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The creation of the State Ministry of Culture will be an important step in the right direction, with the main goal of finally having an integrated, coherent cultural policy in our country as well, said President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades, while expressing readiness to hear "that through consultation we can do what we owe to both artists and our people."
In his address on Monday evening at the 2021 THOC Theatre Awards ceremony, the President of the Republic said that "recognizing, at the same time, the blow suffered by the artistic community as a result of the pandemic, we sought, always to the extent possible, to mitigate the difficult position in which all artists found themselves," adding that for 2021, an amount of 3.06 million euros has been allocated for 2.040 creators of culture, including actors.
"Culture is the cornerstone on which the identity and the physiognomy of every nation is built," he said, adding that "culture is a public good, to which all citizens of every favoured nation must have access, participate and enjoy equally."
"Culture is the cornerstone on which the identity and physiognomy of every nation is built," he said, adding that "culture is a public good, to which all citizens of every favoured nation must have access, participate and enjoy equally.
In this direction, according to President Anastasiades, the Government has adopted a series of targeted actions within the framework of a coherent policy, which focuses on supporting artistic expression, opening up to civil society and strengthening interculturalism.
He said that in addition to the decision to create a Deputy Ministry of Culture, as an autonomous State body, it was decided, among other things, the creation of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters, Arts as a Higher Cultural Institution of the country, the strengthening of cultural activities focusing on literature, visual arts, music, dance, popular culture, theatre and cinema on the basis of the "Culture" grant programme and the "Thymeli" project based on funding procedures and the support of the Lefkosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos Writers' Shelters, as well as the Nicosia and Limassol Contemporary Dance Shelters.
He also mentioned the implementation of dozens of programmes in municipalities and communities, as well as artistic workshops, aiming to involve as many young people as possible in the creative process, and the establishment of a mobile unit for theatrical performances in dozens of mountain communities, which do not have easy access to the theatre.
"A few days ago the Cultural Agency for Mountain Communities has also been established, which will contribute significantly to development, culture, but also to the opportunities that must be given to those in difficult, mountainous or remote areas," he stressed.
He also referred to the promotion of cultural diversity and the strengthening of cultural pluralism, which is a fundamental principle of UNESCO, by supporting cultural programmes of Latinos, Armenians, Maronites.
At the same time, the President of the Republic said that the development vision for culture focuses on improving the quality of life through sustainable development, the enrichment of cultural institutions and the further development of national cultural works such as the creation of a literary archive for the preservation, conservation, promotion and exploitation of Cypriot literature, the promotion of research and its interconnection with society, the reconfiguration of the State Gallery of Contemporary Art and the launching of the CNA
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