WE ARE CYPRIOTS
WIR SIND ZYPRER

28 Portraits

Christina Koutsavaki • Niki Tsianakka / Androulla Tsianakka / Nikolas Krstic • Mustafa Keleşzade • Panagiotis Ecosaris and his wife Elli • Anna Marangou •   Müge Şevketoğlu • Andreas Triantafillis • Ceren Ataker Etçi / Constantinos Hadjichristofi • Katie Clerides • Maro Emmanuel • Şener Levent • Ibrahim Aziz • Savvas Christofides • Soti Christodoulou / Kyriakos Kyriakou • Ergün Pektaş • Alexis Sofocleous • Committee on Missing Persons / Alexandra Mouski • Arianna Economou • Fatma Özok • Nora Nadjarian • Akis Lordos • Özkan Tekman / Ahmet Tekman • Magda Zenon • Evren Inançoğlu


Selected quotes from six interviews of 28 in total.

 

We are Cypriots. Katie Clerides

Katie Clerides

Pioneer of the peace talks, daughter of Glafcos Clerides, former president of the Republic of Cyprus, *1949
Interview 29 May 2016, Nicosia

... For me, the reunification is the only thing that I really want from life. I’m 67 years old and I’ve achieved many things. I’m very happy with my life. ...

 

 


Nora Nadjarian

Nora Nadjarian

Author and poet, *1966
Interview 3 June 2016, Nicosia

... My work is minimalist – all of it is condensed, intense and compressed ... By “minimalist”, I also mean: Some things can be left unsaid. I don’t want to preach, don’t want to spread any hidden or political messages. ...

 


We are Cypriots. Mustafa Keleşzade

Mustafa Keleşzade

Director of Khora Book Café, Activist with Baraka Culture Centre, *1990
Interview 7 June 2016, Nicosia

... We cannot see an agreement just as a first step and think the rest will surely follow. No, the reconciliation has to take place simultaneously at all levels. ...

 


We are Cypriots. Arianna Economou

Arianna Economou

Dance activist, choreographer, dancer and dance teacher
Interview 9 June 2016, Nicosia

... Many people say that such a fundamental change will bring not only advantages, but also entail drawbacks. We will need a lot of discipline, a cool head and maturity. ...

 


We are Cypriots. Familie Tekman

Özkan Tekman

Former social worker, owner of Kyrenia Tavern, *1935
Interview 25 October 2016, Kyrenia

... How would it actually look if Greek Cypriots came back from the South and wanted to live here? What would happen to the people who now live in houses that once belonged to the Greek Cypriots? ...

Ahmet Tekman

Son of Özkan Tekman, owner of Kyrenia Tavern, *1959
Interview 25 October 2016, Kyrenia

... We‘re living here in an open-air prison. We’re trapped – for instance, in terms of a passport. ... Cypriots that only have a Northern Cypriot passport can only travel to Turkey. ...


We are Cypriots. Savvas Christofides

Savvas Christofides

Architect, *1956
Interview 7 July 2017, the day after the peace talks broke down, Nicosia

... My only comment is: We were fighting for a "United Cyprus Now". My question now is: Unite Cyprus – how? ...