DURING these times of increased poverty, corruption, non-observance of democracy and human rights, the world’s media can be held responsible for Egyptians seeking Hosni Mubarak’s head on a plate – and not only his, given the existence of so many similar iron fisted regimes. Unimaginable in today’s Europe, n’est-ce pas?
The European Union favours mobility, cultivates unity and the acceptance of community rules yet permits some quirkiness to survive unmolested in individual member states.
Towards the end of last week, I was interviewed by a French TV channel (lady presenter and cameraman). LCP (La Chaine Parlementaire) are here to produce a short descriptive of Cyprus today, its people, politics, immigration, economy and the Cyprob. In particular, it’s highlighting those peculiarly Cypriot phenomena – divided capital and country, asylum seekers and refugees, grossly overstaffed/overpaid administration and rusfeti etc.
With France shortly to take on the EU presidency, LCP seeks to familiarise French TV audiences with their EU partners by broadcasting 26 half hour shows of informative comparisons between capital towns/cities of the Union. Twenty one programmes have already been made and broadcast (I have watched several on the Net) and Cyprus has been chosen as LCP’s 22nd candidate, well behind the likes of Malta, Estonia, and Luxembourg.
Humorous and light-hearted, ‘Detours d’Europe’ (programme title) proposes that viewers discover the practical side of the Union, its quest being to search out the real conditions and way of life of the different member states – how to settle, study, work and adapt to Berlin, Warsaw, Dublin, Sofia or even Nicosia.
By surprise encounters and conversations with the locals, Maja Neskovic (lively and lovely presenter) encourages open reportage in an effort to ‘deliver a guide and the keys to a country’ (university and college courses, minimum salary, working hours, socio-economic flashpoints, poverty, cost of living…).
Hers is yet another look at Europe’s 27, revealing the nature of countries, their singularity or adhesion to the European ‘Idea’ and long term expectations from the Union.
Yet how many of us can name all 27 states, have visited more than three and speak other than our mother tongue and maybe one other language?
Will any Cypriot TV channel produce such a series in readiness for when Cyprus takes over the presidency in July 2012?
We claim to be Europeans yet I wager that Cypriots know much more about Greece or Turkey than any other EU member state, not unexpectedly still focused by our education and religion towards Athens or Ankara rather than Brussels. This state of affairs is unacceptable in tomorrow’s world.
Memorial services held annually for Cypriot hero, George Grivas, fanatically supported by youthful nationalist posturing placards claiming ‘Cyprus is Greek’, do little for our credibility as a committed EU member state. In 1974, misplaced nationalism cost the Republic 38 per cent of the island (when 18 per cent was fair) and if maintained will cause deadlock in this present and any future round of talks.
Rekindling animosities and feeding them voraciously on the embers of unforgotten and unforgiven precedents will forever deny reunification. I accuse that quirky silent majority on both sides of disingenuous stubborn stances, neither side truly seeking reunification nor EU membership if the truth were canvassed. Ironically, we are still living in the polemical past, and until or unless we change our attitudes in favour of a reunified island with a democratically elected government operating under the European umbrella of nations, we are doomed to perpetual division.
Is there anyone among us who did not correctly predict the outcome of the recent Geneva meeting of Cypriot leaders? Being fed nightly TV news of that infamous and reluctant handshake between them and Ban Ki-moon in New York last November is not news, nor is it mildly informative. I suppose it will be supplanted by a Geneva handshake for the coming two months and little concerning the resolution of the Cyprob will be resolved. The same applies concerning the ‘physical iaira’ (liquid gas) fiasco, the Qatar project, relieving the poor of VAT on food and medicines (milk sells at 45 cents a litre in Germany) hooliganism and the assistant AG’s teeth, etc.
Like most Cypriots, Maja Neskovic (LCP presenter) is blessed with a richissime sense of humour. In her Romanian half hour programme, it is claimed that there are more millionaires there per head of the population than in any other EU member state, and that stealing is their confessed profession. Fortunately, she found Cypriots from both sides to be among the happiest, most honest and hospitable of all Europeans. Admittedly, her interview with me was held at my family home during our Chinese New Year celebrations, beautiful food (no rabbit), booze and bonhomie sans fin… I do hope I didn’t say anything untoward.
