The passage of time, in the context of the status quo, is corrosive for the monuments and this ominous prospect should concern us because the monuments are the place, the people and their history, Sotos Ktoris, co-chairman of the bi-communal Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, tells CNA.
Mr. Ktoris was appointed to the post last month, succeeding Takis Hazidimitriou, who resigned for personal reasons. He had been a member of the Commission for the past eight years and when we asked him for a brief comment on his predecessor he was clear: "As Head of the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, Mr. Hadjidemitriou contributed in a decisive way to the effort to save the monuments of Cyprus."
In particular, he added, if we consider that before the creation of the Technical Committee, the destruction of cultural heritage fed the ideology of intolerance and the complete alienation of the two communities.
"Mr. Hadjidemetriou followed the path of consultation with the Turkish Cypriots and, in full agreement with the Turkish Cypriot Co-Chairman Mr. Ali Tuncai, succeeded in opening up the prospect of saving our cultural heritage. A prospect that until then seemed impossible. The action of the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage has gradually developed into a project with implications beyond the preservation of monuments, since it contributes to strengthening the culture of cooperation, tolerance and mutual respect between the two Communities. It is in this light that the contribution of Mr. Hadjidemetriou should be seen and evaluated," Mr. Ktoris told CNA.
Currently, more than 90 monuments have already been completed and these include monasteries, churches, mosques, aqueducts, Ottoman baths, archaeological sites and medieval monuments.
As landmark projects, Sotos Ktoris described the conservation of the monastery of Apostolos Andreas, the works at the archaeological site of Salamina and the Zouchouri mosque in Larnaca and the maintenance of the Venetian walls of Famagusta.
"However, each monument has its own particular archaeological, architectural or religious value, especially for the people of the local communities whose memories and recollections, sorrows and joys are intertwined with the existence of these monuments," he said. Work is currently underway on nine more monuments including the church of Agios Synesios in Rizokarpaso, the Arsenal bastion on the Venetian walls of Famagusta, the Panagia Bank in Acheritou, the Ottoman baths in Larnaca and the mosque in Orunda.
"The plan for the next two years includes rescue and conservation work at more than forty monuments across Cyprus, which include the second phase of the monastery of Apostolos Andreas and the archaeological sites at Solous, Vouni and Vrisi in Agios Epiktitos," he said.
We asked Mr. Kotori why the cultural heritage especially of a divided homeland is important and why we should be concerned and he stressed that the passage of time affects the monuments and this should be of concern because the monuments are the place, the people and their history and because the existence of the monuments testifies in an irrefutable way our history, the multicultural identity of our country.
"We have a responsibility, therefore, towards history and future generations to work for the preservation of our cultural heritage. But also a responsibility towards the people who are struggling for the future of the country. Because every monument that is preserved helps to improve the climate of trust, strengthens mutual understanding. In the end, it strengthens the effort for reconciliation, the perspective of a whole Cyprus", he stressed.
As regards the involvement of the younger generation, which has as its heritage the work that has been done and will be done in the future, Mr. Ktoris said that the Technical Committee places particular emphasis on the active involvement of the younger generation and that in the context of the actions implemented the Committee has introduced the institution of "Young Ambassadors of Cultural Heritage" who, using mainly social media, inform about the cultural heritage of our country and raise awareness among young Cypriots about the need to protect and respect the heritage of each Community of Cyprus.
"At the same time, it is planned, during the spring, to resume educational visits to monuments/worksites where young professionals, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, from various related scientific fields, such as engineering, architects, archaeologists and conservators, will have the opportunity to learn about the history and, most importantly, acquire knowledge and skills related to the recording and conservation of monuments," he said.
Sotos Ktoris also said that the Technical Committee is promoting the implementation of actions related to the Digital Heritage axis, which include, among others, the digitization of all the monuments that have been preserved, but also the development of online educational games, in order to enable the new generation of Cypriots, using digital tools, to get to know the cultural diversity of Cyprus.
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