A gap

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Iakovos Hatzistavrou

Χωρίς να το καταλάβω, ο καιρός πέρασε (όπως εύκολα γίνεται χωρίς να το σκεφτείς)
Όλον αυτόν τον καιρό,
σχεδόν ένα χρόνο από τον Ιούλιο του 17 μέχρι και σήμερα,
μπήκα σε διαδικασίες διαφορετικές από ότι ήξερα και είχα συνηθίσει να κάνω.

Στην σκέψη μου για τα πράγματα,
στην διάθεση μου απέναντι στην εικόνα,
στην στάση μου απέναντι στην ζωή,
όλα αυτά τα γιατί-κάνω-αυτό-που κάνω….

τον λόγο.

Έτσι είπα να δοκιμάσω κάτι διαφορετικό,
να δοκιμάσω άλλα σχήματα
να το πω διαφορετικά και μέσα από αισθητικά γνωρίσματα λογοτεχνικών κινημάτων
να αφήσω τη ματιά να παίξει

Without realizing it, the time passed (so easily done without thinking about it)
All this time, almost a year from July 17 until today,

I went into procedures different from what I knew and I was used to doing.
In my thoughts about things,
my attitude towards the image,
my attitude towards life,
all the things, why-I-do-what-I-do……..

the reason

So I said to try something different,

to try other shapes
to say it differently and through aesthetic features of literary movements
to let the look playing

The graffiti says: my country is my childhood

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June 2017 in Cyprus

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Iakovos Hatzistavrou

June 2017 in Cyprus

A picture taken in NICOSIA showing an old man sitting in his shop

A picture taken on Ledra street shows an old woman selling icons to passers-by.

A picture taken in NICOSIA showing an old lady sitting out of a shop

A picture taken in the old neighborhood of NICOSIA close to square of “No”. The food canteen is located just below a shop where its plateau writes: “Phoebus Satan” :)

A picture taken in NICOSIA showing an man sitting in his balcony.

A picture taken in NICOSIA showing a young boy sitting in his window

This picture shows the orthodox hagiography of “Pantokrator” in the church of Panagia Feneromenis in the old city of Nicosia. This hagiography type of Jesus Christ is unique shows the “old of days”, the father of everything

Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot protestors hold banners during a demonstration outside the UN-controlled buffer zone in the Cypriot capital Nicosia on June 28, 2017, calling for the unification of the Mediterranean island after the Cypriot President warned of a possible impasse in talks to reunify the ethnically divided island.

Pyla village is located in the eastern part of the islandi in Larnaca district and located within UNFICYP Buffer zone where Greek Cypriots and Tourkish Cypriots living in harmony together.

Turkish-Cypriots at a Turkish-community cafe in Pyla, a village still inhabited by both its original Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot community, located in the United Nations Buffer in CYPRUS, on June 27, 2017.

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MAY 2017 in Cyprus

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Iakovos Hatzistavrou

Without words I’ll start a small photographic presentation of every last month, as the wind through the moments and made them history – no forgotten history –

These are the selection from the snapshots I did, according mostly from accidental events, professional shots and my walks around the streets

I decided to do this every month as a small appreciation for the people and the moments were smiled to me !!

MAY 2017 in Cyprus.

Visitors in the exhibition ‘Risky travels’ of Andys Hadjiadamos and Baci Bogac in Pafos on 5 May, 2017 for the Pafos 2017.

In the exhibition ‘Risky travels’ of Andys Hadjiadamos and Baci Bogac in Pafos on 5 May, 2017 for the Pafos 2017. The Andys grandson touching the sculpture of his grandfather and his mother looking.

Baki Bogac, Turkish Cypriot, Sculptor and Architect, 66 year old. He saved the works of Andy in the official opening of the exhibition ‘Risky travels’ of Andys Hadjiadamos and Baci Bogac in Pafos on 5 May, 2017 for the Pafos 2017.

In mosque a child playing during the praying

Empty shop in the occupied part of Nicosia

In the orthodox church “Wisdom of God” in Nicosia attended of the president of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades was done the ceremony of the remains or part of the remains of seventeen Greek soldiers on 26 May, 2017 who died during the 1974 Turkish invasion. The coffins of the 17 Greek nationals will handed over to Greece’s by defence minister Panos Kammenos

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The arrival

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Iakovos Hatzistavrou

The worst migration crisis since World War II. (The pictures are from Lesvos island, Greece)

…

I have no words to express myself, to describe the pictures or my emotions and I really I don’t want to do it.
The only thing that I know is that I went to Lesvos island to cover the arrival of the refugees with suspicious thoughts about them and after just one day I started “seeing” in several boats my daughter, my wife and myself

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Children who stayed behind

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Iakovos Hatzistavrou

The deplorable living conditions of the enclaved Cypriot’s can be demonstrated by the simple recounting of their numbers following the Turkish invasion of 1974.
In July of that year the Greek Cypriot population of the area presently occupied by the Turkish army was 162,000. By the time the second phase of the Turkish invasion had been completed, in August 1974, 142,000 Cypriots were expelled or forced to flee, leaving 20,000, mostly in the Karpas peninsula (Report S/11488 of the UNSG to the Security Council dated 4 September 1974).
During the next four months, another 5,000 were forced to leave, resulting in a reduction of the Greek Cypriot population of the occupied area by 91% (Report S/11568, 6 December 1974, para. 43).
According to the latest report of the Secretary General to the Security Council this number has diminished to 427 Greek Cypriots and 165 Maronites (S/1122, 30 November 2001, para. 8).
The situation today seems better the enclaved are almost 350 people, the students in school of Rizokarpaso are only 19
On 24 of June in the school parents, students and official guests celebrated the closing ceremony of the school year

(EDITING by Slaviana Chekirova)

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Cyprus peace talks and social cafe

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Iakovos Hatzistavrou

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and Greek Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades had a social meeting today 23 of May, 2015 in the old town of Nicosia,

they walked together on both sides of the divided capital’s medieval center, first they went in the occupied old town of Nicosia and after they continued their walk in the free Nicosia.

both leaders spoke to shopkeepers and residents and the crowd applauded and called for a solution

Each leader spent around 45 minutes on either side, walking around and talking to people on the streets

It’s the first time that the leaders have done so together since the east Mediterranean island was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded in Cyprus

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Burial ceremony of missings in the Village of the Widows

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Iakovos Hatzistavrou

August 15, 2014, Vouno village

Relatives and friends buried the remains of 34 Turkish Cypriots who were taken and killed,

exactly 40 years ago

Today, they were returned for burial ceremony at Vouno village (Tashkent) –

at the new cemetery built for them…

Vouno village was known as well as the `Village of the Widows’,

In cemetary there was such great sadness…Tragic figures of women and children of the missings

Dramatic stories, a cemetery full of pain, even the most hard eyes has tears

I have no words to describe the moments and maybe not need.

What can I say?

The pain have no borders

What can I say about the heavy pain of the grandmother now, which became widow

when she was a young woman ??

for the middle-aged daughter buried her father? or for the son?

I am thinking that so many years lack of hope, for the empty hugs, for the lost dreams

To talk about the facts? The event? None

I refuse to go into the process of the absurd, this vicious cycle of guilt, because we are talking for victims

……innocent human victims (sometimes children), lives lost, tormented souls

and on both sides.

I didn’t see any difference in front of the graves, Tourkish Cypriots or Greek Cypriots,

except the flags, the uniforms and the language… When you close your eyes, you can hear you can feel and “see”

humans in great sadness, humans crying, humans in pain,

( This grandmother Sultana Kasif, today buried her husband and her 3 children)

All humans in front the death, are equal

all the mothers when bury their husbands children, are mothers

Cyprus must regain its lost calmness (if ever had).

We spent many years full of pain, fear, bereavement

I am really thankful to mrs Sevgul Uludag, informed me about the burial funeral,professionally and emotionally she tried to protect me.
Ibrahim, Who came with me and helped in translation. Thank you again.

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Ghost memories

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Iakovos Hatzistavrou

39 years after the Turkish invasion, an island with two separated communities, a thousand of stories,
so many of which truly tragic,
so many ruins to remind you that you should not forget.

In almost every corner you can see the past not as a protected historic landmark space but with a great difficulty through much fear, just like in the forbidden dreams, like some nightmarish memories not letting you unsweat, even when burned by the scorching sun you still remain totally feraful sweaty even though the danger has passed, has it?

Sometimes Ι am wondering if I walk through history or I just wander around my very own imagination??
A little further pass me, horns, the noise of the modern city, around me, modern clothes, modern music, but somehow in an invisible matter the elements prevail,
like ghosts

(On progress………..)

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Forbidden

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Iakovos Hatzistavrou

It is forbidden to walk, see, remember, of course to do pictures…….
…..(as if, the Google maps does not exist?)

…..In the middle, memories, cheking Points, uniforms undercover and indifferent, diplomacy, strange looks, games, forces

……..the years go by, maybe sometime soon or later, they might change the signs to follow a more modern version of the forbidden

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Wasteland

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Iakovos Hatzistavrou

One of my childish game so many years before, was to imagine when I looked a abandoned place with damaged houses, a wasteland, the people used to live there, their voices, their lives,
Dreams full of emotionally questions without truly answers
Yesterday today tomorrow a human path for surviving

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Iakovos Hatzistavrou Thoughts, Photography and Photojournalism

Category Archives: Borders

A gap

June 2017 in Cyprus

MAY 2017 in Cyprus

The arrival

Children who stayed behind

Burial ceremony of missings in the Village of the Widows

Ghost memories

Forbidden

Wasteland