By Heidi Trautmann

On Thursday, the 13^th of April, the courtyard of the newly renovated Gamblers Inn in the centre of Nicosia filled with artists and art lovers to do some art activities together. The Cultural Department had invited ad hoc and within a few days only a programme was established and the artists invited to help celebrating. It was an afternoon programme between two heavy clouds of rain but we were lucky, nothing interfered.

After welcoming speeches by Nilay Tunçalp, the Director of the Cultural Dept. and by Dr. Özdemir Berova, Minister of Education and Culture, the afternoon was opened by our beloved opera soprano Laden Ince, with three beautiful songs; she told me that she is so very happy to sing for the people of her country again after being abroad for some time to perform on other stages.

In the galleries around the courtyard, some photographic works were exhibited, exciting photos by all the known art photographers who had won awards between 2011-2016, for example Buket Özatay. Ceramic activities were done right at the entrance to the Han, demonstrating some techniques. In one corner were two caricaturists, Mustafa Tozaki and Devran Öztunc, and I watched them looking around for victims to draw; Devram did mine and my son’s who had come to visit and to be at the opening of my exhibition in Famagusta. Mustafa Tozaki, he is also a musician and has published some CDs,  had done one of me many years ago when I did an interview with him for my art book, in this afternoon he did one of my husband.

We listened to the violin of Ammar Dadizadeh with three beautiful pieced. Writer and poet Ayşe Tural recited some poems accompanied by Ammar.

Then we heard Dr. Arif Albayrak with his impressive voice recite; Arif who has only recently published a book, actually a biography in pictures and works, is not only a gynaecologist and member of parliament but also a painter, caricaturist, photographer, musician, poet and composer; the interview with him is in the second volume of my book ‘Art and Creativity in North Cyprus.

The Kibris Folk Trio with Serdar Denktaş, Yiltan Taşci, Bülent Berkay played for us Cypriot folk music and everybody clapped their hands.

Others made contributions to celebrate the day, the Lirik Şiir Grubu, the Lyric Poetry Group, who often appear in public with their poems and music. Another group of musicians with one vocalist brought again beautiful music and the guests were singing along with them. How charming.

A special dance and art performance was shown by Ipek Denizli Karagöz and Dervişe Güneyyeli and I understood it as much that a painter was waiting for her inspiration to wake up and make appearance and thus hard labour was done to bring to life a painter’s production.

After the show we visited the art studios and boutiques on the first floor; a very good atmosphere and there is much to see and find, antique little treasures, art objects and handicraft,  textile and knit-ware, all hand made. A nice coffee shop, where we tasted good Börek.