H of Parliament Committee meeting War &Cultural Heritage

[CY]

Yesterday I went to a committe meeting in Westminster Palace, where an author, Michael Jansen (who is actually a woman!) presented her book "War & Cultural Heritage in Cyprus." She has been living in Cyprus for the past 30 years and she generally spoke about looting in Cyprus (particularly in the North) and then the next hour was left to open debate. Andy Love MP chaired the committee and many people from Friends of Cyprus were there.

I made a couple of notes so i thought i'd post them up here.
She spoke about the general theft of cultural heritage throughout the world and in Cyprus, after the invasion, many religious and historical antiquities had been stolen and taken abroad by looters.
She mainly called it the "degeneration of cultural infrastructure" and I thought it was rather interesting she called cultural property a "non renewable resource."

Another Labour MP, asked whether the fact that Ankara let this happen was simple indifference OR a conspiracy of the Turkish government to get ride of heritage and carry on with the system of ethnic cleansing.

Jansen went on to tell us that many Turkish Cypriots themselves are actually leaving the north and coming to the south or abroad because of the problems they are having with "ethnic engineering." Also, there are hardly and Turkish Cypriot archaeologists because it was never considered a proper profession and that is why there is a lack of preservation. Development (or even over-development) in the North has had a huge impact and one man mentioned sacrilage. There have been cases where Churches in the North have been turned to stables etc... but recently the situation has improved with the introduction of some masses/certain ceremonies in orthodox churches in the north, and the restoration of certain mosques in the south.
A young turkish cypriot man also spoke about bicommunal efforts, which I thought would be interesting to this forum, and apparently there is a webstie www.cyprustemples.com which concerns itself with such issues.

As always, someone stood up and blamed the whole situation on ENOSIS and so it became slightly political at one point! But overall, i thought it was quite interesting actually and although it didnt deal with the cyprus issue as such, it was good to learn about something which you never knew was really going on...

One thing is that I don't really get why so many people (particularly of an older generation) continue to look to the past rather than the future and althought heritage is important, i couldn't help but think it was a bit too reactionary, rather than forward looking. Although the bicommunal activities sounds really interesting and I hope more are set up.

what do you all think?

[repulsewarrior]

It is a huge tragedy, for all humanity, and for all time if this issue is ignored. Maybe it seems that the horrors of the past are more profound, however, the loss of this non-renewable resource will certainly degrade the quality of Mankind's vitality forever.

I have no problem with development, nor the commercialisation of these sites. The point being that they are dead things unless they are maintained by the people whose lives are the reflection of their existence.

For example, in Larnaca, I truly miss the Turkish quarter, because it is just a shell. I remember its smells and sounds, which are just not there any longer. Who can't remember the piles as high as hills, of onions in the central market of Varosha? I can, and the souvlakia, that were the very best, cooked the same way for many decades, if not hundreds of years, along the outside of its walls.

Then there is Lefkara, and Morphu, and many other villages which had traditions dating back to who knows when, each unique, and distinctive. What has happened to the Monks of Ayios Barnaba, one of the oldest monestaries in Christianity? What about the little church, one of the first built above ground in all the world, walking distance from Gallatia?

In 1980, as a news gatherer, I was allowed to see what the authorities in the north allowed me to see. The Republic was no better, forbiding my invitation to pass Easter, at Apostolos Andreas, to witness the liturgy, and to report it worldwide, on the wire service that I worked for. The propaganda machine did not allow this and the 'information' provided by CyPO, which followed, described the stone throwing against the enclaved, which passed Easter with some difficulty. The issue, unclouded with what might have been a story that had hope.

[AQMessiah]

[repulsewarrior]

Cy, I forgot, you have probably read my thoughts on unification, in other threads, and I hope you will comment on them. Reading AQMessiah's comments, I thought, am I reactionary? My own expression here, seems dulled with passions that are all too easy.

There are gates open now, and I realise that, although I can never pass through them until we are Free. If you who have never seen the 'north', before this chasm, and are not afraid of ghosts that come to crush your heart, my advice is go and see the beauty that is our isle because it is beautiful, just the same.

As for me, I will have no rest until I drink from my own well, and I am in my village, in my home. I remember this something special, when there were such things as mixed villages. Have you ever been to a Turkish Wedding? Have you tended trees as old as the Apostle Paul? Is your neighbour, for the last 200 years, God fearing like you, of another Faith? What about Salaminas? There is a whole city buried there, perhaps as old as Atlantis. Who cares for it, it is Greek. Where are there Turkish villages in the South near Paphos. All of this are sacred to my being.

The computer, processer of information, tap tap tap, For the first time in close to thirty years I have a means to be active, for progress, and I appreciate the company, and the enlightenment that comes with exchange...thanks for the website, and the info.

[Dhavlos]

Thanks very much CY! that was really interesting!

What you say here :

[cypezokyli]

i have my reservations of what it is argued here.
older generations have also good memories.
younger generations have NO memories. and i am afraid, that the younger generations way of thinking is already old...