Cultural event on traditional Cypriot poetry held in Nicosia

On June 26, 2026, the Old Town Hall of Nicosia hosted a cultural event titled 'Poetic Disputes: Tsiattista in Cyprus and the Mediterranean.' The event was organized by the Press and Information Office (PIO) and the European Commission's Directorate-General for Translation (DGT). The gathering focused on the Mediterranean tradition of improvisational poetry known as 'tsiattista.' Mary Panousi, a representative of the DGT, opened the event and highlighted the role of these oral traditions in modern culture. The program followed an earlier presentation in Brussels this May, which featured the PIO documentary 'Echoes of Cyprus.' Attendees explored how oral traditions and dialects act as vessels for collective memory. The event emphasized connections between Cypriot tsiattista and similar poetic forms across the Mediterranean. The goal was to demonstrate that these traditions remain active, living practices rather than static museum pieces.