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- Ελληνικά
Tuesday, 11 July 2023
It is with great emotion that I have accepted the invitation of the Cyprus Centre for Studies to be with you today at the concert "Famagusta Odes".
The image of the mute occupied city, as he saw it every day from the Paralimni Gymnasium, where he worked as a music teacher since 2008, spoke to his heart, being the reason that set his inspiration in motion.
The image of the mute occupied city, as he saw it every day from the Paralimni Gymnasium, where he worked as a music teacher since 2008, spoke to his heart, being the reason that set his inspiration in motion.
The intense memories of the city, which was once a lung of education, sport, culture, development and progress, as well as the bitterness and love he feels for his beloved Famagusta, which was so close and so far away from him, were reflected in the work he composed.
Along with his own charged emotions, which he externalizes in his lyrics and music, he succeeds, at the same time, in vividly outlining the pain caused by uprooting and refugeeism, as well as the injustice experienced by the entire Cypriot people for 49 years now, as a result of the Turkish invasion of 1974.
An injustice which, in flagrant violation of international law, keeps our country divided, depriving its citizens of their basic rights. It is in this context that the personal testimony of the soul of George Hadjimarkos makes Famagusta a symbol.
A symbol that unites great artists on stage tonight, that unites and strengthens the voice of all of us around the struggle we are waging for the liberation and reunification of our homeland.
Famagusta, along with the rest of our occupied towns and villages, waiting patiently for the return of their inhabitants, turns into the unquenchable flame of faith and hope, of expectation and perseverance for the continuation of this struggle until the justification and the final return to our ancestral homes.
In this direction, finding a viable and workable solution, which will allow for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue, is a one-way street. Only through a solution that will reunite our country, freeing it from occupying armies, anachronistic guarantee conditions and the interventionist rights of third countries, will justice prevail in our land.
We will continue to fight for this solution because we owe it to all those who lived, grew up and died in exile, to those who are still waiting for their return.
In conclusion, I would like to warmly congratulate the music composer George Hadjimarkou, both for this inspiring composition and his wider creation and activity, as well as the artistic team and the contributors who collaborated for the completion and presentation of the work.
I also warmly congratulate the Cyprus Centre for Studies for taking the initiative to organize the event, as well as the supporters of the event, which contributes decisively to the common goal of keeping the flame of the return to our occupied land unquenched, but also to pass on to our young people the flame of the return to our occupied land.
Let us, then, let our thoughts fly like a winged bird, to wander through the neighbourhoods and the blue waters of Vassiliou. Let us enjoy this special concert, full of memories of the jewel of the Mediterranean. My wish is that soon we will be able to enjoy our beloved Famagusta free again and be able to enjoy the concert there.
(EP/EHR)
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