory alone", therefore a huge campaign of memory wars was exercised in Cypriot community through decades. Yet, there is a Cypriot way of time and space perception. Cyprus is a meaningful point where we can understand the limits of citizenship through reality, experiences and existence... We are heading towards days where cultures will meet in dialogue among peace talks. Cyprus can be the symbol of hope the world badly needs...

I have been to Cyprus last Autumn. I had witnessed the moods in Nicosia. It was an impressionistic study of the city and its inhabitants where you can have a feeling of the past, present and future of islanders. You will see attached images of people’s stories on two sides of the border, the daily routine and the atmosphere. My project, a humanitarian aspect of view, "Nicosia: the long tale of a short distance", is published in ATLAS magazine this February.