I was very excited when my Irish photographer friend told me we could get permission to visit the UN Buffer Zone, ‘the no man’s land’ dividing the island from east to west and keeping two communities apart in Cyprus, known also as the Green Line. It was first established in 1960s becoming impenetrable after the physical and communal separation of the city following the July 1974 incidents. As a Cypriot, I was born in Nicosia, where all my childhood memories belong, and lived in this city most of my life. As a child, I have been to the area when it was accessible for all, just like most of the other Cypriots, where we left our childhood memories.
For me, it was so ironic that a person from another part of the world was getting ‘permission’ for a Cypriot to access to this ‘no man’s land’ of her own country. This area was only accessible for the UN soldiers after 1974 who was keeping the Turkish and Greek soldiers on the watchtowers apart along the Buffer zone. I was very excited and didn’t know what to expect to see as it was an unknown for me for years. This is how I physically started my photography project and, by getting permission from the UN, visited some other parts of the Buffer Zone time to time. I have decided to shape my project around the Nicosia section of the 180 meters long Buffer Zone.
From 1974 until the checkpoints first opened in 2003, people were unable to cross over to the other side. During the 29 years, people of both communities have no contact whatsoever and the new generation had no idea what a Turkish or Greek Cypriot, in other words ‘enemy-others’ looked like and the nationalist efforts in both sides escalated the negative feelings for the ‘others’ during those years.
Although both communities could communicate with the rest of the world by telephone lines, it was impossible to call each other even they were living a couple meters away, side by side. Postal services have no connection whatsoever with the other side of the island. Imagine that you have to fly somewhere in the world to be able to send a letter to somebody on the other side 5 meters away from you.
People now can cross from the checkpoints to the other side while the ceasefire continues in Cyprus. The negotiations for the years had no solution for the Cyprus conflict however reunification of the island and a viable solution is the hope for the Cypriots. They want a solution that will enable them to live side by side in a peaceful environment.
To license this work for editorial, creative, or other uses, click on the OZMO logo above.
This will take you to the Ozmo website where you can review the cost and license for the photographs in this exhibit.
You will need to create an account with both Amazon payments and with the Ozmo website as described on the Ozmo website.
