In a recent announcement the Commission notes: “As of 1 January, Aarhus and Paphos will hold the title of European Capital of Culture. The cultural programme will officially begin on January 21 in Aarhus”.
The opening ceremony for Pafos2017 will take place in Paphos on January 28 in the presence of Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides, who is Cypriot, and potentially also President Nicos Anastasiades.
Commenting, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Tibor Navracsics said: “The title of European Capital of Culture is a unique opportunity to bring communities together through culture and to foster strong local, European and international partnerships for the future. I wish Aarhus and Paphos every success for the coming year.”
According to the European Commission’s announcement, both cities have come up with programmes which showcase centuries of culture while using different art forms to address the socio-economic problems facing Europe today.
‘Linking Continents, Bridging Cultures’ is the common thread running through hundreds of events organised by Pafos2017.
“The first Cypriot city to host a European Capital of Culture embraces its experiences of multiculturalism and its geographical proximity to the Middle East and North Africa to strengthen relations between countries and cultures,” the Commission said in its announcement.
Paphos is set to become an immense open stage, an ‘Open Air Factory’, where a tradition of thousands of years of cultural life in open spaces meets contemporary ways of creating, thinking and living.
The opening ceremony for Pafos2017 is inspired by one of the themes for the year’s cultural programme: ‘Myth and Religion’.
New life will be given to the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea and other narratives from the history of Paphos in a unique spectacle of music and dance.
During the opening weekend on January 28-29, the town will be converted into an Open Air Factory with numerous shows and artistic performances.
‘Rethink’ is the central theme of Aarhus 2017. The Danish city will show how arts, culture and the creative sector can help us to re-think and shape our basic social, urban, cultural and economic patterns of behaviour and find new solutions to common challenges.
Source: InCyprus
