Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this fifteenth and final episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak hosts Victoria Harwood Butler-Sloss. Victoria is an actress, voice over artist, filmmaker and writer. Above all, she is a storyteller. Throughout the podcast, Victoria elaborates on the instrinsic relationship between love and grief, and how this relationship has been inspiring her work such […]

The post Sesta – Episode 15 (final): On Love and Grief with Victoria Harwood Butler-Sloss (10/4/2025) first appeared on Island Talks.

Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this fourteenth episode of Sesta, Sesta Europe Special Series, Meltem Burak hosts David Tröscher. David is the percussionist of Superfro, a German Jazz band. Meltem watched Superfro live in February 2022 at Jazz-Schmiede Düsseldorf where she met David and other members of the band. Throughout the podcast, David elaborates on the […]

The post Sesta – Episode 14: On Music with Superfro (25/12/2023) first appeared on Island Talks.

Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this thirteenth episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak hosts Dr. Nicolas Kyriakides, a lawyer, academic and lobbyist from Cyprus, who received the EU Citizen’s Prize in 2022. He is the founder of Oxygono and its projects Cyprus Forum and Nomoplatform. Throughout the podcast, Nicolas elaborates on his TEDx Limassol talk on […]

The post Sesta – Episode 13: On Democracy with Nicolas Kyriakides (26/02/2023) first appeared on Island Talks.

WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT! Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this twelfth episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak hosts actor, performer and drama facilitator Nayia T. Karacosta. Throughout the podcast, Nayia elaborates on her plays Under/Pants, Hymen and Τι θωρείς. She explains the relationship between Documentary Theatre and female self-disposition, female bodies and female pleasure.  […]

The post Sesta – Episode 12: On Female Self-Disposition and Documentary Theatre with Nayia T. Karacosta (20/12/2022) first appeared on Island Talks.

Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this eleventh episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak hosts Raffi Feghali and Derya Ulubatlı who are the first and third day curators of the Buffer Fringe Performing Arts Festival 2022. Throughout the podcast, both artists explain how they got involved with the Festival, the curatorial concepts of the first and third day of the Festival, and the impact which they aim to engender through their contribution to the Festival. For the first time this year, Island Talks and Buffer Fringe are joining forces to contribute to the establishment of a culture of peace in Cyprus ahead of the Festival which will take place from 7 October to 9 October.

The post Sesta – Episode 11: Sesta Buffer Fringe Special with Raffi Feghali and Derya Ulubatlı (6/10/2022) first appeared on Island Talks.

Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this tenth episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak hosts Bryce Ives, Kat Kats and Maria Varnakkidou who are the second day curators of the Buffer Fringe Performing Arts Festival 2022. Throughout the podcast, Bryce, Kat and Maria elaborate on the idea of curatorship; what the second day of the Festival entails and […]

The post Sesta – Episode 10: Sesta Buffer Fringe Special with Bryce Ives, Kat Kats and Maria Varnakkidou (6/10/2022) first appeared on Island Talks.

Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this ninth episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak talks to Nihal Soğancı from the creative/organising team of Buffer Fringe Performing Arts Festival 2022, and Amy Gowen from International Community Arts Festival (ICAF) which is the international thinking partner of Buffer Fringe 2022. Throughout the podcast, Nihal and Amy elaborate on […]

The post Sesta – Episode 9: Sesta Buffer Fringe Special with Nihal Soğancı and Amy Gowen (31/8/2022) first appeared on Island Talks.

Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this eighth episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak hosts Fezile Osum, an award-winning human rights lawyer. Throughout the podcast, Fezile elaborates on abortion as a legal concept and sheds a light on the latest socio-political developments around the world. She explains what abortion is; how abortion is intertwined with women`s rights and L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ rights; the abortion laws in Cyprus; and what the global bans and restrictions of abortion mean for the development of human rights in Cyprus.

The post Sesta – Episode 8: On abortion with Fezile Osum (1/8/2022) first appeared on Island Talks.

Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this seventh episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak hosts author Alexis Hercules. Throughout the podcast, Alexis elaborates on his short story Walk which was published in March 2022 by Arts Against Extremism, a new literary journal dedicated to investigating, understanding and countering extremism. Walk is a sensual short story situated at the heart of nature and war in 1974 Cyprus. Alexis talks about the relationship between Walk`s genesis and his life experiences; his writing style; the idea of 1974 in contemporary Cypriot literature; and his upcoming debut novel Patéras. Alexis shares a small section from Patéras whichwill be published in autumn 2022. The novel is about the social perception of women, patriarchy and domestic violence. This seventh episode is the continuation of Sesta Pride Special series celebrating June, the International Pride Month.

The post Sesta – Episode 7: Sesta Pride Special with Alexis Hercules (30/6/2022) first appeared on Island Talks.

Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this sixth episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak talks to Erman Dolmacı (they/them/theirs) and Diego Aparicio (he/him/his). Erman is a PhD candidate on Gender Studies, and a project coordinator at the Human Rights Platform. Diego is the founder and artistic director of the Queer Wave Film Festival. Throughout the podcast, Erman elaborates on the importance of intersectionality. Erman underpins the significance of hearing the margins and constructing peace with a rights based approach in Cyprus. Diego explains the role of Queer Wave in bridging the gap between north and south while encouraging community engagement. The sixth episode of Sesta is a Pride Special episode celebrating the Pride Month ahead of the first Intercommunal Pride in Cyprus. The first Intercommunal Pride will take place on 18 June at 18.00. The march will begin at Kuğulu Park in north Nicosia and at Eleftheria Square in south Nicosia and the two groups will eventually meet at Ledra Palace. The Intercommunal Pride is organised by Queer Collective CY and Queer Cyprus Association, and co-hosted by LGBT-PILIPINAS, LGBT Africa and LGBTQIA+ & Allies Students Club of University of Cyprus.

The post Sesta – Episode 6: Sesta Pride Special with Erman Dolmacı and Diego Aparicio (16/6/2022) first appeared on Island Talks.