The current situation in Cyprus reveals a significant need for the establishment of a shared mourning culture. The challenges of established historical narratives are well-known. However, the practice of shared mourning emerges as a more achievable goal than the complexities of history.
The Conflict Between Justice and Peace
Recent events on the island have brought the noise of justice and the silence of peace into sharper focus than ever before. The rise of rhetoric filled with more hate and hostility from both the North and South sides of Cyprus has led to an increase in anger, accusations, and posts filled with mutual justification on social media. An atmosphere exists that triggers not only Cyprus but also the ongoing war languages in the region.
The pains and losses experienced in the past are often assessed through the lens of victimhood. Discussions on social media around July 20th overflow with similar rhetoric, while empathy is frequently overlooked. This not only puts the pains of people on both sides of the island on display but also creates a larger distance regarding reconciliation.
Competing Pains and Definite Lines
The war experienced drives everyone to center their own story of pain. However, pain is not limited to one person or community. The tragedies occurring in different villages of Cyprus, from the Horsemen to Eptakomi, encompass losses from every segment of society. As everyone recounts their own history, contradictions in the narratives become inevitable.
Perhaps the remembrance of the past should be approached not as a justification for the future but rather as a means to avoid creating further pain. Efforts towards peace and reconciliation cannot coexist alongside louder voices from both sides. While each community tells its own stories, it continues to remain closed off to the sufferings of the other.
When pains compete, the ground for peace and reconciliation is lost. The societal anecdotes and memories of Cyprus are being reshaped through specific societal patterns; this causes the societies to construct their memories solely according to their needs.
As two communities live with the burdens of the past, they instill the narratives of their own pains into their children. In this context, two communities growing amidst conflicts and traumas from the past often cannot break free from the parallel realities that surround them, leading them to overlook the fact that they share a common past.
On one hand, the victims of war; on the other, the losses, as societal memory shapes itself, the discussions of justification are intertwined. The thin line between death and loss may seem unclear to outside observers, but it holds deep validity for both sides. When it comes to losses, the solution that everyone seeks requires the elimination of uncertainty rather than simply achieving a satisfactory result.
Therefore, the issue of losses in Cyprus highlights the need to create structures built upon societal memory and a shared past. There is one common desire frequently expressed by relatives of the missing: to find a place that puts an end to uncertainty. This is a common theme for both sides and holds the potential to build a bridge among those seeking their losses and confronting the past.
Source: www.yeniduzen.com
