The history of a Cyprus national anthem, like Cyprus` Independence, goes back to 1960, but appears to have got lost in the annals of the island’s troubled history.
According to veteran journalist George Lanitis, the only anthem Cyprus had at Independence was a military March, which was always played at the general salute. He said one of the military commanders just liked the piece and gave it to the band.
“They played it when Makarios went to India,” he said. “It went like this: bara rum bara rum bara rum rum rum.” After the intercommunal troubles in 1963-64, when the Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the constitution, the government decided to use the Greek national anthem, but details are vague as to when that was.
“The Archbishop (Makarios) said it may have sounded the same as the Greek national anthem but that it was Cypriot,” Lanitis said.
Political observer Sofronis Sofroniou said there had been an intention to compose a national anthem for Cyprus. “Makarios did ask someone but there was some delay,” he said. “And after the intercommunal troubles no one had the heart to do it and it was somehow left behind.”
He said the Greek anthem filled the gap simply because there nothing else. “They were thinking nationalistically as well, which was rather stupid at the time,” he said.
Christofis Economides, 92, founder of the Cyprus Import Corporation and author of several books, said he had addressed the issue of a Cyprus national anthem in a paper written in 1982. “Until 1966, when Makarios went on visits abroad, he asked that part of one of Beethoven’s symphonies be played,” Economides said.
He said that in 1967 the House of Representatives passed a resolution to restore the Greek Cypriot aspiration of union with Greece, but to keep the Cyprus constitution. “From then, Makarios asked that the Greek national anthem be played,” he said.
Economides said that during the presidency of Spyros Kyprianou (1977-1989), the former DIKO leader paid an official visit to India and was asked why the Greek national anthem was played. “He replied that it happened to coincide with the national aim of Cyprus,” Economides said.
He said he believed that Cyprus – now just as then – had to prove it was a separate and independent state. “Therefore we have a duty to prove that we are not part of Greece. But one has to question the raising of this issue now, on the eve of negotiations,” he added referring to the Geneva talks.
Economides said that in the event of a federation, each side could use the anthems of its motherland, but that there would be one Cyprus state anthem. He said, however, that in response to his 1982 paper, Patroclos Stavrou, undersecretary to Makarios, had said the Greek national anthem was first used officially when Makarios visited Latin America in 1966. Stavrou was unavailable for comment yesterday.
