INTRO
By My SideBelfast · Berlin · Mostar · Nicosia
An Exhibition by Atelier Limo
Initially produced for the festival “Rewriting the Map” of the Literary Colloquium Berlin in 2019, the exhibition “BY MY SIDE” investigates the ways in which borders influence the daily lives of people in BELFAST, BERLIN, MOSTAR and NICOSIA.
Former front lines, concrete walls, boundary stones, soldiers, checkpoints, buffer zones, but also invisible borders... What does a city look like when the continuity of its urban space is disrupted?
The photographs explore small portions of these cities, revealing the different ways in which the lines that once separated or still separate people are manifested in these “urban microcosms”. Portraits and interviews show people dealing with the marks of history, the complexity of geopolitical contexts, the role of education, their need to define themselves, and the wish for reconciliation.
This digital version of the exhibition was developed by Atelier Limo in 2021.
Former front lines, concrete walls, boundary stones, soldiers, checkpoints, buffer zones, but also invisible borders... What does a city look like when the continuity of its urban space is disrupted?
The photographs explore small portions of these cities, revealing the different ways in which the lines that once separated or still separate people are manifested in these “urban microcosms”. Portraits and interviews show people dealing with the marks of history, the complexity of geopolitical contexts, the role of education, their need to define themselves, and the wish for reconciliation.
This digital version of the exhibition was developed by Atelier Limo in 2021.
Belfast
BELFASTWhere walls are called "peace lines"
Key facts Belfast
Key facts Belfast
Vollbild
1542
The English king Henry VIII declares the Kingdom of Ireland as English-controlled territory. This declaration is followed by different Irish resistance movements.
1922
Following the Irish War of Independence between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces, Ireland is partitioned. Northern Ireland is created and remains under British Control.
1967
Start of the armed conflicts between unionists (mostly having Protestant backgrounds and fighting for a British Northern Ireland) and nationalists (mostly coming from a Roman Catholic background and fighting for a unified Ireland). From 1967 to 2003, there were over 36,900 shooting incidents and over 16,200 bombings or attempted bombings associated with “The Troubles”. 3,254 people were killed during this period.
1969
Following significant riots, the first “peace lines” are built in several cities in Northern Ireland in order to reduce fights and victims. Originally few in number, the barriers have multiplied over the years, from 18 in the early 1990s to at least 59 as of late 2017. All in all, they extend over 21 miles (34 km), mainly located in Belfast.
1998
UK and Ireland sign the Good Friday Agreement pacifying the conflict. However, peace lines increase in both height and number, especially in Belfast in order to avoid further riots.
2019
Lyra McKee, a prominent young journalist is killed in Londonderry, near Belfast, during a night of rioting between unionists and nationalists.
The English king Henry VIII declares the Kingdom of Ireland as English-controlled territory. This declaration is followed by different Irish resistance movements.
1922
Following the Irish War of Independence between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces, Ireland is partitioned. Northern Ireland is created and remains under British Control.
1967
Start of the armed conflicts between unionists (mostly having Protestant backgrounds and fighting for a British Northern Ireland) and nationalists (mostly coming from a Roman Catholic background and fighting for a unified Ireland). From 1967 to 2003, there were over 36,900 shooting incidents and over 16,200 bombings or attempted bombings associated with “The Troubles”. 3,254 people were killed during this period.
1969
Following significant riots, the first “peace lines” are built in several cities in Northern Ireland in order to reduce fights and victims. Originally few in number, the barriers have multiplied over the years, from 18 in the early 1990s to at least 59 as of late 2017. All in all, they extend over 21 miles (34 km), mainly located in Belfast.
1998
UK and Ireland sign the Good Friday Agreement pacifying the conflict. However, peace lines increase in both height and number, especially in Belfast in order to avoid further riots.
2019
Lyra McKee, a prominent young journalist is killed in Londonderry, near Belfast, during a night of rioting between unionists and nationalists.
As the capital of Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, Belfast is neither geographically nor politically a border city. The line separating the province from the Republic of Ireland is about 50 miles further south. And yet...
As soon as you move away from the city centre, the territory is often split between "Unionist districts" (mostly Protestant and pro-UK) and "Republican districts" (mostly Catholic and nationalist). While this distinction is often invisible at first glance, in places the border is physically embodied by "peace lines". These walls, which are several metres high and take different forms depending on their location, were built in different parts of the city to separate the residents of different areas so as to reduce the risk of confrontations.
As soon as you move away from the city centre, the territory is often split between "Unionist districts" (mostly Protestant and pro-UK) and "Republican districts" (mostly Catholic and nationalist). While this distinction is often invisible at first glance, in places the border is physically embodied by "peace lines". These walls, which are several metres high and take different forms depending on their location, were built in different parts of the city to separate the residents of different areas so as to reduce the risk of confrontations.
Although some of these closed districts have barriers that open and close at certain times of the night (giving them the appearance of gated communities), it is generally enough to walk a few hundred metres in order to pass unhindered to the "other side".
Vorher/Nacher Ansicht
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"When you see a Republican mural you know
you‘re in a Republican area. If you see a loyalist
mural you know you‘re in a loyalist area. This is
the face of things, it doesn‘t bring a lot of people
together. No, definitely not. You’ve heard about
the streets? They are divided, there‘s like an
invisible border between the green, white and
gold and the red, white and blue… It can only be
road or a thing like that, you know..."
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"That‘s not a problem per se. It‘s
something that has manifested
itself through the conflict. So,
what I‘m saying, there‘s fear on
both sides that they‘re going to
be attacked if that wall was
removed. But me personally,
from my own personal opinion,
it‘s to do with the way people
think.
The physical structure is easier to remove, you just get something and remove it, but that doesn‘t solve the problem, because the fear still remains within people‘s heads. So, you need to remove the fear that is in people’s heads. Sometimes people play on that fear and use that fear for their own political ends..."
A person met at the Catholic school
The physical structure is easier to remove, you just get something and remove it, but that doesn‘t solve the problem, because the fear still remains within people‘s heads. So, you need to remove the fear that is in people’s heads. Sometimes people play on that fear and use that fear for their own political ends..."
A person met at the Catholic school
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The "new murals"
Today, the city encourages murals conveying neutral and unifying causes and symbols, such as messages of peace, the fight against global warming or, as in this case, the memory of the Titanic, which was built in the city’s harbour in the early 20th century.
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"We don‘t allow football shirts, anything what
we call “colors” over here, which make you think:
“Okay, they belong to one community and support
a community”. It‘s all banned in here. They just wear
their ordinary training clothes.
Nobody knows who‘s who, what‘s what, and we‘ve
got friendships now, and like I say, with people from
divides that maybe haven‘t met before. It‘s going well.
It‘s doing what we set out to do, but there‘s still a lot
of things to do...
”
TERRY McCORRAN - Boxing Academy Belfast
TERRY McCORRAN - Boxing Academy Belfast
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A hole in the wall
The former school in which Terry founded his boxing academy is directly adjacent to the wall of the "peace line". In this exact spot, Terry plans to make a hole in the wall to install a door that would allow students living on the other side to access the site without making a detour of several kilometres. He applied to the authorities for permission to execute this project in 2019.
"This area here is what you call the
interface area. Some people call the
“interface wall”, “the peace wall”,
“separation wall” whatever you
might want to call it, and it divides
the two communities here and this
part of Belfast. On this side of the
wall, you have what people would
call “the loyalist community”. On
the other side of the wall, you have
what people would call “the natio
-
nalist community”.
A lot of the time, there‘s a bit of tension there, so
that‘s why the wall is still up. We are hoping to have
a door put into the wall down at the bottom of the
corridor to open up the club to both communities... "
Terry Mc Corran
Terry Mc Corran
"It can work both ways, you know. You have people who are going out of their way to be deliberately offensive and to irritate the other side and
they‘ll think about the words they use to annoy
people. I don‘t want to do that, so as an artist I
have to think about how I frame myself before I
create anything.
In the same way, as a person who produces art
in programs or I have to go through all of these
looks of being cross-community and practicing
equality and making sure everybody‘s involved.
I don‘t see that in other cities. When I go to
America and I say: “Oh, we had a literary festival last week and I had to pass them a form
and ask everyone to check a box as to whether
they were a Protestant or a Catholic because our
funders want to make sure that we‘re funding
an equally diverse audience.” They look at you
like you‘re mad, because that‘s really
offensive to ask people that.
It‘s ingrained in us, we do that here. I don‘t
know if it‘s the same in other divided cities..."
JAN CARSON
writer (The Fire Starters)
JAN CARSON
writer (The Fire Starters)
Berlin
BERLINWho does the city belong to?
Key facts Berlin
Key facts Berlin
Vollbild
1945
As the rest of Germany, Berlin is divided into 4 zones. Each zone in the city is controlled by one of the four occupying Allied powers: the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union which also controls the rest of the Eastern part of Germany.
1961
First Secretary of the GDR State Council chairman Walter Ulbricht states in an international press conference, „ No one has the intention of erecting a wall!“. Some months later, in August, the construction of a 156 km long wall starts, aiming at stopping the exodus of emigrants from East Germany.
1989
In the night of the 9th of November, East Germans begin gathering at the Wall, at the six checkpoints between East and West Berlin, demanding that border guards immediately open the gates. Authorities are overwhelmed and let people cross the border. 1990 Artists from all over the world come to Berlin to paint a 1.3 km long section of the wall situated close to Ostbahnhof. This is the creation of the East Side Gallery.
1991
Reunification of Germany. 2004 A consortium of public organisations and private companies create the initiative Media Spree. This initiative aims at promoting investments in the areas along the river Spree, including the East Side Gallery.
2008
The initiative Mediaspree versenken organizes and wins a referendum against the privatization of the Spree river banks
2009
The East Side Gallery is renovated and attracts more and more tourists.
2013
The removal of a section of the Berlin Wall for the construction of the luxury apartment project Living Levels arouses protests.
2018
Opening of the Mercedes Square in front of the Mercedes Benz Arena. Displacement of a second section of the Berlin Wall for the construction of the hotel complex Pier 61/63.
As the rest of Germany, Berlin is divided into 4 zones. Each zone in the city is controlled by one of the four occupying Allied powers: the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union which also controls the rest of the Eastern part of Germany.
1961
First Secretary of the GDR State Council chairman Walter Ulbricht states in an international press conference, „ No one has the intention of erecting a wall!“. Some months later, in August, the construction of a 156 km long wall starts, aiming at stopping the exodus of emigrants from East Germany.
1989
In the night of the 9th of November, East Germans begin gathering at the Wall, at the six checkpoints between East and West Berlin, demanding that border guards immediately open the gates. Authorities are overwhelmed and let people cross the border. 1990 Artists from all over the world come to Berlin to paint a 1.3 km long section of the wall situated close to Ostbahnhof. This is the creation of the East Side Gallery.
1991
Reunification of Germany. 2004 A consortium of public organisations and private companies create the initiative Media Spree. This initiative aims at promoting investments in the areas along the river Spree, including the East Side Gallery.
2008
The initiative Mediaspree versenken organizes and wins a referendum against the privatization of the Spree river banks
2009
The East Side Gallery is renovated and attracts more and more tourists.
2013
The removal of a section of the Berlin Wall for the construction of the luxury apartment project Living Levels arouses protests.
2018
Opening of the Mercedes Square in front of the Mercedes Benz Arena. Displacement of a second section of the Berlin Wall for the construction of the hotel complex Pier 61/63.
Over the last two decades, the German capital has finally seen spectacular economic growth, and real estate pressure has increased sharply all over the city. Former “no man’s land” areas such as those on the banks of the river Spree in the Friedrichshain district have gained enormous market value.
When murals on the remains of the Berlin Wall were restored in 2009, the area became one of the city’s key tourist attractions, and was gradually taken over by private investors. For several years now, cranes have increasingly dominated the skyline, while most of the clubs and “beach bars” that once made Berlin’s alternative scene a global attraction have disappeared, to be replaced by office towers of glass and steel, shopping malls, car parks, luxury flats, hotels, and a large multi-purpose arena sponsored by “Mercedes Benz”, as proclaimed by the countless advertising screens that illuminate Berlin’s sky at night.
When murals on the remains of the Berlin Wall were restored in 2009, the area became one of the city’s key tourist attractions, and was gradually taken over by private investors. For several years now, cranes have increasingly dominated the skyline, while most of the clubs and “beach bars” that once made Berlin’s alternative scene a global attraction have disappeared, to be replaced by office towers of glass and steel, shopping malls, car parks, luxury flats, hotels, and a large multi-purpose arena sponsored by “Mercedes Benz”, as proclaimed by the countless advertising screens that illuminate Berlin’s sky at night.
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"Der Bezug der Menschen zu
ihrer Geschichte ist merkwürdig.
Die Menschen kennen ihre
Geschichte vielleicht 50 oder 100
Jahre, beziehungsweise sie kennen sie länger, aber den Bezug
zu ihrer Geschichte verlieren sie
nach einer relativ kurzen Zeit.
Das heißt, dieser Todesstreifen
wird bei den Menschen in 50
Jahren keine Gefühle mehr
hervorrufen."
Vitali Kivmann, ALTHAFEN Real Estate GmbH
Vitali Kivmann, ALTHAFEN Real Estate GmbH
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"Mehr geht nicht... hier
machen die Werbeanlagen die
Gestaltung. Wir haben hier acht
doppelseitig belegte Stellen mit
LED-Videowerbung, an den Fassaden auch riesige LED-Wände.
Es blinkt und funkelt hier den
ganzen Tag und vor allem die
ganze Nacht. Man kann nicht
mehr weggucken.
Das ist ein absoluter Missbrauch des öffentlichen Raums für Werbezwecke."
Carsten Joost, Freelance architect
Carsten Joost, Freelance architect
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"Offiziell war der Club 14 Jahre offen und dann
wurde das Gebäude abgerissen und neu gebaut.
[...]
Wir hatten ein ziemlich großes Areal, auch mit einer Kunsthalle, die immer leer dem neuen Künstler zur Verfügung gestellt wurde zur Umgestaltung. Das war vor allem der Hauptantrieb, dass man ungewöhnliche Sachen, auch unkommerzielle Sachen machen kann."
Jochen Ströh, former manger of the Lovelite Club
Wir hatten ein ziemlich großes Areal, auch mit einer Kunsthalle, die immer leer dem neuen Künstler zur Verfügung gestellt wurde zur Umgestaltung. Das war vor allem der Hauptantrieb, dass man ungewöhnliche Sachen, auch unkommerzielle Sachen machen kann."
Jochen Ströh, former manger of the Lovelite Club
Mostar
MOSTARThe invisible front line
Key facts Mostar
Key facts Mostar
Vollbild
1566
A stone bridge is built over the Neretva river to unify both sides of the city which is part of the Ottoman empire.
1878
Austria-Hungary takes control over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
1918
Mostar becomes part of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, and then Yugoslavia.
1992
Bosnia and Herzegovina declares their independence from Yugoslavia.
1993
The Croat-Bosniak War escalates and by mid-April 1993, Mostar has become a divided city. The western part was dominated by Croatian forces whereas the Bosnian Army was largely concentrated in the eastern part. Several families move from one side to the other. The frontline ethnically splits the city.
2004
The Old Bridge which had been destroyed during the war is rebuilt, following a large international reconstruction project. One year later, UNESCO inscribes the Old Bridge and its closest vicinity on the World Heritage List. Mostar now attracts more and more tourists from all over the world.
2012
An international street art festival is founded. The festival aims at redefining public space and connecting artists from all over the world.
2017
The Mepas Mall, a shopping and business center, is opened in the middle of the city. The 100,000 square meter building is the largest shopping mall in Bosnia. It brings over 100 global brands to Mostar, including Bershka, Stradivarius, Zara, NewYorker and as well as a McDonald‘s restaurant.
2018
Mostar is shortlisted in the competition for the title of European Capital of Culture 2024
A stone bridge is built over the Neretva river to unify both sides of the city which is part of the Ottoman empire.
1878
Austria-Hungary takes control over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
1918
Mostar becomes part of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, and then Yugoslavia.
1992
Bosnia and Herzegovina declares their independence from Yugoslavia.
1993
The Croat-Bosniak War escalates and by mid-April 1993, Mostar has become a divided city. The western part was dominated by Croatian forces whereas the Bosnian Army was largely concentrated in the eastern part. Several families move from one side to the other. The frontline ethnically splits the city.
2004
The Old Bridge which had been destroyed during the war is rebuilt, following a large international reconstruction project. One year later, UNESCO inscribes the Old Bridge and its closest vicinity on the World Heritage List. Mostar now attracts more and more tourists from all over the world.
2012
An international street art festival is founded. The festival aims at redefining public space and connecting artists from all over the world.
2017
The Mepas Mall, a shopping and business center, is opened in the middle of the city. The 100,000 square meter building is the largest shopping mall in Bosnia. It brings over 100 global brands to Mostar, including Bershka, Stradivarius, Zara, NewYorker and as well as a McDonald‘s restaurant.
2018
Mostar is shortlisted in the competition for the title of European Capital of Culture 2024
Like Belfast, Mostar is not really a border town per se. The fifth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina by population is located some fifty kilometres from Croatia and a hundred from Montenegro, to the south of the country.
No boundaries are immediately apparent to the many tourists who come from all over the world to visit the historic centre, which is considered a prime example of Islamic architecture in the Balkans.However, when you talk to the inhabitants, a border running through the heart of the city is revealed.
No boundaries are immediately apparent to the many tourists who come from all over the world to visit the historic centre, which is considered a prime example of Islamic architecture in the Balkans.However, when you talk to the inhabitants, a border running through the heart of the city is revealed.
This border corresponds to the front line of the Yugoslavian war, which claimed some 2,000 lives in Mostar in the early 1990s. The marks of this front line are still visible in certain districts of the city (neglected buildings, bullet holes, gaps left by buildings demolished and never rebuilt), and if you pay close attention you will notice church steeples on one side and mosque minarets on the other.
But it is above all in the city’s administrative organisation that the division between the Croatian and Bosnian parts remains most noticeable: in schools, infrastructure management, services, and administrative and political bodies.
But it is above all in the city’s administrative organisation that the division between the Croatian and Bosnian parts remains most noticeable: in schools, infrastructure management, services, and administrative and political bodies.
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"We have schools, that are two schools under one roof. Did you hear about that term? On the Spanish square you see the orange building? That was my high school. There, you have two different school programs. You have one class is Bosnian, the other one is Croatian, and we learn different lectures. They teach them Croatian language, we had Bosnian language... You can see, that‘s a problem. We have two separate power companies, you have a Croatian one and a Muslim one, it‘s the same for the water supply... different. What else? Everything..."
Neira Kerović
Inhabitant of Mostar
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"You can forgive but you can
never forget. I was three years
old when the war started. My
father has been in a concentra
-
tion camp. I remember when he
came back home, he weighed
only maybe 30 kilos or
something... He was so skinny
we couldn‘t recognize him.
Our house burned. My uncle was missing.
We never found him...
My mother was raped during the war. After
the war, we‘ve lived in different cities in
Bosnia. After that we build our house
again... Now everything is okay"
Menvirsa Kmetas-Demic
Museum of War and Genocide Victims
Menvirsa Kmetas-Demic
Museum of War and Genocide Victims
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The "neutral" shopping mall
In the large new shopping centre, these distinctions are disappearing. When it comes to major shopping brands, other differences fade away.
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"People keep underestimating the value of their own culture. Why capitalism and consumerism was this Holy Grail? Because they thought: “Okay, if we finally get into that place, where we can buy everything, we‘ll be good enough or we‘ll feel good enough about ourselves”. This is a blessing in disguise or a curse in disguise, if you wish, since it put all the people under one roof and created an equal identity... which is the identity of a shopper."
Mirko Božić
Poet and writer
The countless murals painted all over the city are an important channel of expression for Mostar’s youth, keen to shed the image of a divided city. The international street art festival regularly welcomes artists from all over the world, and has become a landmark event in Europe over the years.
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"People here in Mostar connect everything with
the war, so you have to worry about every detail
on the work. “Is it going to offend someone?
Is it going to be a bad memory for someone?
That guy in that building whose wall you are
taking to work with, was he in the war? Did he
lose someone in the war?” It‘s really hard to
think about all of these things in that time when
you‘re doing murals. You have 20 artists from
abroad and you know... It‘s divided, you have
people who like street art and you have people
who think it‘s vandalism."
Sabina Maslo
Organiser of the Street Art Festival
Sabina Maslo
Organiser of the Street Art Festival
Nicosia
NICOSIADecades of international geopolitics in one city
Key facts Nicosia
Key facts Nicosia
Vollbild
1878
The island of Cyprus, under Ottoman‘s rule since 1571, becomes British-controlled.
1960
Cyprus obtains its independence from the UK. At that period, 82% of the population are considered Greek Cypriots, 18% Turkish Cypriots. Both populations cohabit across the entire territory of the island. UK military remains on the island with several permanent installations.
1974
Armed conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. As a result, the Northern part of the island is occupied by the Turkish Army. Over 150,000 Greek Cypriots and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots are displaced. The United Nations maintain a buffer zone, known as the Green Line, to avoid further intercommunal tensions and hostilities. The capital Nicosia itself is cut in two parts, separated by no man’s land.
1983
The Turkish Cypriot community unilaterally declares independence, thus forming the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a sovereign entity that lacks international recognition, except from Turkish side.
2003
Northern Cyprus unilaterally eases border restrictions, permitting Cypriots to cross between the two sides for the first time in 30 years.
2004
Cyprus becomes part of the European Union. The Northern part of the island is officially part of the EU.
2008
Following several peaceful demonstrations, Ledra Street in the centre of Nicosia is reopened in the presence of Greek and Turkish Cypriot officials. Tourism is developing in this area.
2019
For the first time, a Turkish Cypriot candidate, Niyazi Kizilyurek, is elected to the EU Parliament
The island of Cyprus, under Ottoman‘s rule since 1571, becomes British-controlled.
1960
Cyprus obtains its independence from the UK. At that period, 82% of the population are considered Greek Cypriots, 18% Turkish Cypriots. Both populations cohabit across the entire territory of the island. UK military remains on the island with several permanent installations.
1974
Armed conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. As a result, the Northern part of the island is occupied by the Turkish Army. Over 150,000 Greek Cypriots and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots are displaced. The United Nations maintain a buffer zone, known as the Green Line, to avoid further intercommunal tensions and hostilities. The capital Nicosia itself is cut in two parts, separated by no man’s land.
1983
The Turkish Cypriot community unilaterally declares independence, thus forming the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a sovereign entity that lacks international recognition, except from Turkish side.
2003
Northern Cyprus unilaterally eases border restrictions, permitting Cypriots to cross between the two sides for the first time in 30 years.
2004
Cyprus becomes part of the European Union. The Northern part of the island is officially part of the EU.
2008
Following several peaceful demonstrations, Ledra Street in the centre of Nicosia is reopened in the presence of Greek and Turkish Cypriot officials. Tourism is developing in this area.
2019
For the first time, a Turkish Cypriot candidate, Niyazi Kizilyurek, is elected to the EU Parliament
Nicosia is a unique case in Europe. Like the rest of the island of Cyprus, since 1974 the city has been divided by a buffer zone hundreds of metres wide – a no man’s land under the military control of the UN.This boundary is a relic of the armed conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots that led to the displacement of 150,000 Greek and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots in the northern and southern parts of the island.
The dilapidated state of Nicosia’s disused international airport, closed since 1974, is a testament to the passing of the years: the buildings and aircraft wreckage are apt symbols of the political stalemate that has paralysed the island for four decades.
The dilapidated state of Nicosia’s disused international airport, closed since 1974, is a testament to the passing of the years: the buildings and aircraft wreckage are apt symbols of the political stalemate that has paralysed the island for four decades.
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"I think it‘s important to know that the military forces between the two sides do not communicate with each other. They do not recognize each other, they do not talk to each other. They only talk through the United Nations. So, the United Nations has an important role to play in ensuring that there is good communication between the opposing forces and there‘s no misunderstandings."
Aleem Siddique
UN spokesperson in Cyprus
In the city centre, the population has come to terms with the presence of the border. Everyday life is filled with incongruous scenes such as café terraces alongside military barricades overseen by armed soldiers and surveillance cameras. Beyond the sandbags, oil drums and barbed wire lie the ruins of neighbourhoods evacuated to make way for the buffer zone.
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"In Cyprus, the lack of war doesn‘t mean peace. People from abroad and even here, think that because there hasn’t been any incidents, killings, or bad situations, there is no war going on, that there is peace. But I don‘t see it this way. I see the barbed wires here across the street. I see soldiers. I see it‘s not a normal situation which you want to see continue, it‘s something that we have to change!"
Ioli Kythreotou
"Unite Cyprus Now" Association
Attempts to reunify the two halves of the island have been made. One of the main streets connecting the two sides was reopened in 2008 following peaceful demonstrations. Since then, the checkpoint has allowed inhabitants – but also countless tourists – to cross from one side to the other.
The Home for Cooperation in the buffer zone, which opened its doors in 2011, runs reconciliation programs. These initiatives remain modest, however, and the status quo endures. This is clearly illustrated by the city maps handed out at the tourist office: on one side a detailed map including street names and tourist attractions, and beyond the border a blank area simply labelled “occupied territory”.
The Home for Cooperation in the buffer zone, which opened its doors in 2011, runs reconciliation programs. These initiatives remain modest, however, and the status quo endures. This is clearly illustrated by the city maps handed out at the tourist office: on one side a detailed map including street names and tourist attractions, and beyond the border a blank area simply labelled “occupied territory”.
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"Nicosia has been the capital of
Cyprus for 1,000 years. I will not
go into details about that, but
the last era before the independence was British rule. And if
you want to understand the
current situation, you should
start thinking about the division
from that time, in one way or
another. Back then, when the
British came here there were
these two big ethnic religious
communities: Greek Cypriots,
Turkish Cypriots, even the issue
of how they were named evolves
over time.
When the British came here and made a census, they categorized the population in Muslims and Non-Muslims, which is like the Ottoman way of categorizing."
Marios Epaminondas
Home for Cooperation
When the British came here and made a census, they categorized the population in Muslims and Non-Muslims, which is like the Ottoman way of categorizing."
Marios Epaminondas
Home for Cooperation
Finally, it is worth noting that the accession of Cyprus to the European Union in 2008 resulted in a complex and bizarre situation: while the entire island is officially part of the EU (only Turkey acknowledges the northern part as an independent state), European Union rules do not apply in the northern territory “pending settlement of the Cyprus problem”.
Nevertheless, Turkish Cypriot citizens are entitled to vote in European elections. In 2019, this enabled the election to the European Parliament of the Turkish Cypriot candidate Niyazi Kızılyürek, who is committed to the island’s reunification and the defence of Turkish Cypriot rights.
Nevertheless, Turkish Cypriot citizens are entitled to vote in European elections. In 2019, this enabled the election to the European Parliament of the Turkish Cypriot candidate Niyazi Kızılyürek, who is committed to the island’s reunification and the defence of Turkish Cypriot rights.
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"It‘s a historic moment as well because it‘s the first time that both communities, Greek and Turkish Cypriot will be voting for the same person. It‘s non-divisive politics which I agree with. And like, my sister said, we will be represented hopefully, because I feel that, you know, we‘ve been invisible in the EU really, we have some rights as Turkish Cypriots. But really, politically... we don‘t exist, we don‘t have a voice... really. [...]Maybe renegotiation might start if our candidate gets to win"
Fatma and Amy
Turkish Cypriot citizens
Credits
Credits
Vollbild
Photos, sounds and interviews:
Atelier Limo (Simon Brunel and Nicolas Pannetier)
www.atelier-limo.eu
This project was financed by the Literary Colloquium Berlin
www.lcb.de
Translations:
Solomon Wright
Atelier Limo (Simon Brunel and Nicolas Pannetier)
www.atelier-limo.eu
This project was financed by the Literary Colloquium Berlin
www.lcb.de
Translations:
Solomon Wright
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