We do not pretend to understand how this works. You don’t hold my hand and I don’t move towards you. We stand next to each other: with glazed lips and caked eyes, full of fire. With burning suns in the place of our hearts and thoughts travelling at the speed of light.

We give up sleeping and taking our meds. We want to dance on a bed of nails and breathe out worlds the way we breathe in fire. The electricity passes through our bodies and we travel to the edge of the universe, through celestial lanes. We cannot be grounded anymore. We cannot tame the force that binds our minds and connects every distant world and parallel dimension; every world that could be and every world that could never exist. Unable to stop the hurricanes and star-rains, we reject their manufactured truths and artificial numbness. Their constructed worlds of normalcy that reek of apathy and coldness. We reject the stability that comes from deep roots that keep us stranded; we crave Hermes’ wings and at this moment anything is possible.

    But moments fade away fast. They don’t last; not for eternity, like childhood scars do. Like melancholy and pain do.
       But we forget this truth and orbit around orange-red suns; and we will play with fire, until there is nothing left of us.
          But even so, and even for a just a moment, we will be so violently and so fully alive.

Falling ocean-deep into a dark whirlwind of thoughts and starry skies. There is a strange calmness as I slowly spin around on the harbour’s dark gravel. The fading voices of the people blowing smoke, the bronze half moon that we watch sinking. The tied boats and monochrome lights that create patterns around the small village. All these people who spit out words and laughter, who call me by my name and share their food and drinks and cigarettes with me – all these people I’m surrounded with… And yet I’m alone. They think I’m real, but I’m only an echo. Time and space behave as if in a dream and I’m forced to hash my screams – I know what happens to dream characters when the dream ends. I know and I clasp the rail and hold on as firmly as I can. I will not be sucked away into nothingness; I will not dissolve into air. Not yet.

But for how long?

We see clouds gathering on the sky.  Sunlight never lasts. Soon the darkness will come – as it always does. I will sink in it and let it consume me whole. And when I jump into nothingness, it will be willingly.

The wildfires broke out across Greece, and especially the Attica region, last Friday night. On Saturday we were awoken to a red-grey sky. We could see the fire coming closer, ashes were falling from the sky, it was getting darker and harder to breathe. Moreover, the usual craze on TV was anything but helpful.

The fire was coming too close, too fast. We were ordered to leave our houses. There was no time to pack or take anything with us. I only managed to change from my pyjamas to a pair of jeans and put on my shoes, grab my two already packed bags – since I’ve only arrived from London the night before and hadn’t unpacked – and run towards the screaming people (hard to miss).

We had four dogs to get, three of which are quite big. Someone was holding the Chihuahua, so we got the Doberman out and forced it into the car, because he was too scared and refused to get in. The other two dogs were staying next to the Doberman, but their door opens with a different key, which found the perfect time to break. My brother had to run and get another key and barely got them out in time, before the fire got them. We were then on our way to supposed safety: seven people and four dogs in four cars, two of which were low on gas. It was dark and foggy, people were panicking, many streets were closed and it was not easy to get around. The police was trying to redirect the cars with no success, making everyone impatient.

We found ourselves on a dark field away from the main road where our neighbours claimed it was safe. Safe? We are in the middle of nowhere next to an uncontainable fire. At an area we were supposed to evacuate! The fire was beyond close and we could see it destroying everything on its way while people screamed and cried and refused to abandon their houses. Can’t blame them. It’s way too hard to stand powerless and watch everything you have worked for, your property, your entire life, being reduced to ash so fast and without any mercy.

Everyone spoke at once:

“This is our place we are not leaving.” “We are burning!” “Why did we stop here?” “Are you ok?” “I’m fine.” “Is our house burning? DO something!” “What can I do?” “I need my medication. Who has my bag?” “Are the dogs with us?” “Where’s the donkey?” “Donkey? What donkey??!” “Where the hell are we?” “The car’s run out of gas!” “What’s the police saying?” “You have your meds with you? Do you have sedatives for your mother?” “What’s the government doing?” “Whose place is this?” “Our house is burning!” “Are we moving?” “No, I’m not scared, I just don’t understand why we are standing here watching the fire coming closer and closer!”

My brother’s godfather said that we were way too close and they were all crazy and he would rather been labelled as a coward than burn alive. My brother and I grabbed the dogs and followed him. The Chihuahua was barely breathing and the Doberman threw up in the back of the car. We left the dogs at friends and relatives and spent the night at a hotel. Many people were fighting the flames till 5:30 in the morning and many more continued after that.

At noon we checked out of our hotel and despite being in the centre of Athens we could still smell the fire and see the ashes flying around. The police had closed the streets and wouldn’t let us go home. Last we’ve heard the fire was two metres away from our house. Do we still have a house? What’s going on? Nobody knew much. Speculation, fear, panic. The fires kept spreading everywhere, more areas were evacuated and more people were getting desperate. There was no improvement. Just more disaster. We spend two days moving hotels, talking on the phone and watching the news. “Is that our street on TV?” Isn’t that the place next to us?” “Why isn’t someone helping these people?” “What’s the government doing?”

The dogs have never been so quiet. They were not eating and kept shaking. Poor things. We were covered in ashes, dog hair, saliva and vomit and have inhaled enough smoke for two lifetimes.

Sunday night my brother, the Chihuahua and me, moved to another hotel, after driving around the hotel for more than half an hour finding nothing but one-way streets and dead ends. This country! Dammit! Where are we supposed to go? Is the dog still alive? Hey, it’s vibrating! What? Don’t worry my love, we’ll be at the hotel soon and we’ll feed you. You are safe, don’t be scared.

My brother had no clothes with him and I had no toiletries and had to ask the hotel staff for some. Normally, we would go out and buy a few basic things, but Sundays everything is closed all day long.

On Monday the fires have receded significantly, although the situation remained critical in certain areas. The police opened most streets and we were on our way to our house, after stopping to pick up the Doberman. (Someone else had picked up the other two dogs.) The Chihuahua had entered the ‘vibrator mode’ and was shaking uncontrollably. The Doberman, which was sitting on the back seats, threw up five times and produced enough saliva to drown himself. They told us on the phone that the fire had reached our house, but the damage was minimal and the inside of the house was pretty much ok. So we drove through burnt trees and cars and we were finally home in one piece. Lucky us, but so many people weren’t lucky at all…

BBC articles:

Greece claims wildfire victory

Wildfires break out across Greece

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVQlmZbrc9o

Vid of Mouris our mad Chihuahua.

Most scientific questions, as well as social and mathematical problems have enjoyed wide concern and interest during the recent decades, having as a result to be partly or wholly solved. On the contrary, a problem affecting human liberties, the prevention of the right of people in Cyprus to enjoy their own property and preserve their human rights remains unsolved for more than 34 years.

The beginning of this problem, as recognised by the global community, lies on the 20th of July in 1974, when Turkey, claiming a ‘peace-keeping operation’, arbitrarily invaded Cyprus (a small island in the Mediterranean Sea), continuing their imperialistic expanding territorial tactics from the ancient times. Such an invasion, contrary to their so called ‘aim’, had as a result for a great massacre to be caused by the Turkish Military forces, approximately 200,000 people becoming refugees in their own country, 37% of the island’s territory to be occupied by the Turkish Military forces and 1,619 people to be still missing.

Today, the afore-mentioned percentage of the island of Cyprus is still occupied by Turkish forces. Until recently, the original and legal owners of that property have not been allowed to cross the borders Turkey arbitrarily set, and they haven’t been able to enjoy their own property! Now, even though people have the ability to visit the occupied areas of Cyprus, which Turks illegally prefer to name as the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’, they are required to show identification and passport to Turkish Army. This is one of the measures taken by Turkey in its effort to divide the island in half and create a new unrecognised state, based on the areas they occupied illegally by invasion in 1974.

Such efforts, as well as the Turkish invasion are strictly condemned by the international community as a whole, and particularly by the United Nations and the Commission of Human Rights resolutions on the Cyprus problem, since 1974. To be more specific and provide evidence of the global disagreement and regret for the current situation in Cyprus I would like to submit abstracts from the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations, and the European Commission of Human Rights.

As far as the Turkish invasion is concerned, the UN Security Council, in its Resolution No.360 on the 16th of August 1974 specifically ‘records its formal disapproval of the unilateral military actions undertaken against the Republic of Cyprus’, and notes that ‘all States have declared their respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus’. In this way, the Security Council condemns the illegal invasion of Turkey in Cyprus, and moreover, indirectly rejects the Turks’ declaration of the massacre caused, as a ‘peace-keeping’ operation. The Security Council, goes further, and ‘urges the withdrawal without delay from the Republic of Cyprus of foreign military personnel otherwise than under the authority of international agreements’. Avoiding a series of resolutions of the Security Council of the United Nations requesting the withdrawal of the Turkish military forces from Cyprus, Turkey, as mentioned above, keeps and moreover equips from time to time its troops in the occupied area of Cyprus.

In a later meeting for the purpose of examining the Cyprus problem, on the 30th of August 1974, (Resolution No. 361) the United Nations Security Council notes that ‘a large number of people in Cyprus have been dispatched’ and ‘urges the parties concerned to search for peaceful solutions to the problems of refugees and take appropriate measures to provide for their relief and welfare and to permit persons who wish to do so to return to their houses in safety’. Again, Turkey does not hesitate to ignore the resolution of the Security Council and until today prevents refugees to enjoy the ownership of their houses in the occupied area in safety.

As mentioned above, the original purpose of Turkey was to occupy part of Cyprus by the means of weapons, taking advantage of internal conflicts between the people of Cyprus, to divide the island, and finally to establish a new state. Its intentions became entirely clear on the 13th of February 1975, after their effort to create a ‘Federated Turkish State’, seven months after their original invasion. However the first step of this effort (as well as the second which is mentioned below) was not achieved. The UN Security Council, by its Resolution No.367 on the 12th of March 1975 stated that it ‘regrets the UNILATERAL decision of 13th February 1975 declaring that a part of the Republic of Cyprus would become a Federated Turkish State as inter alia (among other things), tending to compromise the continuation of negotiations between the representatives of the two communities on an equal footing’. Nevertheless, Turkey did not give up and tried once again on the 17th of November 1983 to achieve its purpose, by self-declaring the Cyprus occupied area as the so called ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)’! Again, this illegal and offensive effort was condemned by the UN Security Council on the 11th of May 1984. According to their resolution (Resolution No.550 1984) ‘the Security council reiterates the call upon all States NOT TO RECOGNISE the purported state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus set up by secessionist acts and calls upon them not to facilitate or in any way assist the aforesaid secessionist entity’. Demonstrating once again its complete ignorance of the United Nation’s resolutions, Turkey keeps recognizing and trying to sustain the illegality of such a declaration!

Furthermore, it has to be mentioned that in their effort to create such a state, they send settlers from Turkey, directly to Cyprus, in order to change the demographic structure of the island. This is where the preservation of the people of Cyprus Human Rights is involved. The Commission of Human Rights on the 11th of March 1987 by their Resolution 1987/50 on the Question of Human Rights in Cyprus, among other states, ‘considers attempts to settle any part of Varosha (a town occupied by Cyprus) by people other than its inhabitants as ILLEGAL and calls for the immediate cessation of such activities’. As could be easily foreseen, Turkey once again ignored this resolution, and moreover continued bringing a great number of settlers in the occupied areas.

In the same resolution, the Commission of Human Rights:
• ‘Reiterates its previous calls for the full restoration of all human rights to the population of Cyprus, in particular to the refugees’
• ‘Calls for the tracing of and accounting for missing persons in Cyprus without any further delay’
• ‘Calls for the restoration and respect of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots, including the freedom of movement, the freedom of settlement and the right to property’.

Despite this resolution, no developments are seen to be made. Human Rights continue being breached by increasing Military Forces in Cyprus, 37% of the island is still occupied, 1,619 persons are still missing and the original, entitled and legal owners of Cypriot land don’t have the ability to enjoy their property as every single person in the rest of the European countries has. Foreign inhabitants settling in Cyprus, don’t hesitate to stay illegally and arbitrarily in the houses of Cypriots that were forced to leave in 1974. Mothers and relatives of missing persons continue to stand patiently before the crossing points along the ‘Green Line’, holding photographs of missing persons and claiming to be informed of their existence.

The purpose of this leaflet is to inform students outside Cyprus of the problem that still exists for 34 years in Cyprus, make people aware of the injustice that keeps being committed in Cyprus, and express the concern of Cypriot students and ambition for:
• a FAIR and JUST solution to the Cyprus problem,
• the withdrawal of Turkish Military Forces from Cyprus,
• the return of the refugees back to their houses and properties in safety,
• an account for the persons missing since 1974,
and essentially the compliance of Turkish invaders with the resolutions of the United Nation’s Security Council and the Commission on Human Rights, so that justice can finally be seen in Cyprus.
This message is neither party politically affiliated, nor has the intention to create any type of tense or trouble. Its aim is to inform people not aware of the Cyprus problem of the current unjust situation in the island of Cyprus and help in the Cyprus efforts for finding an appropriate solution to the problem.

Thank you for the time spent in reading this article.