About

Credit: Cornelia Mittendorfer
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I’m writing for me, for Greek Cypriots, for Turkish Cypriots, for anyone questioning their own identity, for people to know that things can be different and for people to know that people are never as they seem. For people to question and find answers.

The blog, My Cyprus, my Κύπρος, my Kıbrıs, came about as a way for me to express and share certain thoughts of mine concerning the age old and very timely question of identity. I feel that having grown up as a Turkish Cypriot in the mixed village of Potamia, and most importantly in the south, I have a different view point.

My aim is to convey the importance of certain key topics, such as identity, religion, history and culture, through my own story. By sharing these stories and thoughts, I hope to give all Cypriots (and people beyond our island) the chance to think about these topics; how they can relate to it and how it relates to Cyprus and society in a much wider context.

I am a great believer in the power of words and through my own words, first in English and then in Greek and Turkish, I hope to empower and enable citizens to think about this important period in our history; to think about the urgency that’s needed to bring about change, both within ourselves and Cyprus as a whole.

My own journey began when I made the decision to relearn Turkish, one of my childhood languages which I had allowed to drift away from me over time. I had expected that it would simply be a matter of learning some grammar and vocabulary and that would be it. However, it was more like a journey of self-discovery. Who am I? And who do I want to be with the addition of this language?

What does it mean to be Cypriot? And for me, what does it mean to be a Turkish Cypriot who’s more comfortable with Greek than Turkish?

• ← A series of posts for Civic Space
• Who are you? →