Rehearsing National Identity within Cultural Festivals of the Republic of Cyprus

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article discusses cultural festivals organised in the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) and their ideological implications on the national identity of Greek-Cypriots from Independence (1960) until the country’s accession in the European Union (2004). Debates and conflicts about national identity in the two ethnic communities coincide with the need for intensifying the relevance between the festivals’ artistic content and the concepts of nation, origin and identity on the island. Local cultural festivals functioned as a means of projecting national messages and symbolism, according to the identity bi-pole, Hellenocentric and Cypriotcentric, prevalent in Greek-Cypriot community. Later, in the 1990s, political changes inaugurated a need for the emergence of Eurocentrism with respect to the Greek-Cypriots’ cultural identity, this led to a significant increase of European artistic product via hosting of arts festivals. Despite the domination of ethnocentric approaches in the local cultural management model, the participation of other stakeholders – besides the state – contributed to the consolidation of the Eurocentric identity. This development had also strengthened the cosmopolitan ambiance, altered the repertoire of local festivals and differentiated the role and importance of artistic creation in society.