VOICING STORIES

(2017 - ongoing)

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Concept Creator

Principal Researcher

Facilitator + Non - formal education program curator

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The current project which is produced by Xarkis, aims to collect a variety of oral history narratives and assemble them within a digital library that will be available for sharing. Through the genre of video-testimonies, Cypriots of different backgrounds and ethnic origins are encouraged to share their own personal experiences and stories on technology, art, design, crafts, music, community life, neighbor hood and stories on political events, with a focus on the turbulent period in Cyprus, particularly from 1960 onward.
 

Moving away from selected, guided, written, pictured, popularized and institutionalized narratives, the video-testimony as a genre creates a space in which intimate, personal and local experiences can be voiced across the island. Moreover, it offers a more holistic representation of the people of Cyprus in the context of Cypriot history and culture that will both be shared and preserved in our digital library.

While there are numerous noteworthy oral history initiatives in Cyprus, we could say that the difference within these initiatives is that knowledge about oral history collection will be gathered by and passed on to the every man as a tool to use, with people of his or her everyday surroundings and using simple recording devices such as smart phones, tablets and / or compact cameras.

 

Simultaneously, and coupled with the right towards education, we challenge the standard means of oral history deliverance, by selecting a diverse range of contemporary media that are both accessible and fresh in their communication language.

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Project website: Voicing Stories Cy

Producer: Xarkis NGO

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This is an award winning social entrepreneurship initiative and crowd sourced oral history library.

 

Award: Youthopia Small Grants, funded by European Union