Echoes from the Dead Zone. Across the Cyprus divide

Abstract:

This book presents a particularly personal experience of the conflict which is Cyprus - the divide that persists between the Greek and Turkish communities, spilling over into divisions that present a continuing difficulty for the EU.

The author, a Greek Cypriot, describes his journey to Turkey to learn Turkish and the relationships he formed (or was unable to form) with Turkish people. It tells of the times he was unable to declare himself as a Cypriot from the Greek side of the divide. His experiences revealed a Turkey which was not part of his inherited prejudice, and he found that often he too was not part of the Turkish perception of Greeks, but recognised the mistrust formed by decades if not centuries of violent conflict. He returned to Cyprus and to Nicosia to explore the separated communities and uncover the common humanities which might bind them. He focuses upon the area spanning the Green Line known as the ‘Dead Zone’, which separates a community that was one into two halves - Turkish and Greek.

The story is moving, at times humorous, always fascinating, and makes a not uncommon discovery that the ever present thread of humanity survives the frequent assaults made upon it by those who enjoy marking their differences rather than their commonality.

The work will interest scholars, students, researchers and policy makers engaged in European integration and anyone concerned with seeing Cyprus restored to the way nature created it - one island.

Yiannis Papadakis is Assistant Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cyprus.