I wonder if anything will be able to escape the election-frenzy that’s right around the corner.

I have a list of private sector actors that support communication and cooperation between cypriots… and it is called “advertisement” (the list is not a secret, im sure u already know yourselves ppl supporting such operations)

But we can start small… No need to build Rome in one day

Something of a permanent nature that I.M. suggests will need money, maybe even full-time staff! How do you get the money if you refuse funding?

I think the video was great. Firstly we cannot ignore history; that would be a boomerang if anything! We need to come to terms with our history and start looking at it from the right perspective. The nationalists will use history and cooking and knitting and selling lotteries against reunification. We should not shy away from what has to be done lest some idiot will call you a traitor!
Secondly, rebuilding that house on the dead zone carries enough messages to Cypriots to last for a few weeks…

I still remember my surprise, 12 years ago, when i got an invitation to join some friends in Pyla to have coffe together with turkish cypriots..I had no idea that there was such opportunity. And this is all we had at the time… People ARE doing alot – people that want to do things that is – and today we can speak of cooperation because of some people DOING what they can…at the time they can…

we cannot put a measurement to “how much” or “how good” is it, because life doesnt work like this!

and i know a supermarket owner, that IS working with TC because he believes it… And he will continue doing it either Demetris will completely screw up negotiations or not…

Let alone that any experiment of cooperation will prove first to GC that it is difficult to cooperate amongst ourselves let alone TC!

So, such a good idea, it can be a spark…And many things could be included in it…

You see, I was always working for inclusion, but i noticed that most of us start from an opposite tactic; excluding first…
(and to my book exclusion comes later when u actually build it and it is related to what u dont want to see in it)

At the stage of ideas, lets not judge so quickly each other…

ofcourse, it is just a suggestion!

Thank Carl Sagan, I am not.

A gallery exhibitiom, a concert, a seminar… all these are passing things… fleeting.

We already do that.

We pass by each other in Ledra’s crossing.

We do it in the popular markets and the fancy shops for the nouveau riche.

Screw that.

I would like to see something of a more permanenet nature that makes itself an example of actual co-habitation, working together, having common interests, jointly solving problems, turning re-unification into a reality OUTSIDE the “political realities”.

I have no other way of explaining this.

BE IT instead of talking about it.

A T/C artist has a gallery opening. She calls the interaction group and says Saturday March 27 I have a gallery opening.

The group assigns the task to specific volunteers of getting G/C and T/C to the gallery opening. Through lists, facebook, email databases and press releases the group informs the public that there is this event and offers for people that have no means of getting there to drive them, or give directions. At the gallery opening the group provides volunteers for translating, the volunteers provide services for helping people exchanging contact information if they wish and also to do a bit of a mixer by introducing people to one another if the people wish that.

The event will not be baptised bicommunal, peace initiative, political action. It will be a “Gallery Opening” for people that go to gallery openings to look at art and talk about the choice of colors. That’s it

what about to think outside the box?

internet radio?
using the new technology making an interactive media that needs a PC a good software, tones of cds (respecting intellectual rights – visas do buy from all coutries and pay to all countries especially international group)

an interactive tool with dialogue and article in real time and also an archive as anyother internet website

IF the idea is the coming together, any room, in any place originally, but LOTS of meetings with the REAL people that will peopled the radio would be needed…

what about its music, themes,

how the “epxeriment” would reflect the real work behind?

and btw where are the T/c to share views??

we can make a site or facebook page asking this… people and ideas for a good begining…

i have some PCs to offer if needed and 100euro donation

“…I personally would avoid any affiliation with such entities. Don’t get me wrong… but I’d rather be safe than sorry…”

“…Forget parties and “marginal groups”. They have much in common. They both have “stars” and “protagonists” who benefit by dominating all communications and imposing their preferred modes of action (or inaction) within and upon their “crowds”.

Furthermore, parliamentary parties depend on media coverage and that makes them vulnerable. If some of their …”

***

“… Stay away from politics, religion and activism pro or against specific components of a future solution and away from foreign financing…”

One little problem there. “Specific components of a future solution”.

Hmmm. Nope.

In some cases that might be useful. If for example a group of TC and GC work together… and at some point they need to make a decision… a process of cross-voting might come in handy.

Furthermore, joint problem solving and all the relevat processes are a natural part of “being together”. I would not exclude those just for the sake of “not resembling a proposed BBF”.

***

I do not agree with the “quietly” part either. I want the naysayers to hear this as loudly as possible.

***

Pardon me… but I would have to go with a basketball game between six or eight gals. Sorry.

You can have an organization in the middle of Nicosia with people working together to facilitate general interaction between people and groups that ordinarily they wouldn’t join groups and associations. like the vast majority of people they get suspicious of political organizations. I personally never participate in “activist” things.

Gather a group of volunteers from both communities (in the middle of Nicosia) to facilitate people of all walks of life. Stay away from politics, religion and activism pro or against specific components of a future solution and away from foreign financing. Quietly facilate human scale interaction with no other agenda. It could be business transactions, it could be just a visit to a house it could be permanent employement. It could be help with official documents, legal advise or just giving directions somewhere or explain what a sign says or means. It could also be what movie plays when or arrange a basketball game between 6-8 guys. No Edon and no Elam involved, just guys playing basketball. The sole agenda would be intertangling of people.

What you need is good volunteers that some can drive, some can speak english/greek/turkish. Sensitive people are needed that treat others with respect and have service oriented spirit.

The radio station could be one project, I was always appaled that news in Cyprus never mentioned for instance accidental deaths or fires in the occupied areas. Common advertising in all 50 states in the US is a powerfull social glue.

For example, visiting Troodos or an occupied house and removing weeds are actions of a temprorary nature.

I am talking about more permanent situations.

Translating job advertisments is somehow more on the right track… but I would prefer the idea of a permanent establishment -preferably in the middle of Nicosia -employing both GC and TC, one that could perform the same task while at the same time being itself an example of “working together” for all to see.

Are you getting the picture now?

The nature of actions that I have in mind should not involve anything that is of a temporary nature. The purpose is to make “being together” a living, breathing example of behavior… something which I suspect scares the crap out of the naysayers.

As for the youtube video suggested by Pavlos… I find it kind of dissapointing because the people involved do not seem to understand how discussions about History and Education can become a boomerang. Such discussions have already been used by the ones opposing reunification in order to further the distance between GC and TC.

***

One last thing. In the case of an Internet Radio thingy… if rights are to be paid… this could be used by the naysayers to create problems.

On the TC side…they may say, “why pay the GC authority and not the TC one?”

My answer would be… that such payments are not a Greek or Turkish thing… it’s a European / Worldwide demand… and to ask someone to pay the corresponding organizations via two “authorities” instead of just one is against the very principles of Europe.

(European Directives and Law are something that could be used as a shield for a number of similar activities).

To raise such an issue might in fact backfire because it will raise the issue of which authority receives recognition… and I suspect that only the side that already enjoys recognition will want to even touch it.

On the GC side… if one fullfils the demand for paying right, the naysayers can do absolutely nothing. The money eventually end up in the artists’ hands, so no real benefit other than “recognition” can be achieved for GC.

Furthermore, we -the GC part of the whole thingy, provided it becomes a reality -could assume the burdon of paying up. That way no one can accuse them of “giving money to the Greeks”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDhjYCxQjzM

I thought you would find there some useful information about bicommunal broadcasting in general…

Never mind…

“…Project coordinators of the “Cyprus 2015” initiative were guests of the “Voice of The Island Youth” program…
The results of the latest public research: Cypriots want a solution… 69% of Greek Cypriots and 42% of Turkish Cypriots want the peace process to come to an end with an adequate solution… ”

“…New financial support will be provided to bi-communal projects…
“The Management Centre” and “NGO Support Centre” have launched their “Small Grant Scheme”…
A call to youths: If you have an idea, project or planned activity, make your applications to this grant…”

***

I do not know if they receive any funds from the aforementioned organizations or UNDP.

I personally would avoid any affiliation with such entities. Don’t get me wrong… but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

That is what the effort should strive to demonstrate.

Thus, in a common broadcast the preferred language ought to be english.

If it seems to work… bi-lingual broadcasts in both Greek and Turkish can be the next step.

I strongly favor the pre-recorded, podcast format. Radio Casbah (see link above) is done with both a pre-recorded part (used when there are no live DJs) and a live one.

I think the effort should strive for a minimal budget… avoiding the need for external funding and thus…dependencies.

I also think that video clips of the whole process could help the effort realize its objective target, that is, to demonstrate “being together” rather than just talking about it.

http://www.talkoftheisland.com/

I have recently received an email about this programm…