THE UNITED Nations yesterday officially launched the competition for a flag and national anthem to represent a reunified island.
In full page advertisements in Greek and Turkish Cypriot press, the UN announced they had been authorised by both leaders to set the competition in motion.
“It is envisaged that the flag and anthem would be part of a comprehensive settlement to be submitted to separate referenda,” the advertisement said.
The two competitions are open to all people without age restrictions, while joint entries from Greek and Turkish Cypriots are particularly welcome.
“Entrants should bear in mind that both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, as equal partners in a new state of affairs should be able to identify with their flag and anthem,” it said.
“Accordingly, the flag and anthem should reflect a commitment to a common future in a spirit of mutual respect, tolerance and reconciliation in an independent and united Cyprus.”
The flag design should be striking, easily recognisable, pleasing to the eye and simple enough for a child to draw, while the length of the anthem should not be less than 30 seconds or more than 60 seconds.
According to the competition guidelines, the anthem competition is mainly for music, and not for lyrics. However, lyrics may be included in the entry, preferably in both Greek and Turkish. If an anthem with lyrics is selected, its official version will be in both Greek and Turkish.
Two years ago EU negotiator and former President George Vassiliou met with a storm of protest when he said Cyprus should have its own state national anthem.
Vassiliou made the comment about a Cypriot national anthem in response to a question at a news conference. He said there would be a need to compose a state national anthem in the event of a federal solution to the Cyprus problem, one which would be acceptable to all citizens of the Republic.
Cyprus has used the Greek national anthem since the 1960s because no one ever got around to composing one for the fledgling Republic.
The Greek national anthem Imnos is tin Eleftheria (Hymn to Liberty) written by poet Dionisios Solomos, has over 158 verses and talks about rising from the sacred ashes of the Greeks and other heroic deeds.
Since the Turkish invasion in 1974 the North has been using the Turkish national anthem.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
