A 21year-old folk poet Efraim Christou , believes that a poet is directly related to politics “because a poet is the one who will express the people; we are the poets of the people” he says.
He says that his first steps in folk tradition began at his grandmother’s kafene, in Foini.
He states that Folk Potes are those that express the people and that’s why poetry, art and culture are connected with politics in his opinion.
In fact, the book also includes poems addressed to the Turkish Cypriots.
Asked if he thinks that the promotion of Cypriot tradition can lead to peace in Cyprus, he stated that “culture unites”.
About the publication of his first poetry collection entitled “Root, my heart”, the relationship between culture and politics and more, we spoke with Efraim Christou, folk poet, in an interview he gave to Voice International.
Question: Let’s start, first, with a few words about you and your work with folk tradition and poetry…
Efraim: Since I was a child, I grew up in my grandmother’s traditional café (“kahvehane”), in Foini, and it was the first contact I had with the tradition of Cyprus. We are talking about a landscape with wooden chairs from Foini, with people of the third age, who experienced what we call “tradition” today in their daily life, Cypriot songs, “tsiatista”(traditional Cypriot poems). It was my first contact. Since I was little, I liked to listen to Cypriot songs and tsiattista, I liked the tradition in general. Until I slowly started my first couplets and then it developed, after being asked by organized ensembles in my community, into longer poems. Then came the Social Media, along with the support of the people that motivated me to write more and I also improved by reading other folk poets.
Question: How did the title of the book come about?
Efraim: The title “Root, my heart” has the meaning that everything we write in the book grows in our heart. So, that’s the point, and since it’s my first book, it won’t stand out in terms of quality, it’s just the first poems, in which I wrote what I felt. So, we chose this title.
Question: What themes will we encounter in the book?
Efraim: The book mostly deals with social issues. But it is in such a way as not to bore the reader, that is, it starts with erotic poetry. Although it could start with the social ones which are the most numerous, it starts with the erotic ones. It contains satirical poems, the social ones about society, social issues, inequalities and various other topics, e.g. wars. We have a special chapter for Cyprus, which also deals with the Cypriot issue, and it also addresses to the Turkish Cypriots too. I can present you specific lyrics later on. There are also some dedications, stories, experiences, that is, things and events that I went through. These are the topics that are in the book.
Question: Your involvement with politics is also well known. Do you think there is a relationship between art and politics? What kind of a relationship does it has to be, in your opinion?
Efraim: It is directly connected I can say. Because, as Lorca said “a poet cannot but be a revolutionary”, a true poet is a revolutionary. And that is why it is directly related to politics, because a poet is the one who will express the people, especially we who want to be called “folk poets”, we are the poets of the people. That is, where we bring out the feeling of the people in the written text or in recitation, etc. And many times, a poem can express something much better than a written text, which someone may not read. This relationship exists in general with culture and art. It’s a way to protest many times about negative situations, you can satirize them, scold them and you can often express what you feel. In addition to politics, you can also express things that have nothing to do with politics. But if you want to create something meaningful, that has an impact and influence, it must be related to politics. For example, the Cyprus issue. The Cypriot tradition is what brings Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots together. With short research that I have done, I found out that tsiattista exist in both communities, they also exist in Turkish in the Cypriot dialect, as well as in the Cypriot dialect in Greek. In fact, in the past we used to see Turkish Cypriots coming to Greek Cypriot weddings, singing and having fun and the opposite of Greek Cypriots going to Turkish Cypriot weddings. So these are the common points. The art that unites the world is related to politics, because apart from the fact that art speaks and gives messages, its mere existence has a meaning. That “I bring people together, now it’s your turn to do so”.
Question: Do you think that the promotion of the Cypriot tradition can pave the way for peace in Cyprus?
Efraim: Of course, because the most important thing, in order to combat various social phenomena, and racism and nationalism-chauvinism and so on, is to know the unknown. As you learn about the tradition, you will start thinking that “hey, we’re kind of alike, after all!”, “we thought we were so different, but we are alike!”. There are also the common elements of our culture. So, culture certainly unites!
Question: You mentioned about poems addressed to the Turkish Cypriots, if we can hear it!
Efraim: We have a poem called “To share the soil and the bread” and it goes like this:
“Let us share the soil and the bread, not to let the soil and the bread to divide us,
everything starts with love for structure, and that’s how the lives must be measured…”.
THE PRESENTATION OF THE “ROOT , MY HEART”
The presentation of the poetry collection entitled “Root, my heart” will take place on Wednesday, January 24th, at 7:00 p.m., in the Ceremony Hall, at the University of Cyprus, on Kallipoleos Street.
Greetings:
– Menelaos Menelaou, Head of Student Affairs at the University of Cyprus
– Antonis Katsantonis, President of the Cyprus Folk Poets Association
– Elias Epifaniou, Publisher
Book presentation:
Petros Papapolyviou, Associate Professor of the Department of History and Archeology of the University of Cyprus
Speeches:
– Angelos Sophokleous, Ph.D-Researcher in Philosophy
– Efraim Christou, Author of the book
Moderators:
Stelios Filippou and Adriana Panteli, Journalists
There will be poetry readings, video screenings and musical accompaniment.
Kallis Antounas-Voice International 2024
