The concert "Famagusta Odes" by the composer George Hatzimarkos took place on Monday 23/5 at 19:30 in Deryneia and in the cultural center of the Municipality of Famagusta.
The work "Famagusta Odes" is a folk cantata in music, lyrics, orchestration and texts by composer George Hatzimarkos written for soloist, mixed choir, ten people orchestra and narrator. It outlines the pain of exile and uprooting after the 1974 Turkish invasion.
The songs that were performed referred to the Greek music of the 1970s, where Famagusta prospered as an invaluable diamond of the Mediterranean and of Cyprus as a whole. Through the lyrics of the songs but also through the texts, the personal experiences and feelings of the composer are captured, which he externalized.
The composer's goal was to add another stone to the altar of the struggle for the reunification and freedom of Cyprus.
"I will be very happy if this project remains in history as a beacon of hope for a return to our ancestral homes, reminding us of our debt. To the homeland, our ancestors and future generations. "My wish is for my play Famagusta Odes to be performed at the ancient theater of Salamis after the liberation of the city."
At the end of the concert, there was a march to the Deryneia roadblock, as a sign of protest for the new developments and a short sit-in protest at the roadblock.
The event was held under the auspices of the Secretary of the Ministry. Council Theodosi Tsiola.
In his greeting, Theodosis Tsiolas stated that "Turkey's stubbornly uncompromising stance and its repeated provocative actions, positions and views limit the possibilities for a solution to the Cyprus problem."
He added that "the golden historical city with its emblematic points, with its great intellectual development, prosperity and cosmopolitan character, remains for more than four decades silent, deserted, looted in the hands of the ruthless conqueror, waiting for its own people".
"Every form of artistic creation is a living testimony that unites its voice with the timeless and relentless struggle of the Greeks of Cyprus for the reunification of our divided homeland and especially for the restoration of a sad injustice that has plagued the island since the bitter summer of 1974 and onwards. ».
The Turkish invasion, he said, "had tragic consequences for our country, which are still painful and visible, violating basic human rights, UN resolutions and decisions, as well as any principle of international law."
"The souls of the people, who so brutally lost their possessions, property and their own lives, either as conscripts on the battlefield or as defenseless and helpless civilians, still haunt Famagusta, the ruined ghost town, as well as "Every bit of our enslaved land is still waiting to be vindicated," he added.
The Government continued, the Secretary of the Council of Ministers "in any case declares its readiness but also the political will to work for the construction of a state, which will not lag behind the principles and values of the other states of the European Union".
"The proper basis for resolving the Cyprus problem is agreed and recorded in the UN resolutions and is in line with respect for international law," he said, noting that " functionality, independence and above all the peace and prosperity of the people as a whole ".
Referring to the educator and composer George Chatzimarkou, he said that the "spontaneous and highly emotional effort for the birthplace of Famagusta, is a testimony of the soul, which captures with love and respect strong thoughts and memories of his place of origin, whose envious beauty the historical value and the carefree everyday life were transformed from one moment to the next in an image of abandonment and destruction ".
In his greeting, Theodosis Tsiolas also referred to the personal work of the artist "Famagusta Odes" and said that "the creator's belief, with which we fully identify, is our duty to keep alive the hope of returning to the ancestral homes and unshakable faith , in order to fulfill, as much as possible, our debt to the homeland and to future generations ".
The concert will be presented in Larnaca and Limassol, on May 24 and 25 respectively.