Article on HasNa's Cyprus Project Appears in Turkish Newspaper

Yalçın DOĞAN
Talk of the Island

July 21, 2005

Nicosia (Lefkosa)

What is the most interesting topic of the day?  What issues are the islanders talking about on that day?  What interests the islanders the most that day?

The Islanders are the Turks and Greeks who live in the north and south of Cyprus.

The issues that the Cypriots most want to share and talk about will be heard in a program called “Talk of the Island,” to be jointly broadcast by Turkish and Greek Cypriot stations.

This endeavor is the primary goal of an American civil society non-governmental organization (NGO), and all this is under the direction of an organization that is not-for-profit.

HasNa’s Goal

The goal of the American civil society NGO, HasNa, is to find solutions to disputes that surface in different parts of the world.  It brings together disputing parties so that they may discuss relevant issues.  At the same time it provides training in conflict resolution and after the training, it encourages them to work together in the same place.  It brings them together through television and radio programs.

This getting together enables them to relax, making them think and then to start looking for alternative solutions to the problems at hand.

The president of HasNa is Nevzer Gulistan Stacey, a Turkish woman who has been living in the US for a long time.

HasNa has a partnership with two radio stations in Cyprus; Radyo Mayis on the Turkish side and Radyo Larnaka on the Greek side.

These two radio stations will have a joint broadcast three times a week. This program, which will be broadcasted to all of Cyprus, namely the “Island”, will discuss topics that concern all of the islanders. Therefore, the show is called “Talk of the Island”.

An expert on the topic being discussed that day will also take part in the show and anyone from the community will be free to join in.  There will be a Turkish producer in the north and a Greek producer in the south.  The show will be an hour long.

NPR EDUCATION

The National Public Radio (NPR), which broadcasts in the U.S., is responsible for the technical side of the show.  NPR will be coming to Cyprus in a few weeks to educate the two sides about broadcasting.  This radio station conducts a radio program called “Talk of the Nation” in the U.S., in which they discuss the topic that the public is most interested in at that moment.

The same logic has now been applied to Cyprus.  This is where the importance and reliability of a civil society organization comes in. The two Cypriot NGOs, one from the north and one from the south, cooperating with HasNa live within the society, with its problems, conflicts and sometimes its pleasant events. Because they live within the society, they are the best source to search for a solution without getting lost in the labyrinth of national and international politics. Without falling prey to balance games. Without getting involved in different calculations. They do not see a reason for any of this. 

It is encouraging to see an American NGO headed by a Turkish woman undertaking to find a solution in Cyprus.

I have been in Cyprus for two days now, and I have not met a single person who does not want to find a solution. “Talk of the Island” can bring the two societies closer together.