A whole host of events both in Cyprus and abroad is being organized by the Republic of Cyprus to celebrate fifty years since it was established.
An official announcement states that major events will take place in Nicosia, Athens, London, Brussels, Paris, Washington and Moscow.
On October 1, the Republic’s national day, music, dance, song, poetry and multimedia will blend together to paint a picture of the history of Cyprus. This grand production will take place at Tassos Papadopoulos – Eleftheria Stadium, in Nicosia, in the presence of President Demetris Christofias.
On September 5th, the play “Nefeles” by Aristophanes will be presented by Cyprus Theatre Organisation (THOC) at the historic grounds of the Herodion theatre in Athens.
On September 24th, a concert entitled “Cyprus – Sweet Homeland” will take place at Moscow’s New Opera house in co-operation with the Russian National Academic Folk Orchestra.
Two different events will be held in London to commemorate the anniversary: A concert by the Oxford Philomusica Orchestra at Cadogan Hall, on September 28th and a lecture entitled “Independent Cyprus at 50: Reflections Past and Present”, delivered by academic Robert Holland, at Lancaster House on October 19th.
A big exhibition under the title “Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations” will be on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington from September 29, 2010 until May 1, 2011.
It will feature about 260 items, many of which are being displayed for the first time in the USA, covering nearly 11,000 years of history, from the Cypriot-Archaic through the Venetian period, which range from items from the earliest villages to masterpieces of medieval religious art.
The exhibition is expected to be displayed at other US museums and in Canada, which have already expressed an interest in hosting the exhibition. The formal opening of the exhibition will take place on September 28, by President Christofias.
A concert of the famous St Martin of the Fields Orchestra will be performed in Brussels on October 12th under the direction of the famed maestro sir Neville Marriner, with the participation of distinguished Cypriot pianist Martinos Tirimos.
Finally an art exhibition will be inaugurated on December 22nd at the Hotel de Sauroy 58 Gallery. Entitled “1960 – 2010 – Glances at Cyprus Art” it will be open to the public until January 16th 2011.
Cyprus became an independent nation in 1960, after a four-year anti-colonial struggle against British rule. In 1974, following a short-lived military coup against the Republic’s first President, the late Archbishop Makarios III, Turkish troops invaded the island’s northern part. In spite of repeated UN calls, Ankara refuses to withdraw its troops. Cyprus joined the EU in May 2004.
President Christofias is currently engaged in peace talks with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Dervis Eroglu to find a negotiated settlement that will reunite the country under a federal roof.
