By Sevgul Uludag
Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot women are once again joining forces under the ongoing “Peace2Peace” program to create crochet flowers as a symbol of their shared desire for peace. Birgul Kilich Yildirim, the Turkish Cypriot coordinator of the program — known from the peace documentary “The Father of My Milk” — said, “Our language is crochet, and peace is our common dream.”
On Saturday, 17 January 2026, Turkish Cypriot participants met at the Hamur restaurant near Ledra Palace, joined by several Greek Cypriot women. Earlier, Greek Cypriot women had gathered in November in Paphos and in January in Limassol at the castle to start creating crochet flowers, which they would later display together with the Turkish Cypriot participants at Limassol Castle.
The Greek Cypriot coordinator, Elena Daniel, is an artist who began this initiative with her late friend Christiana Mouzouri. Together, they initiated a project where women from both communities craft crochet works to place in public spaces across Cyprus, expressing their hopes for peace and reconciliation.
Beginnings in 2016
The project was launched in 2016 by Christiana Mouzouri and Elena Daniel. Turkish Cypriot participation was later organized by Nilgun Akin. Women from both communities placed their crochet pieces in Paphos at Mouttalo, as well as at Buyuk Han in Nicosia, decorating railings and stairs. They also wrapped trees along Ledra Street in the Green Line, expressing the collective hope for peace and reconciliation.
Christiana Mouzouri had also placed crochet works in the abandoned village of Agios Sozomenos, highlighting destroyed homes and buildings. Participants created dreamcatchers for Ibrahim Han in Paphos, and after Christiana’s passing, they continued her legacy by making butterflies, pinwheels, and installing them together in Paphos. They also crafted crochet designs on large stones collected from the Paphos coastline.
Honouring Christiana’s legacy
Christiana Mouzouri, who passed away a few years ago, was a relative of missing persons — her grandfather had gone missing in 1974 from the Pentemili area of Kyrenia. Christiana helped gather information about her family’s past and worked with others to locate the burial sites of relatives.
Even after her death, Christiana’s spirit continued to inspire collaboration between the two communities. Elena Daniel, determined to continue their work, announced last year that Connective Threads / Peace2Peace had officially become a registered non-profit organization. This status allows the group to access grants, form strategic partnerships, ensure transparency, and expand their impact sustainably.
A new step forward
Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot women are preparing new crochet flowers to be displayed in April around Limassol Castle. Birgul Kilich Yildirim emphasized:
“Crochet is our language, and peace is our common dream. Our greatest strength is that we are women. Sometimes the future of an island begins with women from both communities sitting together, holding the same thread. Even if our crochet hooks, colors, and stories differ, our hearts beat with the same hope: reunification, peace, and friendship.
Peace is sometimes woven with small stitches instead of grand speeches. By working together, we teach patience, share our colors, and let our laughter unite our voices. The peace we craft here can ripple through the island — one stitch, one flower at a time.”
Through Peace2Peace, women from both communities continue to create, inspire, and plant seeds of hope — literally and metaphorically — across Cyprus.
This article was originally published on the Greek-language Politis website.