Songs for peace in Kormakitis

Songs for peace aim to help bridge the divide this coming Saturday as St George’s Cathedral in Kormakitis hosts a concert with songs in Greek, Turkish and Aramaic.

Organised by the Association of Maronite Graduates in Cyprus, the focus of the event is to bring together the various communities.

“We held a similar event three years ago and it was a great success,” says Gabriel Kalakoutis, chairman of the Maronite Graduate Association. “We see that politics and common opinion aren’t really ready for a united country so we can at least try and bring people together in an attempt to spur on mutual understanding.”

Situated in the occupied areas, Kormakitis is one of four Maronite villages on the island. Today there are only about 120 residents permanently living there, most of them in their 70s. Prior to the 1974 invasion the village was a hub of activity with over 1800 residents living in the vicinity.

Today the village is visited most weekends by its former inhabitants who now live in the south, with numerous events bringing the islandwide Maronite community together.

St George’s Cathedral was completed in 1930 with more than 30 years needed for its construction. Imposing and impressive, it constituted the official Cathedral of the Maronite Church of Cyprus prior to 1974.

A walk through the village reveals additional historical institutions of interest including the monastery of the Franciscan sisters built in 1936 next to the village square.

This Saturday’s occasion at St George’s will bring together the Bicommunal Choir for Peace in Cyprus and The Cyprus Maronite Community Choir.

The service is open to the general public and is being held under the auspices of the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic, Anna Turenicova. The concert will commence at 6pm and will be followed by cocktails and plenty of socialising.

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