My homeland, Cyprus has had a history of conflict spanning over thousands of years, brought on by both internal and external forces. For us Cypriots, Peace and War have always coexisted. Our island has seen the likes of countless conquerors, many wars, and in between, there have been times of fleeting peace. The most recent ongoing conflict is the division of the island following a Turkish invasion in 1974. The Turkish army came, brought destruction, occupation, division and separation . During the war, almost half of the population of Greek Cypriots left their homes and became refugees. They found safety and shelter in the south part of the island. Soon after the ceasefire, Turkish Cypriots also had to abandon their homes to the south and were relocated to the north of the island. The buffer zone or Green line, established after the 1974 ceasefire, has been guarded by the UN since then. It prevents Cypriots in the North and South from moving freely in their homeland. Up until 2003 when the Turkish army opened up some check points, crossing over to the other side was impossible.
The green line is the bleeding wound which splits Nicosia in two. Sadly, our city is the last divided capital of the world. This, no man’s land and the area that surrounds it, have always intrigued me, so I decided to embark on an ongoing photography project recording the landscape, the events, the life and the changes that take place around the Green line. It is illogical that you need to show your passport to cross over, it is madness that we are so near and yet so far. Sounds are free to travel. You can hear the Imam chanting his prayers at midday and at the same time you can hear the church bells ringing. There are ruins and abandonment, there is barbed wire, barricades and army posts and yet the locals have learnt to live with this painful peculiarity on both sides of the buffer zone. In the summer of 2017, Cypriots of all ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds from the North and South, had been gathering at the buffer zone, demanding peace and a reunited Cyprus. The movement, known as “Unite Cyprus Now,” aims to remind us, of all that ties us together.