New online platform ‘penna!’ spreads thoughts & ideas across the island

penna! is a new online portal that aims to enhance knowledge and understanding between the two communities by reflecting the thoughts and concerns of key opinion writers across the island in three languages (English, Turkish, Greek). 

The new service, developed by the Secretariat of the Cyprus Dialogue Forum (CDF), brings together columnists from leading media outlets in each community. Every week, four published opinion pieces are selected for verbatim translation into two other languages. By Friday – everyone’s favourite day – the selected articles from across the island are publicly available at penna.cydialogue.org in Greek, Turkish and English.

The aim is for the translated articles to provide insight into the ‘other’ community, conveying the prevailing moods within a cross-section of society, behind-the-scenes knowledge on key developments, as well as comments, observations, critiques, and analysis. 

By providing direct unfiltered access to respected commentators – the ‘penholders’ – living in each community, readers are given the chance to develop layers of understanding about the ‘other’ community, moving away from one-dimensional narratives and binary perspectives. At the same time, penna! introduces an array of voices to the ‘other’ community, reflecting the multitude of opinions that exist, going beyond official views and positions that tend to dominate. 

We invite you to join us on this journey of discovery as penna! adds new opinion pieces each week, from the writer’s native tongue to yours, while opening a small window to what we think we already know. Let’s find out if we do. So, penna! will keep an eye on those holding the pen (or keyboard), while you enjoy the written word from across the island in your language of choice. 

Background & Contact 

penna! is a non-commercial and non-profit service and forms part of the overall work of the Cyprus Dialogue Forum (CDF) which is supported through the financial assistance of the European Union. For more information on the CDF, visit cydialogue.org or email info@cydialogue.org.