Address by the General Secretary of AKEL Stefanos Stefanos Opening of the Bi-Communal Art Exhibition “From Pain to Hope”

 

Stelios Foundation, Nicosia

27/1/25

 

Dear friends,

I welcome you to the opening of the bicommunal art exhibition “From Pain to Hope”. We have just completed a landmark year of tragic anniversaries in the modern history of our island. Sixty years since 1964. Fifty years since 1974. Anniversaries that for the most part were once again viewed one-dimensionally on both sides of the divide. Without each side looking at the human pain of the other community. Without identifying the responsibilities of each side for a series of events that led to the current unacceptable dichotomous status quo. Without also identifying the abhorrent crimes against innocent civilians on each side and not just each side identifying the crimes which happened to them.  Crimes that impacted the lives of ordinary people who lost their loved ones, their homelands and everything they were emotionally connected to. Crimes that led to Cypriots losing their youth, their life path, their very selves.

For us, human suffering is not distinguished on the basis of language and origin. Pain is human and crimes are nothing more than condemnable. Murderers and criminals cannot be called heroes or terrorists depending on who their crimes were directed at. Because the criminals who sowed pain, abused and raped the bodies and souls of innocent civilians are nothing more than criminals regardless of whether they called their actions “national duty” (which they were not), revenge or “in the heat of passion”. We must also talk about the invisible victims. The women who were abused by chauvinists and then were again abused for a second time by their own community which stigmatized and marginalized them. The prisoners of war and conflicts, the civilians, the refugees, the enclaved, the children of war who were forced to grow up in one summer. Of course, not all Cypriots chose the path of conflict. There are also the unsung heroes who are not officially honored by any side. They are the ones who saved the lives of individuals from the other community. They are the ones who proposed peaceful coexistence in difficult times despite being called “traitors”. Of course, our own group, the Left, which has always stood up for the common struggles of the two communities while proposing the peaceful coexistence of the two communities, also belongs to the latter. It is the Left that to this day tries to keep alive the hope for peace and a federal solution despite the gloomy political scene that surrounds us. Speaking of hope, we touch on the other part of this exhibition. The hope that heals wounds of the past and helps people to go on. That helps Cypriots to take a good look at the past together, not to remain trapped in the past, but also not to erase history. We look at the past to understand what we must leave behind and how to build a different future on solid foundations. The future of peace, empathy and social justice.

This is exactly why this art exhibition is being held, which, through the works of 12 of our compatriots, tries to capture the past but also to indicate the path we must take so that the history that caused bloodshed, pain, suffering and heartbreak is not repeated.

I would like to thank our co-organizers who, together with the AKEL Rapprochement Bureau, worked to realize this special exhibition. “Together We Can” is the only bi-communal organization of relatives of missing persons and victims of war with a contribution to investigating the fate of the missing. And of course, the Cultural Movement, which has consistently led the way in culture and bi-communal action. Congratulations to the artists, artistic curators and volunteers for bringing this exhibition into fruition.