Embassy at Work 2011
Cypriot Youth Take to the Streets for Peace
December 2011
The Festival which took place on Ledra/Lokmaci Street continued for most of the day with music, dance, various street performances, and pick-up basketball games
Using the slogan CTR+ALT+DELETE, the Festival organizers drew attention to the need to break down the ‘walls’ that continue to exist between the people of diverse ethnicities on the island
After organizing rallies in Morphou in the west and Limassol in the south, the "Youth Leaders and Cultural Activists" group—made up of young Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots dedicated to peace, tolerance and fun—took over the heart of divided Nicosia with their One StreetS Festival on December 10. Using the slogan “CTRL+ALT+DELETE”, the Festival organizers drew attention to the need to break down the ‘walls’ that continue to exist between the people of diverse ethnicities on the island. The Nicosia Festival which took place on Ledra/Lokmaci Street started with a Zumba party, included a photo exhibition, and continued for most of the day with music, dance, various street performances, and pick-up basketball games.
"Youth Leaders and Cultural Activists" is a group of 25 energetic, young individuals from different parts of the island, united in their commitment to tolerance. In her statement, one of the organizers, Meltem Ikinci, noted that "as a Youth Leader and Cultural Activist, I believe that it is the young people’s turn to work for ‘change’ in Cyprus. We need to be determined and acknowledge the need to embrace peace, tolerance and respect for diversity in a multicultural Cyprus. One StreetS Festival Nicosia provides a wonderful opportunity for us to send out this message. We aim to facilitate social interaction between the diverse communities, which will help us to promote the idea that we can indeed achieve ‘change’ and co-exist peacefully."
The travelling One StreetS Festival is supported by the “Youth Power: Shaping Our Future” project and funded by USAID through the UNDP Action for Cooperation and Trust. Youth Power consists of 12 Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot organisations working together to support youth development and activism throughout Cyprus. For more information, visit: http://www.multiculturalcyprus.org/.