Peace poetry competition launched

A POETRY competition has been launched to promote peace between the two sides of Cyprus.

German artist Rose Marie Gnaush, who first organised an event in Cyprus under her “Elephants for Peace” banner over a decade ago, has given entrants until the end of the year to submit poems to her.

TRNC-based artist Heidi Trautmann, who is helping to promote the competition, said that Ms Gnaush presented her Elephants for Peace project in Cyprus for the first time in 2008. She said that Ms Gnaush chose the symbol of an elephant for peace because it is a “peace loving and community conscious animal” that would make a “more effective and visual impression” than the “symbol of the white dove carrying an olive branch”.

A year later there were elephants “as art objects lining up across the Lokmacı crossing” point “demanding peace”, and accompanied by local children and the then mayors of both sides of the capital, Cemal Metin Bulutoğluları and Eleni Mavrou.

“Since then, Elephants for Peace has become a worldwide art movement,” Ms Trautmann said.

“It seems that Cyprus would urgently need another visit by the Peace Elephants to share their wisdom and advice with us.

“Now, Rose Marie Gnausch, the leader of the art movement, has initiated a poetry competition for children and adults to give Elephants for Peace some poetic thoughts, to create poems around the elephants and their wisdom to bring some inspiration to the humans. It is never too late to learn and turn the wheel around.”

Ms Trautmann said that the poems must be emailed to participate@elephantsforpeace.com by December 31, with the author’s name and address.

“They may be accompanied by drawings or calligraphy, but not necessarily,” she added. “An international jury will read the poems and the results by age groups will be published and prizes will be awarded.” For more information visit www.elephantsforpeace.com.