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Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Children, Traditional crafts are an integral part of our intangible cultural heritage - that is, the skills and traditions that are passed down from generation to generation and keep alive the identity of our society and what we call our culture or simply our civilization. [BR]Handicraft objects are also pieces of material culture - that is, works of people of the past that have a substantial value since they have been made with materials and techniques that are likely to surprise. And that is why it is important to preserve them - both the objects and the knowledge and tradition on which their manufacture is based. We believe that supporting traditional crafts is one of the most important ways of preserving our cultural heritage. That is why the Handicrafts Centre has been incorporated into the State Ministry of Culture and is one of its most important departments with its multiple, complex and multidimensional activities. Handmade objects combine aesthetics with utility and sustainability since they are made from natural products with respect to the environment. They are made with great effort and care requiring skills and experience that can only be acquired with time and practice. Unfortunately, due to industrialisation, we have forgotten to appreciate the value of handicrafts and therefore our role is to remind people that we should not abandon them, but instead support them and encourage young creative people to get to know and engage in them. That is, after all, why we are here today. To underline it and to pass it on as knowledge and as a practical experience to young children.
As the Ministry of State for Culture, we believe in our artisans and we invest in their development because we want the art of craft to be an exciting part of our future and not just a memory of the past. The coexistence of traditional craftsmanship with contemporary trends and needs must be the future that will provide the opportunity and impetus for young creators to combine tradition with innovation, history with evolution and craftsmanship with contemporary design trends. The application of new technologies and the exploration of contemporary approaches through creative processes will enable traditional craftsmanship to evolve, live on and be renewed in new generations. At the same time, however, traditional crafts must be preserved. The specific project for which we are here today deserves support, as it will involve children in both the theory and practice of traditional textile production and bring them in touch with their roots. We hope that the project will offer participants ways not only to expand their knowledge, but also to explore their own creative abilities. I hope that such initiatives, such as today's from the BE OPEN Foundation, which are inspired by centuries of Cypriot traditions, will continue and flourish.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate BE OPEN, which since its establishment in 2012 has implemented projects that have allowed creativity to stand out as a means to achieve positive change. We share their goal of creative education and are working closely with the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth in this direction. [I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK MS ELENA BATURINA, FOUNDER AND MAIN SUPPORTER OF THE FOUNDATION, WHO INVESTS IN CREATIVE PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. AS A DEPUTY MINISTRY WE LOOK FORWARD TO FURTHER COOPERATION WITH HER AND OTHER INITIATIVES FOR CYPRUS AND YOUNG CREATIVES.
Warm congratulations and thanks to the Centre for Visual Arts and Research (CVAR) for undertaking the organisation of this important educational event which gives the opportunity to a large number of children to learn what a buffalo is and how woven fabrics are made. I wish you every success in your work, and to the children who are here today I wish them a beautiful and creative day that will bring them closer to our land and its traditions.
(EK)
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