Talk of the Island

Talk of the Island Contract Title Cyprus Bi-Communal Radio Program 'Talk of the Island': Opening Channels of Communication Contract Number USIP Grant Proposal 219-05F Funding Period 1/5/2006-31/12/2006 Funding Agency USIP Partners The Management Centre Website http://www.talkoftheisland.org

Description

People who served as Coordinators and/or Volunteers

• Larry Fergeson
• Reinhard Eckert
• [[Jenine Alexander]

Why was Talk of the island an important contribution to peace?

As Larry Fergeson, one of the first coordinators of “Talk Of the Island" mentioned, the program was the first and is still to the present day the longest running bicommunal radio programme on the island of Cyprus.” Its success, originality and a need for a platform for “communication” were the key reasons for its continuous success.

At the beginning, Talk of the Island was funded by HasNa Inc., a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit organization. Subsequently, its fathers secured funding from the United States Institute of Peace. Talk of the Island” was regularly transmitted live in Cyprus between 10.00 -11.45 hours every Saturday and was repeated the same evening at 19.15 hours in the years 2005-2008. The broadcasting covered Nicosia, Kyrenia and Morphou, Famagusta and Larnaca. The broadcast could be listened to both from the Turkish and Greek sides.

This project was originally designed to promote mutual understanding, and sharing between two communities in Cyprus. One of its aims was to show that there are so many commonalities between two communities. Since the start of the conflict, the gap between two communities has been increasing because of biased reporting. The media has been dominated with messages aiming to show differences between two communities. For instance, Although coffee on both sides of the island is the same, there is a distinction in what it is called. In the south it is called “Greek” and in the north it is called “Turkish”. The terminology used in media similar to the example here, together with the priority given to news aimed at showing the differences rather than commonalities.“ Talk of the Island”, from the beginning, aims to create a platform to show the commonalities rather than differences. According to the website of “Talk of the Island” diversity, cooperation, balance, relations with Turkey & Greece, bi-communal music, and bi-communal projects, civil society activities, common language and terminology are topics the program takes as priority. Traditional media does not cover these topics, most of the time. The show also provides a forum for open, island-wide dialogue and direct communication about on-going non-political issues. As mentioned in a “Our Language, Topics, Guests and Principles” document retrieved from the website of “Talk of the Island”, “Efforts are made so that lessons are learned from the historic events. It maintains that fanaticism, chauvinistic nationalism, and racism would bring no benefit. Moreover, it encourages the organizations and persons who exert efforts to rewrite the history books in Cyprus, as well as Turkey and Greece.

Two program presenters Kyriakos Pierides and Hasan Kahvecioglu, together with the interpreter Yucel Koseoglu, designed the program to display balanced news reporting by informing all island communities about local issues and events that are not typically covered by the current media. There is a culture of peace and mutual understanding in the program. Talk of the Island aspires to be instrumental in providing a vehicle for all Cypriots who share a vision for the future.

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Further Funding

USIP “Talk of the Island” radio program (support)

Efforts to secure additional funding

UNDP application Name of the requesting organisation: Cyprus Neuroscience and Technology Institute (CNTI) and The Management Centre of the Mediterranean (Mc-Med) Legal Status of requesting organisation: Non Profit, Non Governmental Organization

Project Title: The Alternative Media Initiative (AMI) Total Project Cost: in Cyprus £: Yr1: 61,195 Yr2: 45,305 Funds requested from UNDP in Cyprus £: Yr1: 46,595 Yr2: 30,705 Project Start Date: March 1, 2006 Project Completion Date: February 29, 2008

Links

About Talk of the island on HasNa's page Announcement of USIP grant on HasNa's page