In an effort to highlight both Nicosia’s diversity and also tackle serious issues, Nicosia 2030 continues its Face Forward …into my home programme with an important series of events. Art exhibitions, seminars on integration and lectures on human trafficking are coming up.

The ‘Face Forward …into my home’ photography exhibition, hosted in the foyer of the Nicosia Municipal Theatre, has been extended until Friday, January 31. Presented by Nicosia 2030 in collaboration with the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens and supported by UNHCR in Cyprus, the exhibition is part of the Parallel Programme of the 5th International Nicosia Festival.

It features photographic portraits by Yiannis Kourtoglou alongside powerful stories of refugees and migrants who have been forced to flee their homelands and are rebuilding their lives in Cyprus. To further explore this area, Nicosia 2030 organises more events this January.

The seminar ‘On Empowerment and Integration: Your Journey, Your Strength’ on Thursday, January 23 will host Irene Che, Specialist Consultant and Project Manager at non-profit organiation SYNTHESIS Centre for Research and Education. The seminar aims to help participants discover their inner strength, build meaningful relationships, and achieve their goals in a supportive environment. Drawing on her personal journey as a migrant and her extensive experience, Irene will share practical advice and tools for integration, confidence-building, and self-care.

The foyer of the Theatre will play host, from 5pm to 7pm, welcoming adults for this free session. The seminar will be conducted in English, with interpretation available in Somali and French.

Then, on Thursday, January 30 Dr Nasia Hadjigeorgiou, Associate Professor of Transitional Justice and Human Rights, UCLan Cyprus will present the lecture ‘Human Trafficking in Cyprus: The crime, the victims, and the perpetrators’.

Held again in the Theatre’s foyer at 6pm, the lecture will delve into the matter of human trafficking, a crime prevalent across the globe. In Cyprus, the issue is exacerbated by the unresolved Cyprus problem. Dr Hadjigeorgiou will outline the forms of human trafficking present on the island, as well as its victims, and perpetrators. She will also share data revealing that trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation is widespread in both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.

Finally, with the aim of including all members of society, even the young ones, workshops for primary school students are being organised. The workshops help children understand and learn about current migration issues through personal stories and experiences of migrants. They also promote acceptance and inclusion of individuals who were forced to leave their homelands and are striving to rebuild their lives in Cyprus.

Face Forward …into my home

Photography exhibition. Until January 31. On Empowerment and Integration: Your Journey, Your Strength lecture with Irene Che. January 23. 5pm-7pm. In English with interpretation available in Somali and French. Human Trafficking in Cyprus: The crime, the victims, and the perpetrators lecture with Dr Nasia Hadjigeorgiou. January 30. 6pm. Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. Free. Tel: 22-797979