(24 May 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kormakitis, Cyprus – 23 April 2025
1. Wide of people sitting around table in coffee house reminiscing about how Sanna, the Cypriot Maronite Arabic language, evolved
2. Ilias Arapi, 78, speaking about the language
3. Ioannis Panias, 79, in foreground, and Antonis P. Skoullos, 64, talking about how things used to be in Kormakitis and how many children used to be taught Sanna in village schools
4. Old soccer team banners emblazoned with Lebanese cedar, indicating the origins of the Cypriot Maronite community
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nicosia, Cyprus – 9 May 2025
5. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Antonis P. Skoullos, 64, Maronite community spokesman:
"This language, because it was neither written nor taught in schools, saw a decline in speakers. Today, the speakers of this language – now known as Sanna – number around 900, with an average age of about 60. However, significant efforts are currently underway to revive this language, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the University of Cyprus, and with substantial support from the European Union."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nicosia, Cyprus – 28 April 2025
6. Sanna alphabet on classroom wall
7. Teacher Ilias Zonias by whiteboard in classroom where Sanna is taught to young children
8. Close of textbook reading "Sanna" on cover
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kormakitis, Cyprus – 23 April 2025
9. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Ilias Zonias, Sanna teacher:
"This language is only spoken in Kormakitis. It was an oral language, which was passed on through the centuries from generation to generation orally. That’s its distinguishing feature. Its roots are in Aramaic. Upon arriving in Cyprus, as you well know, with all the different conquerors of Cyprus, other words were embedded in the language. But the authenticity of this language was maintained because Kormakitis was a closed society."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nicosia, Cyprus – 28 April 2025
10. Wide of Zonias sitting in classroom
11. Zonias reading aloud from textbook
12. Zonias flipping through textbook
13. Various of alphabet seen in book
14. Close of story in Sanna and its Greek translation below
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kormakitis, Cyprus – 23 April 2025
15. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Ilias Zonias, Sanna teacher:
"Today, we have an alphabet. We have proceeded with the publication of some books and this effort continues by the research team, so that various books can be published in order to preserve and teach this language."
16. Sign outside Kormakitis village welcoming visitors
17. Wide of car passing sign
18. Various of village
19. Close of St. George Catholic Church with the Turkish Cypriot and the Turkish flags waving in foreground
20. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Yiannakis Moussas, Maronite community representative in the Cypriot legislature:
"With our school in Nicosia, St. Maronas, and with the summer camps that take place each year, as well as different programmes that we have initiated, a sufficiently good number of children have begun to speak this language which children never essentially had any contact with for decades. So we’re on the right path. A lot more effort is required. This effort to keep our language is a struggle, but we’ll fight the battle."
21. Village square with decorations for Catholic Easter celebrations
22. Close of crucifix hanging on church wall
23. Wide of faithful during celebratory Mass for the feast day of St. George
24. Close of priest
25. Faithful singing during service
26. Close of woman singing
27. Close of lit candles
28. Procession exiting church
29. Faithful carrying icon
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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