Potamia, Cyprus
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Potamia (Greek: Ποταμιά, Turkish: Potamya, Bodamya and Dereliköy) is a village in the north-east of government controlled Cyprus in the district of Nicosia, close to the Green Line separating it from the area under Turkish occupation. Together with Pyla and Rizokarpaso Potamia forms one of the few remaining ethnically mixed communities in Cyprus, made up of Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
[edit] History
Prior to the inter-communal conflict and the Turkish invasion of 1974 the village had a Turkish-Cypriot majority, however most Turkish Cypriots have subsequently emigrated to Northern Cyprus, and now the village is mostly inhabited by the remaining Greek-Cypriots. Nonetheless, the village has a history of co-existence between the two communities, and Greek and Turkish Cypriots still live side by side. Recently there has been some lobbying to convince Turkish Cypriots to return, and some have done so.
[edit] Culture
There is widespread bilinguality and cooperation between the two communities, and the village has both a Greek and a Turkish-Cypriot mayor who work together. In line with the bi-communal character of the village, it is the home of Radio Potamia, an FM radio station that broadcasts equally in Greek and Turkish. These broadcasts reach both northern and southern Cyprus, with the stated aim of promoting mutual understanding and respect between the communities.
