A Celebration of Stories, Songs and Memory
On Wednesday, 30 April 2025, a packed house gathered at Discovery Hall, University of Nicosia, for the official launch of The Living Chiofta, a new book by academic, writer, singer, and radio DJ Mike Hajimichael, aka Haji Mike.
Blurring the lines between storytelling and songcraft, The Living Chiofta – Some Stories That Come Out of Songs is a vibrant and deeply personal collection that reflects a lifetime of artistic exploration. For over forty years, Haji Mike has been telling stories through music, blending poetry, politics, performance and place into his unique creative voice. This new book draws on that legacy with warmth, humour, and cultural insight.
The book comprises thirty chapters, each linked to a different song—some famous, others obscure, and several written by the author himself. Each chapter explores the memory, moment or meaning behind the track, presented in Mike’s signature eclectic style. It opens with “Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile)” by the late Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, and concludes with “Wise Men”, a freshly penned track by Mike reflecting on the contradictions of modern power and wisdom.
Along the way, the reader encounters surprising sonic gems like “Waikiki Welcome” by The Waikikis and “Tzatziki” by the late Teddy Kakanda Harrison of Kenya—highlighting music’s everyday charm and global reach. In The Living Chiofta, even something as simple as a Greek food staple becomes a metaphor for how essential music is to life itself.
The launch event featured a series of powerful and heartfelt speeches. Professor Klimis Mastoridis, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, opened the evening, followed by insights from Professor Nicos Trimikliniotis, radio legend Robert Camassa, and Adonis Michael, a University of Nicosia alumnus and founder of Honest Content CY. The evening concluded with live readings and performances by the author himself, including the live debut of “Wise Men” and “Eucalyptus Tree-Menikos”, a tribute to Savvas Menikos.
🎥 Watch highlights from the launch event here:
📖 The Living Chiofta is available now:
The Living Chiofta is more than a book—it’s a cultural mixtape, a memoir in rhythm, and a tribute to the songs that shape who we are. Whether you’re a music lover, storyteller, or simply curious about the links between melody and memory, this book invites you to listen deeply.
#TheLivingChiofta #HajiMike #MikeHajimichael #BookLaunch #DubPoetry #SpokenWord #CyprusCulture #SongsAndStories #UniversityOfNicosia #OrganicArtist #CypriotDiaspora #StorytellingThroughMusic,
Download full details on the book launch here
For more details about on the book check Amazon
The Chiofta is also on Facebook
You can hear all the original podcasts episodes below.
The Chiofta a Podcast about songs
1 Come Up And See Me (Make Me Smile)
2 The Chiofta 2 Back In The USSR
The Chiofta 3 Mother India
The Chiofta 4 London’s Burning
The Chiofta 5 Waikiki Welcome
The Chiofta 6 Father & Son
The Chiofta 7 Mind Blowing Decisions
The Chiofta 8 A Poem for Jose Compos Torres
The Chiofta 9 Ghetto Of The City
The Chiofta 10 African Children Parts 1 & 2
The Chiofta 11 Koinonia
The Chiofta 12 I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango)
The Chiofta 13 Let’s Get It On
The Chiofta 14 To Klaman Tou Voskou
The Chiofta 15 Stay
The Chiofta 16 London Town
The Chiofta 17 Eucalyptus Tree
The Chiofta 18 Golden Brown
The Chiofta 19 Stavroulla
The Chiofta 20 Vrakaman
The Chiofta 21 Samba Pa Ti
The Chiofta 22 Joy & Pain
The Chiofta 23 Tzatziki
The Chiofta 24 Zorba The Greek
The Chiofta 25 50 years
The Chiofta 26 Hoffman Presser
The Chiofta 27 Buffalo Soldier
The Chiofta 28 Jimmy’s Blues
The Chiofta 29 Jikkos
The Chiofta 30 Wise Men