A battle has ended, and Larnaca is the winner. I’m talking about the ‘duel’ between Limassol and Larnaca for the title of European Capital of Culture for 2030.
Today, Thursday, December 11, it was announced that Larnaca took the title. This ended the suspense for both cities. There were celebrations and hugs on one side, while disappointment hung in the air on the other.
A team of experts came in, looked over the proposals from both cities, toured around, and chose Larnaca.
As a community, we have a knack for turning everything into a rivalry. Not everyone does this, but some always want to turn a cultural celebration into a competition with slogans and arguments.
The important thing is that one city on our island gets to shine on an international stage. It can introduce people from all over Europe — and beyond — to our culture and heritage. This can bring in visitors who might never have thought of coming here. It’s good for the whole island, not just the winning city. Let’s focus on that.
Of course, you might say that silly rivalries are part of being human — not just Cypriot.
The first European Capital of Culture was Athens in 1985. Melina Mercouri, who inspired this idea, named the award after herself.
You wouldn’t believe what Athens heard from residents of Patras, Thessaloniki, and other cities about its selection.
Even if Athens had faced off against Rome with the Eiffel Tower and Danube shores, Mercouri would still have picked Athens. (She was alive then, a party official, and not yet ‘our Melina.’)
But you might argue that Greeks are united as one race and nation. What about Germans? They are our friends but had their own drama in 2010 when Essen and Berlin were contenders. Essen won because it represented Rhineland and Westphalia. Berliners claimed politics played a role in the decision. Newspapers were filled with complaints.
In Belgium in 2000, they couldn’t decide either. True Europeans, civilized and refined! They had three candidate cities and said: ‘You know what? We’ll pick them all.’ So they shared the title. Then chaos followed. They struggled to agree and got confused; it was a mess.
Glasgow in 1990 decided to ‘clean up’ its slums before evaluation to avoid a bad image hurting its chances. This was disrespectful and caused social outcry: ‘You care about prices more than people.’ They didn’t need two cities fighting; one could do it alone.
If you look around, you’ll find more stories of envy and generosity showing that rivalry is a human trait everywhere.
Sometimes it’s more subtle or hidden, but it’s always there, revealing our true nature.
Larnaca won this time. In 2017, Paphos won too. Meanwhile, Limassol remains the most ‘attractive’ city on the island — which also makes it the most expensive. Nicosia stays serious as the capital, focusing on important decisions instead of enjoying our strengths together while we dwell on petty issues as the song says.
As a Limassolian, I congratulate Zeno’s city and hope it makes the most of this opportunity piece by piece, stone by stone, to showcase its true value.
Come on supporters! Keep your banners low and your slogans polite; we share the same stand!
Papa – Ratses
