The First Nicosia Alternative Book Festival will take place on 15 and 16 November (11:00–20:00) at the Yalla Collective Space & Cafe located on the Perikleous Street pedestrian walkway in the old town of Nicosia.
The festival is the outcome of a collaboration between collectives and individuals from the publishing sectors of Cyprus and Greece. This initiative was formed with the aim of creating a space for publications and events that often remain on the margins of mainstream festivals or bookstores.
At its core, the festival will focus on books, magazines, and zines, as well as presentations and discussions that encourage critical thought and dialogue. The organisers emphasise that the event will highlight works and ideas addressing social and political issues, particularly those challenging discrimination based on gender, race, or sexual orientation, and exploring the growing concerns around censorship practices in recent years.
Diverse cultural dialogue
The organisers note that they aim to foster a culture of respect, cooperation, and solidarity, while maintaining the festival’s independent and self-organised character, free from sponsorships and institutional affiliations.
Looking ahead, the collective hopes this first edition will act as a foundation for future events that welcome the languages and communities of the wider region, contributing to a more open and diverse cultural dialogue.
The festival programme will include open discussions such as: 70 years since the founding of EOKA:
Prompted by the publication of Andrekos Varnava’s book ‘Assassination in Colonial Cyprus in 1934
and the Origins of EOKA’, and Cypriot Greek: from the spoken to the written word; as well as
discussions on Censorship in Cyprus and Publications and politics.
Participants include: Affect Editions, Ajar, Fisherwomxn, IWW, Moufflon Bookshop, Faura Books,
OWK Press, Ideodromio Bookshop, Peridiavasi Bookshop, Ektos Grammis, Panoptikon, Cultural
Foundation 1948, Potlatch, Psifides.
Agenda
Saturday 15 November
16:00–18:00: Open Discussion
Title: 70 years since the founding of EOKA.
Prompted by the publication of Andrekos Varnava’s book, Assassination in Colonial Cyprus in 1934 and the Origins of EOKA; Organised by: Psifides
Publications.
An open discussion about EOKA, anti-communism, and nationalism as its structural characteristics,
as well as national liberation movements, and Cyprus and the world of the 1950s. Following a brief
presentation by Christos Mais, historian and member of Psifides, a discussion with the audience will
follow.
18:00–20:00: Event/Discussion
Title: Censorship in Cyprus Today
Organised by: Nicosia Alternative Book Festival
Censorship in Cyprus is nothing new. In Art, Science, and public discourse in general, the limits of the tolerable are defined where class, gender, race, or religion intersect to establish 'national
correctness'.
While this phenomenon is a product of Cyprus' heavy 20th-century legacy, the intensity and severity with which discipline was sought have fluctuated over time.
What is behind the regression we have experienced in recent years in Cyprus regarding freedom of expression? Is the intensification of policing a purely Cypriot phenomenon? Beyond the manifestations of attempted censorship, what do these efforts reveal about power relations and the stakes in the current conjuncture? What is the political economy of artistic and scientific production, and how does it relate to employment conditions in these sectors?
21:30–23:30: Punk Rock DJ Set
By: Anoita Agoria
Sunday 16 November
16:00–18:00: Open Discussion
Title: Cypriot Greek: From the Spoken to the Written Word
Organised by: Nicosia Alternative Book Festival
We speak, we write, we print, we read, therefore we exist? A discussion about Cypriot Greek and its
uses in the written word, featuring individuals who work—to a greater or lesser extent—on its
written representation.
18:00–20:00: Event/Discussion
Title: Publications & Politics
Organised by: Psifides Publications and Faura Books
What does it mean to publish (print) political books in the digital age? Two publishing ventures, from
Thessaloniki and Nicosia respectively, will present their initiatives, motivations, challenges, and
concerns, as well as the possibilities and dynamics currently developing in relation to the book as a
political tool. Representatives of the two ventures will speak, followed by a discussion with the
audience and other participating ventures.
Any publishing venture wishing to participate can send an email to: nabf2025@gmail.com
More information is available here.