Buffer Fringe Festival (BFF) 2020: An Artist-Based Conflict Transformation Festival on the Fringes
The Buffer Fringe Festival takes place in the UN controlled Buffer Zone of Nicosia, Cyprus, serving as the festival's main open-air venue, with the exception of BFF 2020 when measures to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, affected the festival's program.
By Lee Perlman and Meropi Moiseos
Although on the fringes of Cyprus' political and arts scenes, the Buffer Fringe Performing Arts Festival attempts to culturally dismantle the walls and barriers between the island's north and south. This study examines how the 2020 festival provided artists and live and online (global) audiences a platform to question sensitive historical grievances during the challenging first year of the global pandemic. The study questions how contentious the festival might or could be in its quest to transform the Cyprus conflict.