A British Turkish Cypriot film director has set out to do what has rarely been done before: to produce a balanced and comprehensive account of the Cyprus conflict. Arriving in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the 1974 War, Cey Sesigüzel’s new 90-minute film The Divided Island uses archive footage, expert commentary, and testimony from […]
Last week, the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) experienced its most catastrophic forest fire since the Beşparmak Mountains wildfire of June 1995. Twenty seven years on, a disastrous fire broke out in the forested area between the Tatlısu and Ağıllar villages, located in the Gazimağusa district of Northern Cyprus, on 21 June. The weather […]
Seven years ago, Phoebe Coles and two female student friends formed a social action group to help marginalised people in Cyprus. The group morphed into Vicinus, a voluntary-managed organisation that is involved in island-wide social and educational projects to support the rights of women, children and migrants. Vicinus has helped stage concerts for refugees, raise […]
Last weekend, thirty young people from different backgrounds in Cyprus attended the first “Avli’s Summer Camp” in the village of Tatlısu, situated on the northern coast of Famagusta district. During a summer where wildfires have hit both sides of Cyprus, as well as Turkey and Greece, climate change is weighing ever heavier on the consciousnesses […]
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week in Britain, making it the perfect time to put the spotlight on Pantelis – a trilogy on mental illness. The debut work of Turkish Cypriot author Kazim Altan, it captures the struggle of immigrants in a strange country, and their feelings of estrangement, disappointments, loss, upset and, naturally, […]
Before Christmas, an urgent bone marrow appeal was launched for Stella Charalambous, a 45-year-old mother of one who has leukaemia. Among those spearheading the campaign to find her a blood donor match is her friend of 34 years Naz Hassan. The two, pictured above with another close friend Tina Agsti, are originally from North London, […]
On the eve of a new round of talks between the two Cypriot leaders, one unexpected issue dominated the headlines on the island: the seizure of a Turkish Cypriot’s vehicle at the Metehan/ Ayios Dhometios checkpoint in the capital Nicosia because it contained illegally imported asparagus. Greek Cypriot customs officers stepped in on Monday morning […]
This weekend, the Union of Cypriots in the UK (EKA) and various Greek and Turkish Cypriot organisations, the Cypriot Artists Platform UK and Turkish Cypriot Association for Democracy are coming together to celebrate Friendship Week between Cypriots. The 3-day programme includes theatre performances at the Cypriot Community Centre in Wood Green, North London, followed […]
Veteran community activist Hasan Raif has died of cancer. He passed away in the early hours of the morning on the last day of 2017. The death of the married father of two has been greeted with universal sadness. Condolences were offered by Haringey Councillor Emine Ibrahim, who wrote on her Facebook and Twitter pages, […]
Emine is more interested in a dead cat than her kids…Al is lost in Grindr, whilst Ayşe – a fierce and intelligent young woman – is drowning in the mire of social media. They are thrown into turmoil when Ayşe commits a horrific assault. Screens tells the story of a modern British Turkish Cypriot family […]
