New musical composition commemorating the labour of public health in Cyprus.
Burcu Karagoz - Artist - Music
Malaria is typically treated as a scientific issue, but through a musical composition and its performance, science was remembered as being a part of history, everyday lives and labour. On November 8th, 2025, at Shakespeare House in Cyprus, Burcu Karagöz led an extraordinary concert. For all the intellectual work that exists to explain malaria and mosquito-borne diseases, it is remarkably difficult to achieve what Burcu and her fellow musicians accomplished that afternoon.
A Performance That Transcended Science
Through their selection of songs and the way they performed them, something typically treated as a scientific issue was now also seen, felt, and appreciated as part of a deeper history. One shaped by solidarities, local and international politics, colonial entanglements, and countless personal and precious stories. All of these threads shaping the history of malaria cessation in Cyprus and beyond. It was an emotional, embodied, and even magical experience.
Moving Beyond Medical Understanding
As an audience, we were invited to move beyond a strictly medical understanding of malaria and encounter it as a complex social and emotional reality. The concert concluded with the world premiere of a new composition commemorating the history of malaria cessation in Cyprus titled Sinekci Aziz Efendi ve Arkadaşları composed and performed by Burcu Karagöz.
Musical Recording
Listen to the full performance recording:
