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Witness History: Cyprus 2003: Crossing the ceasefire line

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17/07/2024 GMT

Cyprus 2003: Crossing the ceasefire line

BBC World Service - Witness History, Cyprus 2003: Crossing the ceasefire line

In April 2003, people in Cyprus crossed the ceasefire line for the first time in 29 years

Cyprus was divided in 1974, after the Greek coup and Turkish invasion of the island. In 2003, people were allowed to cross the ceasefire line for the first time.

In April 2003, the people of Cyprus were allowed to cross the ceasefire line for the first time in 29 years. 

Hundreds of people rushed to the check points and queued for hours to visit the homes they had left after the Greek coup and Turkish invasion of July 1974. Greek Cypriots made up the great majority of those displaced, often fleeing under fire with nothing but the clothes they had on. 

Singer and ethnomusicologist Nicoletta Demetriou’s parents were among them. Nicoletta tells Maria Margaronis about the day the checkpoints opened, the experience of crossing, and her parents’ encounter with their old neighbourhood and its new inhabitants — and reflects on how it changed her.

Music: Solo laouto by Michalis Tterlikkas.

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