We are in the “National Struggle and Martyrs” week, December 21–25. These days, we remember our martyrs and talk about what happened during the years of the national struggle. But we do the talking, and we do the listening!
Have we been able to tell the world about December 21–25 and what we experienced and/or what happened in Cyprus between 1963 and 1974?
Does saying here that “the Greek Cypriots used the advantage of being recognized to tell the world about this period as they pleased” explain why we have been unable to tell the world about what we experienced in a way it can understand?
So, what did we do after 1974?
We built our country, and at the same time, talks continued; we did what needed to be done after the war! Then we declared the TRNC, plunged into domestic politics, and still cannot get out of it…
We appointed our president as a negotiator; he held talks while we became ministers and prime ministers! He held talks while we fell into opposition and fought among ourselves! He held talks while we formed associations and organizations, and even opposed him. We stayed in the TRNC, benefited from the state’s resources, grew, developed, came of age, and then said, “Oh, no one recognizes our country!” What did we do to promote it? All right, perhaps it wasn’t our responsibility; perhaps there was nothing we could do to secure recognition for our state—and we couldn’t do it anyway… But couldn’t we at least have told the world what we experienced? Whom did we tell about what we went through between 1963 and 1974? Who knows about “Bloody Christmas”? Which of our associations or organizations was founded to tell the world—not just us—about these events? How many publications do we have with the international reach to tell the world what happened during this period?
Yes, the Greek Cypriots were able to use the advantage of being recognized to put pressure on politicians around the world, and they had effective lobbying groups! They still do! Don’t you think the most effective lobby in the world is the people themselves? While the Greek Cypriots used their extensive resources to put those politicians under pressure, did we have no opportunity or means of reaching the societies in which those politicians were trying to build their political careers? Couldn’t we have told those societies what we experienced through brochures, or, at the very least, small leaflets?
A few days ago, journalist Fevzi Tanpınar, director of the documentary film Kayıp Otobüs, was my guest in the studio on Öğlen Ajansı. I had also interviewed him right after the premiere of Kayıp Otobüs. Looking at the topics we discussed overall, the conclusion, unfortunately, is the same: we live in a country where the subject remains unexplored. What happened in this country between 1963 and 1974 has been so little covered that any producer from Hollywood would be overjoyed to get here. We have done nothing!
From this point on, I believe that discussing the problems would be a futile exercise. We must stop talking about problems and start finding solutions. The first thing that comes to mind is that funds should be allocated from the budget of our Department of Promotion or our Ministry of National Education and Culture to pay for Kayıp Otobüs and similar documentaries, and even feature films.
I should also point out that our responsibility in this matter has grown. While the Greek Cypriot side tells the world about what happened between 1963 and 1974 in line with its own ideology, it has also imposed a serious blackout on its own people! In other words, we must tell not only the world but also the Greek Cypriot people about what happened during that period. We have a lot to do, but unfortunately, instead of getting down to it, we are turning on one another…
Don’t you think that at the root of many of the problems we face today lies our failure to tell the world about what happened between 1963 and 1974?
Until Tuesday, I hope…
Please pay attention to your surroundings, and please be respectful in traffic.