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Amir’s Blue Elephant
Melissa Hekkers recounts her footsteps as she joins the journey of thousands of refugees seeking safety in Europe.
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My Cape Greco Mandala
‘My Cape Greco Mandala’ presents 11 mandala drawings, inspired by Cape Greco’s rich wildlife and hand-drawn by Melissa Hekkers.
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Manifesting the Stories of Ourfa
Victoria Harwood Butler-Sloss’ first published work entitled “The Seamstress of Ourfa” launched in Nicosia records the turbulent life of her own family.
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‘In the Spotlight’ #5: Mary and Rose
As part of the ‘Share the Journey’ global campaign, Caritas Cyprus works with Melissa Hekkers to present a monthly online feature will delve into the intricacies of migrants’ journeys on their way to the island of Cyprus
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Interview with impossible.works
Interview in Greek with Constantina Georgiou
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Writing for children
Creative writing classes for children aged 8-12 years old
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‘In the Spotlight’ #4: Leemu
As part of the ‘Share the Journey’ global campaign, Caritas Cyprus works with Melissa Hekkers to present a monthly online feature will delve into the intricacies of migrants’ journeys on their way to the island of Cyprus
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‘In the Spotlight’ #3: Adam
As part of the ‘Share the Journey’ global campaign, Caritas Cyprus works with Melissa Hekkers to present a monthly online feature will delve into the intricacies of migrants’ journeys on their way to the island of Cyprus
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‘In the Spotlight’ #2: Ladan
As part of the ‘Share the Journey’ global campaign, Caritas Cyprus works with Melissa Hekkers to present a monthly online feature will delve into the intricacies of migrants’ journeys on their way to the island of Cyprus
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My Akamas Mandala
Second in a series colouring book on the cultural heritage of Cyprus
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‘In the Spotlight’ # 1: Boneh
As part of the ‘Share the Journey’ global campaign, Caritas Cyprus presents a monthly online feature will delve into the intricacies of migrants’ journeys on their way to the island of Cyprus
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Interview with Write CY
WRITE CY talks with Children’s Book Author Melissa Hekkers
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Writing a story, out of nowhere
Writing for children workshop
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Forging connections through music
“When my Grammy arrived a couple of days ago, I took my guitar and I went and played out in the train station”
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Re-encountering the departed
Many of us will have a faint recollection of our grandfather and who he was. But some of us never get the opportunity to meet him, for the course of life sometimes prompts their departure before our own memory begins to give fruit.
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Violence against women photography Award
Winner of Photographic competition funded by the Anna Lindh Foundation entitled “Violence against women in the Mediterranean” launched and organised by the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (2007). Photograph entitled ‘ Turmoil’.
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DigiMe Photography Award
A photograph by Melissa Hekkers of an anti-bullying event at a Nicosia school is one of three winners of a photo competition organised by the Cyprus Community Media Centre (CCMC) with the support of the European Commission Representation in Cyprus
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Reasoning with Nina Sumarac
“You can call me conceptual, but I’m more of a peaceful activist… I will always propagate love, unity or the search for solutions… how people can accept each other better…there is always that story behind my work”
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Reading to children
Cyprus-based children’s author Melissa Hekkers reads an extract from Esio Trot to schoolchildren as the British High Commission marks Roald Dahl’s 100 anniversary.
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Island in the Sun
An audio-visual installation mediates fragmented life experiences of migrants, propagating new interpretations and perspectives on the global movement of people through the lens of Cyprus.
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Designing a difference
This book is a compilation of student design projects that aim to address sustainability beyond its conventional environmental component and push the boundaries of it means for communities to thrive as part of the great infinity of civilization.
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TEDxNicosia talk
As a volunteer on the island of Lesvos in Greece, Melissa Hekkers was re-establishing her ideologies of volunteer work with the refugees fleeing from Syria and other middle eastern countries.
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My Nicosia Mandala
‘My Nicosia Mandala; not just a colouring book!’
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Starting over
It’s been almost five months since Bashar Massri was reunited with his wife and four children. Bashar fled his war-torn home in Syria two years ago, opting to take the risky journey through Turkey and into the Mediterranean in the hope of landing safely in Italy.
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Bruxelles ma belle
Leaving for Brussels just three days after the terrorist attack of March 22 was slightly too soon for my personal judgement, yet perhaps not soon enough for my conscience.
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A facelift of the capital
Six bare walls in the centre of Nicosia have undergone a complete transformation over the past two weeks, as part of an initiative instigated by the Research, Studies and Publications Services (RSPS) of the Cyprus House of Representatives.
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Creativity in exile
Gilad Atzmon should be no stranger to the island’s music scene. He’s been coming to share his musical whims with us for some years now, although not many will be familiar with his entire multi-faceted persona.
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Remembering Glyn Hughes
I walked out from the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre (NiMAC) with Yiannis Toumazis’ words ringing in my ears.
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Speechless European Dream
We’re ridiculously stuck in between the refugee crisis and Turkey’s accession chapters to enter the European Union.
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Let it go
So instead of getting its hands dirty, the EU has decided to deal with the refugee crisis by sending out a message. A message to Syrians running away from their war-torn country.
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We need ears to listen
Somewhere amongst the overwhelming amount of refugees who have entered Europe, are a number of them who are accompanied by an ‘imaginary friend’, created during a workshop with local fine artist, Meletios Meletiou.
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Cypriot win in Berlin
The talents of Cypriot director and writer Myrsini Aristidou were celebrated last week, when she was awarded the Special Prize of the Generation Kplus for the best short film at the 66th Berlinale International Film Festival.
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Outwitted
The words of a Syrian refugee in the Greek press had me rummaging for words to respond. Promptly. Before it’s too late.
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Savour the Akamas
At some point in my childhood, my uncle ironically put forward that Cyprus, our little Mediterranean island was to potentially sink under the burdening weight of concrete.
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Weiwei to go
“Perhaps this is an aesthetically better way to approach the matter, and one that creates more substantial dialogue that potentially provoke actions rather than merely bombarding us with the most atrocious images that awe you one minute and disappear from your screen the next.”
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Music to my ears
One of the characteristics of living in the capital is its proximity to the Green Line.
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‘Carmine Lullabies’
In conversation with one of the island’s most promising young poets, Marilena Zackheos reveals the inspiration behind her poetry book to be launched in Nicosia, Cyprus.
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Meet Naim
Naim stood proud on the banks of the Mytilini Marina.
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Talking the Cyprus Problem
The launch of a bilingual dictionary of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot dialect a couple of weeks back argued the common denominators of both communities and prosperously indicated the wish of many of us, for a united island.
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‘Sharqi’: turning eyes eastward
For years, Nicos Philipou has been preoccupied with the Cypriot landscape. Along with social and private spaces as he would depict.
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Better Days for Moria
Much like thousands of volunteers before her, 30-year-old Limassolian Elena Moustaka set off for Lesvos at the beginning of November; a decision instigated by her bewilderment with media coverage of the influx of refugees on the island.
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“Love me or kill me”
The Moria Refugee camp off the shores of Lesvos is an unfamiliar place, although to many of us, it may have become more familiar since the increased influx of refugees began to make their way to the shores of Greece at the beginning of the summer.
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‘Is Germany full?’
“Is Germany full?” an Afghan refugee asked me as he waited for registration on the hills of the Moria Refugee camp in Lesvos.
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A story of friendship
The Cyprus premier of Gabriele Del Grande’s documentary, ‘On the Bride’s side’ tomorrow evening, highlights the island’s proximity to the ever-increasing refugee problem, and in the director’s words calls on all of us to “show solidarity with people coming from the other shore of the sea overturned by war”.
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A Taste of Famagusta
Working towards promoting development while improving the climate of reconciliation in the wider Famagusta region, the Renewal Project has singled out the culinary aspect of the region in recognition of the prominent role food takes in shaping our social interactions.
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I am not a volunteer; I am human
Every time I look back at my days spent in Lesvos a deep sorrow warps me and I can’t seem to let it go. Like a bear in a cage I roam around the corners of my life and I can’t seem to find the direction to rationalise my frustration towards the sour turn the refugee situation has taken.
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What’s a ‘girl band’ anyway?
Belua took to the stage for the first time a year ago, a momentum which eventually led to the release of their first single at the beginning of the month. The song, ‘Change’ is just one of the tunes that audiences will have the opportunity to hear live at the Fengaros Festival’s village stage on Friday evening.
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Breaking down national narratives
The research project ‘Songs of My Neighbours’ came to an end last month; the collaborative initiative aspired to facilitate dialogue and social justice among communities living in conflict zones through the arts and theatre.
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Not all journeys come to an end
Travel blog USA part 4
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California’s tantalising ways
Travel blog in USA part 3
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Trying to follow Route 66
Travel blog in USA part 2
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Driving through the USA
USA travel blog part 1
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Skin colour effect
The events in Charleston, South Carolina, where a 21-year-old shot nine African Americans in one of the town’s most historic black churches have shaken my comfort as I travel towards the state of California, just below.
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Take refuge
Rumour has it that our world’s industrialised countries have perhaps not been under so much pressure to take action on confronting the ever growing dilemma of refugees as they are today.
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We go blank
I’ll be honest: I don’t know what to write about. As a journalist, this seems as such a paradox – there’s so much to write about. I recall one of my lecturers in uni telling us that as a journalist you should be able to turn ANYTHING into a story.
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Glimpses of George Lanitis
On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the death of Cyprus Weekly columnist George Lanitis’, I find myself flipping through the newspaper’s archives to discover more about his life.
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The ‘Art Seen’
There comes a time when things fall right into place: not coincidently but because all the strings you’ve pulled have come together and tied into a knot, to create the foundations for your aspirations to materialise.
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Changing beekeepers’ mindsets
Two innovative products are currently being introduced into the local beekeeping market by Arkadiki Melissokomia. The Greek company has been importing products to support beekeepers on the island since 2012.
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Spreading terror
As we begin to notice the blossoming of almond trees on the island’s higher plains, wisterias are taking form on the sea fronts, and the traditional sight of flourishing olive groves seem to be taking their course too.
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Identifying the obvious
As I sat out in the fields of Kornos on April Fool’s Day, not to refer to its national symbolism, I was put on the spot when asked where my national or historical pride laid with regards to the EOKA struggle that began against the British military and civilian installations on the island, on the very same day in 1955.
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Cycling across Cyprus’ divide
Envisioning a group of cycling lovers roam through the 9,251km2 circumference of the island in the name of physically moving across barriers, I reached out to Andreas Michaelides who now lives some 3,000 kilometres away.
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Disappearing acts
I was hoping to see the Turkish flag on the Pendadaktilos Mountains disappear under the snow just for a bit. But that didn’t happen.
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Revitalising a dead zone
Nicholas Netien moved to the buffer zone with his wife and three-year-old son in 2013, having been hired to revive four hectares of farmland through permaculture practices in an area that has been largely untouched since the 1974 war.
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Postcards to the ‘other side’
“If you could send a postcard to the ‘other side’, what would you write?”
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We go blank
It may be hard or perhaps impossible to envision the future factually, yet it may not be as difficult to project an outcome
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Coffee painting goes viral
A ‘coffee portrait’ of Hugh Laurie (known to most for his role as Dr House in American television medical drama ‘House’) went viral last week, just as Maria A. Aristidou was setting up for her first solo show in Limassol.
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Moral barometer
In essence, there is no valid barometer that can be used to define any limit to freedom of expression. Think about it: is there really such a thing as a moral imagination?
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A true confrontation
Pain is common. War and post war situations are common and this somehow unites people. I believe art is the best way to find what is common and human; a way in which you can find a humanistic approach without any political identities such as nationalism, or without any religious identities, without any identity that is capable of separating people.
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Working north
And then there was this feeling of liberty; that yes, working across the divide is nowadays a reality anyone can choose to embrace.
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Cartoons against intolerance
Jean Plantureux’s invitation to present an exhibition of his work in the capital a week after the brutal attacks on Charlie Hebdo’s Satirical Magazine consequently defended freedom of expression of artists but also highlighted the ‘colossal educational battle’ that is now imperative in order to better understand image and withstand the ‘beginning of a war against fundamentalists’.
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Our forefather’s memories as our own
Can other people’s memories become our own?
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Primordial acts or arts?
The education of any further generation without art in their curriculum is somewhat reducing a whole educational, philosophical, practice, and encouraging an inward looking approach to a European world which is traditionallly differentiated, country by country, by its cultural and artistic differences.
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Linguistic tricks
I’ve gotten used to the Chinese signs in Paphos advertising real estate opportunities — but that’s business related. Why would the suburbs of Akaki welcome people in Russian? Was it another trick to entice foreign interest?
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Disappearing acts
On Sundays, he would secretly leave the back door open, and for those of us who were aware of this, we would leisurely have fresh produce when everything else around us was closed. I’ve lost count of how many times he saved me from missing that one item to perfect my culinary whims.
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Relight my fire
Beyond their sense of warmth, I contemplated their freedom of being, that ‘opposition’ to hanging out in the centre of town on the cold marble of Phaneromeni Square.
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New ‘Art Seen’
Meeting Maria Stathi on the occasion of the opening of her new gallery next Friday, there’s no doubt that her path has deemed it the right time to launch a new approach to Nicosia’s art scene
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Reviving the 1900s
The EU funded bi-communal “Nicosia Master Plan” has taken leaps revamping the commercial hub of the town once threatened by the first inter-communal riots in 1956. Yet the vision of the newly founded CVAR museum is perhaps the additional drive needed to lift the character of a street which began to see its shops, peoples and stories trapped in the buffer zone since 1963.
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Central Prisons turn into a place of artistic expression
Sitting amongst the works of art of 15 long term inmates which adorned the walls of the theatre hall of the closed off section of the central prisons I, for a split second, forgot where I was.
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Escape the room
Adapted from computer games, real-life takagism, more commonly known as real-room escaping games, is gaining popularity in major cities in Japan where the concept originated, yet it is also gaining momentum in Europe, where gamers move from the mouse-to-screen gaming zone, and utilise their addiction to realistic situations.
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Je suis Charlie
side all the sentiments we may have with regard to the tragic incident, I feel we owe Charlie Hebdo Magazine and the 12 people who died on Wednesday morning a thank you, to say the least. A thank you for stirring matters which must be addressed. Without violence. But with freedom of speach.
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It’s whatever you make of it
“Nothing here is here for a reason; it’s entirely up to you to make what you want of it – and if you have any questions we’ll just make up some convenient answers,” chuckled Julian, as he took me on a tour of the premises, where people were invited to spend their last day of 2014
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Ripples
We’ll always be the ones with double standards, the ones with a wider perspective, the ones who accommodate themselves to foreign bedrooms only to get a grasp of a nuclear family.
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The Great Goddess of Cyprus
Capturing Aphrodite’s legacy on film
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Weaving in and out of storytelling
Almost a year ago, Katsari and Veronica Aloneftou came together on a journey that has led them to tell stories across the island, in museums, festivals, bookshops, schools, everywhere.
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Writing beyond barriers
“If there are people who are winning prizes who are from Africa or the Caribbean or India, I think that it’s about time that Cypriot writers also win one of the major awards of the world arena because we have writers who are that good”
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Pupa
Children’s Book, 2014
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Crocodile
Children’s book, 2007
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Protecting our shores is our right
Seashores are one of the clearest manifestations of what is generally considered to constitute “the commons” — a place where access is free and all has derive the same pleasure, irrespective of the size of their pay cheque. Unfortunately, in real life this is not always the case.
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Are we helpless?
Even though gravity may not allow our little rock to sink any time soon, I cant seem to dismiss the image of Caretta-Caretta turtles trying to approach the sight of a coastline made of obstructive facades, reclaimed land and a man-made nature.
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Where does Pafos 2017 stand?
Just over a month past the deadline for artistic proposals, Pafos 2017 organisation is steadily working on as it moves to turn the vision of one of the nominated cities of the Melina Mercouri Award into reality.
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Reviving 9,251 km2
Photographers turn to postcard art to highlight the secret beauties of Cyprus
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Forking it out
Manifested as a food market, the idea behind Andreas Charalambous’ and Takis Pyrishis’ originally stemmed from their own experience as food lovers within the exemplary food markets of London.
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Thinking your way to a new language
Language Transfer, is a project which offers free downloadable language courses with a methodology that explores the pluralism in our languages and teaches practical speaking in no time
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Come-forth
Fly-by-night, I tickle the child in me, to surrender, to burst, to play, engage, with innocence, with bounce, with allure, to dare, all the while…being prude.
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The maturity of a compelling dance artist
“How does Cyprus support artists as they grow older?”
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Honestly
Humanity has gone insane. And I have lost the words of being honest.
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Two Little Chefs in a Green Kitchen
Turning food into an ecological and social statement
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For your eyes
To make it clearer, you’re standing in front of the opened shutters of one of the numerous carpentry shops on the alley. There’s lots of people surrounding you but like you, they’re all looking towards the shop.
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Nymphaea Blue adorns La Haute Borne
Local fine artist Tatiana Ferahian installs her aquatic installation in Lille, France; a playful interaction with aspects of life, creativity, reflection, recycling, transformation and adaptation.
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Leaping ahead
No musician will be competing, and everyone will be revealing a part of themselves.
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Handle with care
It must be one of the only bays in Paphos which you can see from one end to the other without being obstructed by the never-ending hotels, apartments, restaurants.
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Surprise, surprise
Agreed. Surprises ring alarm bells, whether in the negative or positive. I assume that what you do about these surprises is indicative of how the course of your daily trot is defined.
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You’re not what you see
You never imagined,
a flight so harsh.
Yet it isn’t, or is it?
your choice made it real,
there’s no need to heal. -
Ask again
“Do we have any culture in Cyprus?” I ask myself again. Perhaps it’s the ‘But’ that has, on both occasions, managed to head the question that rubs me the wrong way. “Any?” What do you mean “Any”?
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Wind in Spring
Collaboration with astraki* in the Xenonas section of Politis Newspaper
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Το ταξίδι του Le Pied
Collaboration with astraki* in the Xenonas section of Politis Newspaper
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The charms of Brittany
Melissa Hekkers discovers the natural beauties of a very special part of France.
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Life at 1/100th of a second
In search of adventure, Constantine James Savvides found his calling and a new direction in life following a chance meeting when writing a paper on Somali piracy in Africa.
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Seeing Cyprus from a kite
As a child Thomas Sagory would fly kites in the skies of Brittany in the west of France, and as an adult, his remote controlled kite has flown mostly in the Middle East, a journey that has combined his profession as an archaeologist with the art of kite flying, as a kite aerial photographer.
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In coversation with a war photographer
Cypriot War photographer, Achilleas Zavallis, talks about his experiences on the Syrian front.
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Aphrodite’s delights
Christina Loucas keeps traditions of Cypriot cuisine alive
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Grippy Grappa
Monsieur Doumani’s debut album of traditional folk inspired music will be released next week and distributed world-wide.
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There are no straight lines, only ‘Curves’
Dimitris Kakavoulis Quartet’s new album pulls together some of the island’s top jazz talent
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The Age of Now
Lefteris Moumtzis’ soulful music take you places
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‘A small chalk’ with Glyn Hughes
A short film by Stella Georgiou documents conversations between two artists
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A new scene of a new era?
Young Cypriot authors explore literary inspiration post 1974
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‘The World of Cyprus’ comes home
Return of masterpiece sends message of hope to crisis-hit island
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Embracing Re-birth
Seven artists unite to celebrate December 21; a date widely communicated through mythology and in literature of fantasy and science fiction as the ‘the end of the world’
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Afro Banana Republic revisits its claim
Annual local festival based on prototypes of European Community Festivals continues to thrive
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Defining the Undefined
Cypriot artist Anna Fotiadou joined eight other artists in Germany for an interactive workshop to create an exhibition that will take place in Marl, Germany.
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Where demolition meets art
Belgian town in process of being knocked down for 15 years becomes a living street art gallery
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The Automatic Concrete Soup Theory
Perhaps the dullest inhabitant of the Industrial Unit was Mr. Concrete, whose job was to support and surround it. Burdened by millions of footsteps and his own heavy weight, Mr. Concrete, or ‘Tsimento’ as he was known to his friends, had become quite dreary.
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Flying Across Red Skies
Children’s book targeted to Children age 7 to 10 available in both English and Greek.
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Come-forth
Free-Verse Poetry Book, 2012
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Men in uniforms
But what happens when you come across a photo of your sexy friend in uniform holding a gun in his hand; Smiling?
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Decadence
If a pâtissier was to refer to one of his culinary delights as a chocolate decadence for instance, there’s a guilty pleasure to be embraced there, and that’s the point.
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Press Reviews
Local press interviews and profiles of Melissa Hekkers
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What we take for granted
While our country, and the world, is going through a period of crisis, our festival, against all odds, is growing and expanding as an institution consistently supporting the art of animation.”
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He came back to haunt me
Yet this delusion exposed me to another game; a male’s passport to infringe the female gaze. For as tempered as I had been, naivety seldom left my veins.
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Maktub
The sound of a sliding door awakens me. The sound of a toothbrush frantically rubbing someone’s teeth propels the urge in me to move from where I am. Disguise the sounds and re-create them all together.