Speech by the General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL A.Kyprianou at the presentation of the 32nd “Tefkros Anthias – Theodosis Pierides” Cultural Award

21st September 2020, “Pallas” Theatre, Nicosia

I welcome you all to the presentation of the “Tefkros Anthias – Theodosis Pierides” Cultural Award of the Central Committee of AKEL. This established custom for the 32nd consecutive year rewards artists and cultural creators for their overall contribution to Culture.

I especially welcome the people of the arts and letters who are with us here tonight and who honor us with their presence at this important event. We thank them because in the very difficult conditions caused by the global economic crisis and exacerbated by the Covid 19 pandemic, despite the meagre support provided by the State, the cultural artists of Cyprus continue to create works of unparalleled value and aesthetics.

We are particularly pleased because this year we will honor two outstanding creators of culture: The playwright Giorgos Neophytou and the choreographer Lambros Lambrou, who unfortunately passed away so prematurely just last month. Two creators of culture who honored Cyprus in the best way abroad and whose work is a point of reference. Two creators of culture who with their talent, dedication and love for Cyprus led the way in the Art of Theatre and Dance.

Giorgos Neophytou is a man of theatre in every sense of the word. A renowned author who honors Cyprus, with his writing and translation of plays. Giorgos assumed leading positions in important theatrical organizations. He served the art producing remarkable work and applying innovative ideas on the Cypriot drama scene. “Theatre needs a real language,” says Giorgos Neophytou. But how many people dare write the truth? How many people dare to challenge the narrative promoted by the ruling ideology? Giorgos Neophytou is one of those people who told the truth with courage, rare inspiration and unparalleled skill.

His subject matter is always bold, well-documented through continuous research and study, whether it concerns important historical moments of Cyprus or contemporary issues and developments. The reference point of the author’s work is the effects of the Cyprus tragedy on people’s lives. His heroes are often the very victims of this tragedy. Namely, those unjustly murdered, the missing persons, the refugees and their families. All those who saw their lives changed completely by the crimes committed and responsibilities of others. But there are also those who reconciled themselves to the absurdity of partition and the lack of communication.

Giorgos Neophytou, demanding justice to be delivered, the restoration of the memory of those who have been wronged, but also recording irrational behaviors, seeks to develop reflection and awaken the people’s consciousness, keeping alive the flame of the reunification of Cyprus and the peaceful coexistence of Greek Cypriots and Turks.

Lambros Lambrou, an inspired dancer, renowned choreographer and successful artistic director of important dance academies in Cyprus and abroad, has left an indelible mark on the Art of Dance.

He was selected to study in internationally renowned faculties abroad, took part as a soloist in dozens of performances and excelled as a choreographer collaborating with important dance organizations. His talent and multifaceted work was appreciated, as a result of which he received significant honorary international distinctions. Lambros Lambrou left a great career abroad, to come to Cyprus and fulfill his big dream: To contribute in every way possible to the development of dance in his particular homeland. He aimed to contribute towards the establishment and operation of a state advanced-level dance academy, so that small Cyprus could keep pace with the rest of the world. All the years he remained in Cyprus were devoted to dance. Under his guidance, important dancers and choreographers developed with significant distinctions in Cyprus and abroad. His passion and love for dance was a source of inspiration for young artists. We were shocked by the news of Lambros’ death, because he still had a lot to offer.

We consider this event as a good opportunity to refer to AKEL’s concerns and proposals for the new conditions created by the Covid 19 pandemic.

According to estimates made by the European Commission, those employed in the field of Culture, in the first months of the Covid 19 pandemic, lost 80% of their income. Given that the European Culture and Creation sector accounts for 4% of Europe’s gross domestic product (GDP) and over 7.4 million jobs across the 27 EU member states, one can easily assess the magnitude of the impact on the overall economic and social life of these states.

AKEL, from the very first moment of its foundation, understood the value of Culture in the construction of a country and its value as an indicator of society’s prosperity or decline.

Permit us to take this opportunity to reiterate our position on the persecution of the teacher-painter Georgios Gavriel. His persecution doesn’t concern any inappropriate behavior at school, nor any improper carrying out of his professional duties, but the work he makes in his spare time. We reiterate that any criticism, no matter how harsh, is perfectly legitimate. But persecution (of artists) is unthinkable. We call on the competent Minister to end the persecution immediately.

Our Party incorporates cultural activity as a key pillar of its policy, taking continuous initiatives to protect cultural heritage and promote cultural creation, to provide every possible support towards the work of artists- creators of culture.

Within this framework, we raised, both inside and outside Parliament, as well as in Cyprus and in Europe too, issues such as the following: the destruction of antiquities in the Municipality of Yeroskipou, the change in the character of the Hatzigeorgaki Kornesiou Manor Ethnological Museum, the freezing of the funds allocated for Culture (a fact that is inconsistent with both the current needs as well as with what is happening in other countries), the non-implementation of the legislation for the enrichment of public buildings under construction with works of art, the cancellation of the construction of the Cyprus Library, the scandalous sponsorship with millions of Euros for the production of foreign films in Cyprus of dubious quality and the downgrading of art classes in schools.

Regarding the current situation of cultural artists and workers, let me remind you of something I had proposed in this very hall in my speech during last year’s Awards Ceremony: “The decisive support towards cultural artists and of their very existence, taking into account unemployment, informal work, job insecurity and the absence of an adequate pension, are the biggest problems plaguing people in culture today.”

Unfortunately, developments like those that have taken place currently with the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic fully vindicated this position. We are facing before us the results of everything that hasn’t been done in the field of culture in recent years. All the big problems have come to the fore and highlighted, intensifying the feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. The austerity measures imposed on the pretext of the economic crisis have exacerbated these problems, with the result that very few artists have a stable and dignified income. The measures taken by the government to strengthen cultural activity were inadequate and did not in the slightest provide support to those employed in the field of Culture. It is worth stressing that whatever measures were eventually taken were the result of the struggles of our Party and of the organisations representing artists.

The government, which bears the main responsibility for the plight of those currently employed in the field of Culture, must act without delay. Any further delay will be catastrophic. It is easy to accurately estimate what kind of conditions we will have to face in the future and which will continue to cause problems in the organization of cultural events and consequently to the people of culture.

As AKEL, we had timely submitted proposals aiming at providing short-term and long-term support. Our Party’s positions/proposals were submitted in consultation with organisations and agencies of cultural artists, as a result of which we prepared a comprehensive package of proposals, which we subsequently put before the public and delivered to all the competent bodies.

We also proceeded to table relevant questions in the EU by our AKEL MEPs, but also for discussion of relevant issues in the Cypriot Parliament. Just recently, on 9th September, we submitted a proposal in the European Parliament to double the funding, compared to 2014-2020, for the funding of the “Creative Europe” program. We underlined, among other things, that “the proposals for the Budget of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) clearly do not meet the expectations of either the Cultural Sector or Parliament.”

Closing the chapter on the submission of AKEL’s positions, I shall briefly refer to the following proposals:

• Establishment of a sub-Ministry of Culture
• Substantial increase in expenditure on Culture
• Institutionalization safeguarding of the participation of Cultural bodies/organisations in decision-making processes
• Restoration of the honory benefit for cultural artists which was abolished by the current government in 2013
• Delivering of copyright and related rights of authors
• Scrutiny and effective measures for the implementation of the legislation regarding the enrichment of public buildings with works of art, at a rate of 1% of their construction cost
• Effective protection of antiquities from the penetration of powerful economic or other interests
• Further development of the Art of Dance, modern and traditional, supporting organized bodies and those involved in the promotion and development of the Art of Dance.
• The acceleration of the procedures for the construction of the New Archaeological Museum
• The construction of a modern Cypriot Library, support for writing activity and the promotion of the Cypriot book, but also the cultivation for the love of reading
• Substantive support towards and for bi-communal initiatives, the activity of all religious groups of Cyprus and immigrants
• The deepening of artistic Education

In closing, I would like to express once again my boundless appreciation for the extremely important work carried out by the cultural artists we are honoring this evening, Giorgos Neophytou and Lambros Lambrou, with the hope that those involved in cultural creation highlight it in its entirety, giving the opportunity to our people to embrace it as their own creation.

Finally, I would like to warmly thank the Award Committee, which consists of the President Dora Sotiriou and the members Arianna Oikonomou, Mikis Costeas, Olga Pieridou and Antonis Georgiou, for their work.

Special thanks to all of you who honor us with your presence.