Memories
Senem Gökel

The Goethe-Institut is located in the Buffer Zone in Nicosia. I have attended or participated in some events at the institute but one is the most memorable for me. In January 2019 the institute, together with Moving Poets, organised a three-day, tri-lingual poetry translation workshop and welcomed fifteen German, Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot poets. We translated each other's poems into our respective native language.

I do not often have the opportunity to meet with foreign poets and writers. As a result of the pandemic and technology changing at high speed, the concept of isolation has become more visible; this is a new feeling for some. I was born in the northern part of Cyprus and spent a big part of my life here. Feeling isolated is not a new feeling– not only geographically, but also intellectually, artistically and in many other ways. This is a feeling which to an extent travels with me to foreign countries; it remained with me when I used to live abroad. For these reasons, I personally (and perhaps others who feel the same way) see the presence of international cultural meetings and collaborations which take place on the island as invaluable and inspiring experiences.

I am also a researcher in the field of history. I would like to see not only literary events, but also the scholars of the island together with German scholars in social sciences come together to collaborate in various cultural projects. It would be great to see the results of these exchanges and experiences. I congratulate the Goethe-Institut for its contributions in culture.