Embracing the colours of culture! Sesta is a culture podcast produced and presented by Meltem Burak, a Düsseldorf-based content creator and critic of Cypriot origin. Meltem reviews artistic productions from Cyprus, and hosts intellectuals who contribute to the establishment of a culture of peace in the island. Sometimes, the podcast also welcomes artists and intellectuals from continental Europe. Sesta is overall a platform where the transformative power of arts and culture in peacebuilding is discussed with an open and bottom-up approach.
Sesta – Episode 15 (final): On Love and Grief with Victoria Harwood Butler-Sloss (10/4/2025)
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.
25 Dec 2023
Sesta – Episode 14: On Music with Superfro (25/12/2023)
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.
26 Feb 2023
Sesta – Episode 13: On Democracy with Nicolas Kyriakides (26/02/2023)
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.
20 Dec 2022
Sesta – Episode 12: On Female Self-Disposition and Documentary Theatre with Nayia T. Karacosta (20/12/2022)
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.
6 Oct 2022
Sesta – Episode 11: Sesta Buffer Fringe Special with Raffi Feghali and Derya Ulubatlı (6/10/2022)
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.
6 Oct 2022
Sesta – Episode 10: Sesta Buffer Fringe Special with Bryce Ives, Kat Kats and Maria Varnakkidou (6/10/2022)
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.
31 Aug 2022
Sesta – Episode 9: Sesta Buffer Fringe Special with Nihal Soğancı and Amy Gowen (31/8/2022)
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.
1 Aug 2022
Sesta – Episode 8: On abortion with Fezile Osum (1/8/2022)
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.
29 Jun 2022
Sesta – Episode 7: Sesta Pride Special with Alexis Hercules (30/6/2022)
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.
17 Jun 2022
Sesta – Episode 6: Sesta Pride Special with Erman Dolmacı and Diego Aparicio (16/6/2022)
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.
24 May 2022
Sesta – Episode 5: On The Crescent Moon Fox with Metin Murat (24/5/2022)
Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this fifth episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak talks to Dr Metin Murat who is the author of the recently published novel The Crescent Moon Fox. Throughout the podcast, Metin elaborates on his compassionate, heart-breaking, brutal and humorous debut novel which is a gesture towards peace, and towards the Turkish-speaking community of […]
The post Sesta – Episode 5: On The Crescent Moon Fox with Metin Murat (24/5/2022) first appeared on Island Talks.
8 Apr 2022
Sesta – Episode 4: Constructing a culture of peace with Buffer Fringe: An interview with Ellada Evangelou (8/4/2022)
Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this fourth episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak talks to Dr Ellada Evangelou who is the Executive and Artistic Director of the Buffer Fringe Performing Arts Festival since 2019. Throughout the podcast, Ellada elaborates on the relationship between arts, culture and conflict transformation, and the role of Buffer Fringe in multifaceted peacebuilding. She explains how Buffer Fringe helps communities co-create and re-imagine the future in an inclusive way against the dominant, exclusionist, nationalist and patriarchal narratives in Cyprus. Buffer Fringe is currently looking for Cyprus-based or internationally based Cypriot artists to join the Festival which will run from 7 October to 9 October. If you have any creative ideas, you can apply to the Festival until 24 April from the link. More about the Buffer Fringe Performing Arts Festival on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BufferFringe/ – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bufferfringe/
The post Sesta – Episode 4: Constructing a culture of peace with Buffer Fringe: An interview with Ellada Evangelou (8/4/2022) (https://islandtalks.fm/podcast/sesta-episode-4-constructing-a-culture-of-peace-with-buffer-fringe-an-interview-with-ellada-evangelou-8-4-2022/) first appeared on Island Talks (https://islandtalks.fm).
5 Mar 2022
Sesta – Episode 3: On the universality of poetry with Nafia Akdeniz (5/3/2022)
Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this third episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak talks to the ethnographer and poet Dr Nafia Akdeniz. Nafia is currently working as a senior instructor at Eastern Mediterranean University, as a post-doctoral researcher with Professor Rebecca Bryant who is based in Utrecht University, and she is working on her poetry collection Yarım […]
The post Sesta – Episode 3: On the universality of poetry with Nafia Akdeniz (5/3/2022) (https://islandtalks.fm/podcast/sesta-episode-3-on-the-universality-of-poetry-with-nafia-akdeniz-5-3-2022/) first appeared on Island Talks (https://islandtalks.fm).
6 Feb 2022
Sesta – Episode 2: Review of Andreas Karayan’s Dark Tales (6/2/2022)
Sesta-embracing the colours of culture! In this second episode of Sesta podcast, Meltem Burak reviews Andreas Karayan`s award-winning book Dark Tales. Andreas Karayan is an author, artist and critique from Nicosia. Dark Tales is the second book of Karayan`s literary autobiographical pentalogy in English. Dark Tales is a bildungsroman elaborating on the harmonised artistic and sexual self-realisations of the author. It was translated to English in 2014 by Irene Noel-Baker, and won the National Prize for Literature in the same year. Dark Tales was published by Armida Publications which is a Nicosia-based publication house specialising in Eastern Mediterranean literature.
The post Sesta – Episode 2: Review of Andreas Karayan’s Dark Tales (6/2/2022) (https://islandtalks.fm/podcast/sesta-episode-2-review-of-andreas-karayans-dark-tales-6-2-2022/) first appeared on Island Talks (https://islandtalks.fm).
9 Jan 2022
Sesta – Episode 1: On the Meanings of Saint Nicholas Cathedral/Lala Mustafa Paşa Cami (9/1/2022)
In this first episode of Sesta, Meltem Burak talks about Saint Nicholas Cathedral/Lala Mustafa Paşa Cami which is one of the most important cultural heritage sites in Famagusta and Cyprus. She explains the architectural and political meanings of the building, and its historical significance. Also, she elaborates on the contemporary meaning of the centuries old gothic mosque for present-day Cyprus, from a personal standpoint, as a person from Famagusta.
The post Sesta – Episode 1: On the Meanings of Saint Nicholas Cathedral/Lala Mustafa Paşa Cami (9/1/2022) (https://islandtalks.fm/podcast/sesta-episode-1-on-the-meanings-of-saint-nicholas-cathedral-lala-mustafa-pasa-cami-9-1-2022/) first appeared on Island Talks (https://islandtalks.fm).
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