Oral History: Voice of the people, whether individual thought or community sentiment, from periods of time where they were overlooked or underappreciated. These primary sources should not be discarded as error if information does not match up with public view, political stance, or historical analysis of issue. Every viewpoint is sacred.
The graffiti on the walls near the buffer zone, the personal interviews I’ve had with Cypriot citizens and the thoughts of those that I haven’t interacted with are all thoughts of a specific person involved in an issue that deeply impacts their daily lives. Though some are more extreme than others, they are personal opinions about a situation to which we will never be able to understand like they do. This idea has haunted me as I walk through the center of the old city of Nicosia. Who am I to say how these people should live, what they want, and what is needed for the resolution of this international issue? I have no ties to the situation as most of you know… No lineage, and no language knowledge (except for some very basic greek)! But maybe this is what makes it an important point-of-view… I don’t have a biased opinion for one side over the other, and revert to the facts which make me constantly question the way things are currently run and the resolutions currently in place.
I’m starting to realize that I’m in a very important position. Every conversation I have is a piece of oral history that adds to my bibliography related to Nicosia and the history of Cyprus. I hope to eventually feel comfortable enough with the depth of this issue to help make decisions here. In the meantime, it’s most important for me to put the designer ego aside for a moment and give credit to those that understand this problem more than I will in the month.
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