The desire to return to the ancestral home remains unquenchable, despite the fact that we are passing the fiftieth year since the exodus, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Petros Xenophontos said on Friday evening, adding that this desire strengthens the efforts of the Christodoulidis government for a solution of the Cypriot, reunification of the place and return of the refugee world to its homes.
In his greeting, on behalf of the President of the Republic, to the 1st Pan-Cypriot Cultural Festival of Therus held tonight in Acheritou, Mr. Xenophontos stated that the Festival was placed under the auspices of President Christodoulidis, however due to commitments, it was not possible for him to attend.
He added that "Acheritou is one of the largest villages in the plain of Mesaoria, and Mesarka has rightly been characterized as the granary of Cyprus, due to the cultivation of large areas of grain in it." The summer in Mesaoria was not just an ordinary agricultural work, it was a celebration, an important event for the grain-producing communities, an uprising of all the inhabitants of the communities of Mesaoria who saw in it the reward for the labors of a whole year".
Unfortunately, continued the Minister, "this first Beast Festival takes place not in Acheritou, but in the refuge, in Agios Georgios Vrysoullon, in an area, land of Acheritou, from which every day" the inhabitants face their houses and fields.
As Mr. Xenophontos said, "despite the fact that we are passing the fiftieth year since the exodus, the desire to return remains unquenchable. A desire that strengthens the efforts of the Government of Nikos Christodoulidis for a solution to the Cyprus problem and leads to an intensification of our actions, which we hope will bring the desired result of the reunification of our country and the return of the refugee world to their ancestral homes".
He also characterized as "important" the cultural events organized by the Municipalities and Communities and highlighting popular culture and noted that "such events preserve historical memory and tradition, while shedding light on traditional occupations and arts that have either been abandoned or tend to to be abandoned, they represent the world of yesterday and project it creatively into the present, aspiring to preserve it unchanged over time. These events are undoubtedly a form of resistance in today's era of alienation and individualism."
With the Pan-Cypriot Cultural Festival of Theros, concluded the Minister of Agriculture, "the Community of Acheritos brings back to memory our roots and cultural origins. The Festival provides the means to save and transfer our rich cultural heritage to new generations."
At the same time, he congratulated the Community Council and all those who worked for the organization of the event and wished the All-Cypriot Cultural Festival of Theros to become an institution.
Source: KYPE