Cyprus Week- Sunday 26 July

Alex Christofi is an author and publisher. Currently Publishing Director at Transworld Publishers, his journalistic writing has been published in the Guardian, New Humanist, Prospect, New European and The London Magazine, and his books are published in thirteen languages. His first novel, Glass, won the Betty Trask Prize, and he has also been nominated for the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize, the London Hellenic Prize and the Anglo-Hellenic League’s Runciman Award. His most recent book, Cypria: A journey to the heart of the Mediterranean, was named one of Guardian's best idea books of the year.

Dr Georgios Nicolaou is a Greek Cypriot space plasma physicist based in the UK and a Lecturer at University College London’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory, where his research focuses on heliophysics, solar wind plasma and space instrumentation. Alongside his academic work, he is active as a musician and participates in selected cultural and performance projects in the UK and Cyprus. Together with Elena Hadjiafxendi, he co- created Space on Stage, an interdisciplinary collaboration exploring connections among music, performance, and scientific ways of understanding space, perception, and presence.

Giorgios Yerasimos has been entertaining the Greek community in England for many years. He is well known and has performed in many London venues and with many famous and not so famous artists. His rich melodic voice has allowed him to build a wide-ranging repertoire of popular songs performed by famous Greek artists such as Karras, Tersiz, Kazantzides, Voskoboulos, Mitropanos and many others. Singing is his greatest love and his talent, warm personality and love of people has made him a popular and loved artist. Giorgos is well known in the Cypriot community and has played with a variety of accompanying musicians and vocalists. His music career has spanned over many years and continues to do so. Giorgos has sung at many community and private events including christenings and weddings together with his band team mates known as Ta Bethia ‘Tis Aphrodites / Aphrodites Children

Drama from the University of Essex and a Level 3 qualification in Early Years Education. She works as a nursery practitioner in London and occasionally as a children’s party entertainer, combining her love of theatre with her passion for working with children. Fluent in Greek and English, with strong Portuguese skills, she has worked as a journalist and translator for the Cyprus Mail. Having interned for the bicommunal organisation Home for Cooperation, she believes in a united Cyprus. She has performed in naturalistic plays, dramas, comedies, Shakespeare productions, pantomimes and musicals. Most recently she’s appeared in Aphrodite’s Children in London, a trilingual play promoting peace in Cyprus written by Artun Gökşan and Vasilis Panayi.

Vasilis is a long-term radio presenter and broadcaster on London Greek Radio (lgr.co.uk) with a radio career spanning over twenty-five years. He is the presenter of Faces on HELLENIC TV. Cypriot born, Vasilis pursued Theatre Studies at the Birmingham School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. He also produce & directed his short film Love Above All. He is the art director of TAT – THE ACTORS THEATRE. His latest productions were the Greek plays ΦΩΝΑΖΕΙ Ο ΚΛΕΦΤΗΣ, Proxenia, Aphrodite’s wedding, & My Big Fat Greek Bed and Breakfast. He is the producer, director & writer of “My name is not Zorba, but I can dance. “ Vasilis was born in Sychari, a village in the state of Kyrinia in Cyprus, and from the age of 12 was involved in theatre productions. He studied at the Stanislavski Drama School with the great drama teacher Vlademeros Kafkarides and took part as a special talent in many performances and theatre productions like “Peace “by Aristophanes, “CAPITAN MICHALIS “by Kazantzakis, and many more. After the Turkish invasion in Cyprus, he came to London for Theatre Studies at the Birmingham School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. He took part in many TV productions such as Vote for Them, Soldier Soldier, Birds of a Feather, Boon, Sam’s Game with Davina McCall, and the TV productions Plane Spotting and Bubbles. He has been in the film Papadopoulos and Sons by Marcos Marcou. He also appeared in the short films Rifts directed by Vickie Psarias and Sleeping with the Fishes with Ewan McGregor. His voice has been heard in many TV and film productions. He has worked with George Evgeniou at Theatre Technis in various productions, especially in children’s plays. He has also produced and directed his own play Cyprus My Little Mother. Vasilis writes poetry, theatre plays, and short stories. He has been in Panos and Cascadia by Joe Barton Atkinson and Rob Jelley, playing the part of Benji in a six-part TV programme. He was in CHANNEL 4’s comedy show “STATH LETS FLATS” with JAMMIE DEMETRIOU.

Andros has been playing Bouzouki for many years bringing joy and pleasure to different audiences and cultures. Andros is well known in the Cypriot community and has played with a variety of accompanying musicians and vocalists. His music career has spanned over many years and continues to do so. Andros sings in Greek and has played at many community and private events including christenings and weddings with his band team mates known as Ta Bethia ‘Tis Aphrodites/Aphrodites Children

Elena Hadjiafxendi is a Greek Cypriot actress, singer and creator based in the UK. Her work is rooted in the cultural memory, literature and musical traditions of Cyprus and the wider Mediterranean, spanning music, theatre, film, television, poetry and live performance. Her practice explores the intersection of voice, text and storytelling, creating interdisciplinary work where presence and language converge. She has performed across the UK and Europe in theatre, concert and literary contexts, as well as in film and television. Elena is the founder of The Vintage Project and co-creator of Space on Stage, and the lead singer of Unicorn Frequency.

Makarios has been singing and playing guitar for many years bringing joy and pleasure to different audiences and cultures. Makarios is well known in the Cypriot community and has played with a variety of accompanying musicians and vocalists. His music career has spanned over many years and continues to do so. Makarios sings in Greek and English and has played at many community and private events including christenings and weddings with his band team mates known as Ta Bethia ‘Tis Aphrodites/ Aphrodites Children