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- Ελληνικά
Images, sounds and emotions flooded the packed Old Nicosia Municipal Hall today, where the event of the Press and Information Office (PIO) on "50 years of Turkish invasion and occupation" was successfully held.
Balancing between art and historical documentary, the event, which was inaugurated by the President of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Nicos Christodoulides, took the attendees on a journey half a century ago, revealing unseen aspects of the history of Cyprus during the tragic events of the Turkish invasion of 1974 through rich photographic, audiovisual and editorial material.
The horrors of war, human suffering and the longing for redemption are recorded in a unique collection of photographs from the GMP Archive that were exhibited at the venue of the event.
Attendees also had the opportunity to watch the official first screening of the GMP film "Operation Museum", which chronicles the giant effort of the then Director of the Department of Antiquities Vassos Karagiorgis and the staff of the Cyprus Museum to rescue the Museum's exhibits during the Turkish invasion of 1974.
The event also saw the presentation of the new collector's edition of the CTI on the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion and occupation, which includes 110 photographs from the CTI archive.
At the same time, in a specially designed room, excerpts from the CTI film series entitled "Art in the City" were shown, with reports by Cypriot artists on how the Turkish invasion affected their artistic career.
The event was introduced by the Director of the CTI Ms. Aliki Stylianou, noting that today, 50 days before the black anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion, the CTI brings to light unseen aspects of those tragic events through its archival photographic material: Forty-one (41) photographs in total in the large room and in the small room 28 photographs from the GMP production exhibition, which had travelled in 1975, in order to enlighten about the Cyprus problem.
Referring to the GMP production film entitled "Operation Museum", Ms. Stylianou stressed that "this film could not have been realized without the valuable cooperation of the Deputy Ministry of Culture and especially the Department of Antiquities."
She also noted the contribution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the creation of the collector's edition-tribute to the 50 years of Turkish invasion and occupation.
Ms. Stylianou noted that the preparation of the event was carried out within the framework of the ad hoc committee set up to determine the activities for the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion and occupation. The committee was chaired by the Deputy Minister of Culture and included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Government Spokesperson, the Deputy Minister of Culture, representatives of the Deputy Ministry of Culture, the Ministries of Education, Sports and Youth, Foreign Affairs, Finance and the Press and Information Office.
Finally, she expressed her gratitude to the staff of the Press and Information Office who, she said, had worked tirelessly to create what we see today.
In his address, the President of the Republic noted, among other things, that the Turkish invasion of 1974 "is the unshakable reference point for every citizen of this land, which 50 years later is still - no matter how much some people try to downplay it - suffering from the traumas caused by the unspeakable tragedy of the Turkish invasion and the ongoing occupation."
And he underlined: "From this historic place, very close to the barbed wire of partition, I want to reiterate that despite the challenges, difficulties and problems we face, we do not compromise with the occupation, the present state of affairs cannot be the future of our country. We have no choice but to continue the effort to overturn the fait accompli, for the liberation and reunification of our country."
Referring to the photographs of the exhibition and the anniversary short film "Operation Museum", the President of the Republic indicated that "they are nothing but mosaics in the mosaic of our collective memory of a period that remains deeply engraved in us 50 years later."
Referring to the photographs of the exhibition and the anniversary short film "Operation Museum", the President of the Republic indicated that "they are nothing but mosaics in the mosaic of our collective memory of a period that remains deeply engraved in us 50 years later. They are authentic documents of the era, recording in the most vivid way the pain on the faces of tens, hundreds, thousands of people, our compatriots".
And he added: "These people are not strangers. Some of them are still with us today. They are our parents, our grandparents, our relatives, our neighbours. They are all those who had the unparalleled fortitude, will and faith to rise from the ruins of destruction and walk again. With a thousand and two deprivations they rebuilt their lives from scratch, thanks to their hard work and patriotism, never, ever forgetting where they started from, never forgetting their roots. On behalf of the State, allow me, on the occasion of today's event, to express my boundless gratitude to all of them."
In conclusion, President Christodoulides congratulated the Press and Information Office for organizing today's event and for its very methodical work, as well as the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their assistance and all those who worked for today's event.
The event was attended by personalities from the fields of politics, arts and letters.
The exhibition will be open to the public on weekends between the hours of 10am and 1pm until 3 August 2024.
For an excerpt from "Operation Museum" click here.
(ΕΠ)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
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