By Maria Gregoriou
The Diversity Arts Festival began with the opening of a group exhibition of works produced by non-Cypriot artists living on the island, but things will really start to warm up on Friday and Saturday when music and literary readings take to the stage.
Friday is the day for music as, from 6.45pm until 11pm, there will be a variety of local music acts giving a beat to the weekend at the Famagusta Gate Moat.
Haji Mike will be spinning a reggae vibe around the event, along with Dub Thomas. Haji Mike is a DJ and Dub poet who started making music around 1979, his most famous track being probably ‘Vrakaman’ which hit the island with its original music and Cypriot feel in the 90s. Haji Mike will be joined by Dub Thomas, owner of Dubophic label, who is well-known for giving dub music a voice.
The band Mood Indigo will be bringing a jazz feel to the festival, as they will be presenting a selection of jazz tunes that will put a swing on things.
The trio Monsieur Doumani, who have just finished a mini-tour of Cyprus presenting their new album, will be playing their own original songs which are influenced by Cypriot folklore and refer to the island’s musical traditions.
The last band on the list is sure to rock us, as they are no other than Minus One. The eclectic five-member band, who specialise in rock covers but were also recently in the running to represent Cyprus in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, will be covering some great rock and pop songs, while also priming the stage for an energetic performance.
Now moving on to Saturday and the Literary Evening, with a total of 13 writers taking to the floor for five minutes of reading each.
Included in this list of writers are Gur Genc, Sheridan Lambert, Mateo Jarrin Cuvi, Nora Nadjarian and Rachael Pettus.
Genc, who will be reading some of his work in English, is a poet, short story writer, translator and editor, who has published 12 books.
Lambert is a short-story writer whose novel, entitled Dillo, is due to be published by Double Life Press.
Cuvi, an indefatigable blogger who has a passion for Cyprus wine, has published food-related articles in Cyprus Gourmet and The Financial Mirror, and short fiction in the Cypriot journals Cadences, ARTERI, and The Cyprus Dossier, Malmö University’s Shipwrights – The Review of Decentered English, and Fluster Magazine’s Tell Me A Tale: An Anthology of 20 Short Stories.
Nadjarian is an award-winning Armenian Cypriot poet and short story writer. She is the author of three collections of poetry and two books of short stories. She has been published online and in print in the UK, the USA, Australia and elsewhere.
Pettus, originally from London, mostly wrote creative non-fiction (including a travel memoir) before turning to poetry a few years ago. Her poem ‘Leaving Straidp’ was long-listed for three European poetry prizes in 2014, and was published in the Poetry Republic eBook for 2014, as were her poems ‘Warming Bees’ and ‘For Phil’. The latter, a farewell to a Vietnam veteran friend, was runner-up in the UK’s Theatre Cloud competition, War Poetry for Today.
There will be a lot more readings, and the festival also includes free workshops for those looking to get involved in a diversity of arts.
The Diversity Arts Festival
A five-day festival with lots of art, music, literature, film screenings and workshops. Until April 26. Famagusta Gate and Famagusta Gate Moat, Nicosia. Different times. Tel: 22-841528
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