“Columba-Hypatia: Astronomy for Peace” is a joint astronomy outreach project by GalileoMobile and the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR) which takes place on the island of Cyprus. The project aims to inspire young people, through astronomy, to be curious about science and the cosmos, while also using astronomy as a tool for promoting meaningful communication and a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence. We conduct educational astronomy activities and explore the cosmos with children and the public, bringing together individuals from the various communities of Cyprus ‘under the same sky’ to look beyond borders and inspire a sense of global citizenship.
The two main communities of the island of Cyprus, the Greek-Cypriots (GC) and Turkish-Cypriots (TC) have been living separated from one another for over 50 years in a post-conflict environment, with TC in the north of the island and GC in the south. Between the two communities, a line known as the “Green Line” or “Buffer zone” is controlled by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. While checkpoints were opened in 2003 — which allowed access to GC and TC to both sides of the island after years of separation — interaction and cooperation between the two communities is still rare, while the political situation is at a stalemate.
Through this grass-roots initiative, the aim of the project is to inspire children and the general public to be more curious about science and the Universe, while also bringing together children and adults from the two communities to break down prejudices and mis-conceptions, thus promoting meaningful communication and a culture of Peace and Non-Violence.
Columba Hypatia activities (Greek)
Columba Hypatia activities (Turkish)
Thanks to the translation teams:
Greek Translation: Coordinator- Eva Ntormousi, Translators- Eva Ntormousi, Andreas Gregoriou
Turkish Translation: Coordinator- Patrícia Figueiró Spinelli, Translators- Berk Calli, Ozlem Unver, Yenal Ogmen, Ahmet Talat Saygac, Zeynep Karul