A delegation of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) of the European Parliament, accompanied by the President of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Anita Demetriou, visited the art exhibition ‘Women’s Gaze of War’, which is hosted in the atrium of the House of Representatives and organized by Frederick University in cooperation with the Foundation for Parliamentarism and Participatory Democracy.
The exhibition focuses on the experiences of women and girls during the 1974 Turkish invasion, highlighting testimonies that for decades have remained on the margins of the official historical narrative. Starting with the question ‘Why do we always learn our history through the eyes of men?’, the exhibition’s creator, Georgia Michael, began her artistic research as part of her thesis at the Department of Arts and Communication at Frederick University, under the supervision of Professor Kostas Mantzalos.
The art installation combines recorded excerpts from women’s testimonies with the projection of artworks, in an experiential composition that invites the audience to participate in an unrecognized aspect of the Cypriot tragedy. The FEMM Commission’s visit to the exhibition was part of its mission to Cyprus to investigate the impact of war on women and girls, with a focus on sexual violence as a weapon of war. The initiative belongs to MEP Mr. Loucas Fourlas, who accompanied the members of the Commission: Ms. Eleonora Meleti, Ms. Anna Maria Cisint and Ms. Laurence Trochu. The delegation was accompanied by the MEP Mr Giorgos Georgiou.
On behalf of Frederick University, the President of the Council, Ms Natassa Frederikou, Professor Kostas Mantzalos, Associate Professor Konstantinos Kounnis and Ms Tonia Stavrinou, a member of the University’s administrative staff, were present at the report. During the visit, the members of the Committee were informed about the artistic approach of the exhibition and were offered printed works by the author.
In the context of the FEMM mission to Cyprus, Ms Natassa Frederikou also participated in an official meeting of the Commission, as Vice President of the ZOE vs War Violence Foundation. In her intervention, she presented a report based on systematic research and archival material, highlighting the multidimensional and long-lasting impact of the 1974 Turkish invasion on women in Cyprus. The presentation focused on the use of rape not as an isolated phenomenon, but as a strategic tool of intimidation and ethnic cleansing, while highlighting the long-standing social silence and stigma that weighed on the survivors. The intervention highlighted the urgent need for institutional recognition, reparation and accountability on the part of the European institutions.
Source: Frederick University (https://tinyurl.com/p92p2ukb)