A visual journey of our trip to Nicosia for the ABR Festival
We were in the early days of the too-hot-for-Atlantic-folks eastern Mediterranean Summer, when two of our team members, Miguel and Antonio, travelled to Nicosia for the 2025 edition of the bi-annual ABR Fest, FKA the Afrobanana Festival.
The motif for such a steamy endeavour? Our participation in TY-CO, an initiative that focuses on the ABR Festival's audience and community, featuring activities and events happening year-round in Cyprus and beyond, including in Porto and Lisbon.
TY-CO is a space where art, community, and sustainability collide. The fantastic team organising the festival is expanding the pulse beyond its summer days, serving as a year-round creative engine that drives audience engagement, transnational collaborations, and radical community-building — all with sustainability at its core.
The project channels the ABR festival's energy into an evolving network of plug-in events, initiatives, and ideas that ripple through communities across borders — giving back while pushing forward.
The Nicosia troubles are an overwhelming presence in the old town. Credits: Miguel Barbot
During our four days in Nicosia, we had the opportunity to understand the festival's vision, meet the local community, and personally meet the other project partners. We travelled to the other side of Europe to personally meet fellow Portuguese from Arroz Estúdios! The other partners of the project are the leader and festival organiser, Alternative Brains Rule, a partner in our project CommunityCloth, and Loonatiks Design Crew, from Athens, which is also a partner in our EU project TransparencyChain.
A. Brass Rave Unit B. Partying hard in the Nicosia Theatre C. Amazing visuals everywhere. D. António and Miguel. E. Miguel (Barbot Bernardo), Anna (ABR), Cátia and Steven (Arroz) F. Cátia feeling brave in the Nicosia heat.
Credits: ABR Fest
The festival activities were scheduled for the evenings and nights, so we had plenty of time to do the tourist things. In a city without a metro and not feeling like trying to understand the local public transit system, we walked. A lot. We strolled through the two Nicosias, South and North, learning and understanding the fascinating but complicated history of the island. Antonio's Classic Studies degree proved helpful in this matter!
A. We bumped into the fantastic Moufflon Bookshop, stocking used and new books in English and Greek. Miguel bought a revised edition of A Clockwork Orange, which “ultraviolence” is questionable under a 2020’s gaze, but still an amazing book and an edition with excellent design and printing. He also got the 2025 Booker shortlisted "Small Boat” from the French philosopher Vincent Delecroix. This is a punch-in-our-collective-conscience book about migration and dehumanization and we don’t understand how It was somehow competing for the same prize with the hyped and overrated “Perfection”. The bookseller was particularly fond of this little book and was really happy when we bought it. António got a few monographs in greek. He’s a professional musician with a classic studies degree, who also happens to be a polyglot and a wonderful craftsman. A good company indeed.
B. The Moufflon Bookshop is located in an alley exactly on the border between the Greek and Turkish sides of town.
Credits: Miguel Barbot
A. Music fans: almost 40 degrees every time, everywhere. B. A Spritz to cool down and a well deserved treat after hours walking with no shade. C. Nicosia’s food scene is absolutely amazing! D. Great fun with our new friends from Arroz..
Credits: Miguel Barbot
During this trip, António, a Saber Fazer alumnus and a skilled craftsman, lent a hand to Eleni, a CommunityCloth educator organising project activities happening in the festival (natural dyeing and wool).
Above: Eleni and António spreading the natural fibres gospel.
Middle: Graphic inspo everywhere.
Below: Sound and Vision (during Zelzeleh’s gig); BCUC; More music fans in the Old Town.
Credits: Miguel Barbot
About TY-CO
TY-CO is an EU Project Funded under the Creative Europe Programme CREA-CULT-2024-COOP-1. The project is a transcultural collaboration between ABR-Alternative Brains Rule (CY), Barbot Bernardo (PT), Arroz Estudios (PT), Loonatiks Design Crew (GR).
Our commitment is to remain endlessly open-minded — to new audiences and new voices so that together we can come up with new ways of thriving in a challenged cultural landscape.
Audience Engagement, Year-Round
Through intimate pop-ups, partner country activations, and interactive storytelling, we build ongoing conversations — not just crowds. It's a living narrative that leads to the festival and beyond.
Creative Expression—Plug-in Projects
We reimagine what a festival community looks like. Through research-driven collaborations with local and global initiatives, we expand the AfroBanana ethos into new formats, places, and publics.
Networking & Policy-Shifting
TY-CO connects a global web of like-minded festivals, collectives, and creators, creating fertile ground for collective resilience and culture-driven policy change.
