Press Release – Larnaca celebrates in refugee rhythms

Mayor of Larnaca: Larnaca has no foreigners and locals,
Larnaca has people and welcomes everyone with open arms

During the lively event dedicated to refugees, Larnaca also sent messages of solidarity and acceptance on the occasion of the 3rd Annual World Refugee Festival. The festival held last Monday, June 24, at Phinikoudes, co-organized by Oasis Project, Open Society Project and Larnaca Municipality.

The event hosted rich musical-dancing performances prepared by refugees and immigrants. These included the Drama of Life show depicting Cameroon refugees, a percussion performance from Sistema Cyprus, Greek dances from the Dance School, musical-dancing performances from Palestine, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, African drums and more. The event was broadcasted through Live link by Channel 6 from 6 to 8 in the afternoon.

Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras stressed, in his speech, that Larnaca “Welcomed and embraced thousands of refugees” as Larnaca did with to his own family in 1974, adding that Larnaca would do the same when needed. “There are no foreigners and locals in Larnaca,” he said, “in Larnaca there are people who are welcomed with open arms.”

The festival honoured the unique blend of cultures and contribution of refugees in Cypriot society with the aim of raising awareness on refugee issues and strengthening solidarity between Cypriots and refugee communities in Larnaca.

The festival hosted a number of organisations and agencies including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Cyprus, Larnaca Municipality, Cyprus Refugee Council, Hope for Children, Caritas, the Recognized Refugees Association, SOS Children’s Village, KISA, MiHub, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Cardet and others.

The Open Society project is co-funded by the Asylum, Immigration and Integration Fund and the Republic of Cyprus.