UNHCR question EU migration policy

UN refugee agency UNHCR says the number of migrants arriving by sea in Cyprus, Italy, Greece and Malta has declined by nearly 73 per cent this year as a result of tighter border controls, which include forced repatriation of those intercepted at sea.

The agency criticised the European Union’s policy on stemming the flow of migrants through the Mediterranean Sea, claiming Brussels was denying genuine asylum seekers the protection they need.

According to UNHCR statistics, a total of 8,800 people arrived by sea with two thirds of having landed in Greece, while a third were in Italy, and the rest in Cyprus and Malta.

However, the head of the UNHCR in Nicosia, Nasr Ishak told the Cyprus Mail that almost all sea arrivals landed in the occupied areas and then crossed the Green Line into the Republic to make asylum applications.

“There aren’t and there have not been arrivals from the sea from the Republic of Cyprus because the smugglers know this would be very difficult, so they always come via the northern areas.”

Ishak added that approximately 200 asylum applications are made in Cyprus every month, with only a quarter to 20 percent being recognised.

UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic warned that the EU policy of stemming sea arrivals was not solving the illegal migration problem but shifting it elsewhere.

“Our concern is that in its efforts to stem illegal migration, Europe should not forget that among those seeking to enter the EU are people who need international protection and are at risk of their lives. UNHCR recognizes the need for border management, but this must be protection-sensitive.”

He said the situation of migrants arriving in Greece was particularly bleak, with those intercepted having little chance of having their claim for refugee status properly assessed.

“Border control policies that indiscriminately block arrivals encourage those seeking asylum to resort to ever riskier and more desperate routes to safety - a reason why growing numbers of asylum seekers today find themselves in the hands of people smuggling rings,” Mahecic added.

The agency also highlighted a sharp rise in overland arrivals in north-eastern Greece via Turkey, with 40,000 people having tried to enter the region this year, compared with only about 8,000 in the same period in 2009.

Albanians form the main group of immigrants trying to enter Greece.

The EU has so far made no public response to the UNHCR's criticism.

Source

JOIN US AT THE RAINBOW FESTIVAL – Nicosia: 31 October 2010 – Larnaca: 5 November 2010

Kisa announcement

Dear Friends

For the 13th year now, KISA in cooperation with communities of migrants and refugees, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot bicommunal and human rights organisations organises the well known Rainbow Festival, the largest antiracist, multicultural event with songs, music and dances, traditional food from different countries, a bazaar, info stands and activities for children.

We would like to invite you to Rainbow Festival 2010, which will take place in Nicosia this Sunday, 31 October 2010, in the Nicosia Municipal Park (CYTA) from 11:00 to 17:00. For more info, please find attached the flyer of the Festival.

As you are aware, the nationalist organization “Greek Resistance Movement” in collaboration with the “Cyprus Anti occupation Movement” and the “Movement for the Salvation of Cyprus” are organising on the 5th of November 2010 an event against migrants, calling people to protest “against illegal immigration” and “against colonisation”, with the slogans “No to the islamisation of the homeland,” “immediate deportation of illegal migrants” and “immediate elimination of the provocative allowances and other super benefits the so-called political refugees receive” (the relevant announcement, which is only in Greek, is attached).

In view of the above event, KISA has decided to carry out this year’s Rainbow Festival in Larnaca on Friday, 5 November 2010, at the Seafront Stage, instead of Limassol, as originally planned, so as to send anti-racist messages against the presence and action of extreme right wing and racist elements in Larnaca.

Forward and Come

For a humanitarian city!

The regeneration of the Nicosia of the inhabitants and not of the investors

Pompos gets in the taxi… ‘To Time’, he says to the taxi driver. After fifteen minutes of being stuck in the traffic, ‘12 euro,’ he answers. He pays 20 euro at the entrance, sways for 2-3 hours to the music rhythms, reenters a taxi, pays again 12 euro. The next day, while watching the evening news, he complains about the immigrants and the problems of the Old City. At the same time, lying on the sofa, he raises his feet high so that his immigrant domestic housekeeper can scrub the table.

Lately, Old Nicosia has become the subject of many a discussion regarding the problems it’s facing and the necessary regeneration. Still, most of these discussions merely scratch the surface instead of penetrating into the heart of the problems, and, as usual, they target the immigrants and the youngsters that hang out there. Recently the Old City is used by many people just for entertainment purposes, them not really caring about its welfare.

Mass entertainment centers have been created at the historic center and Old Nicosia is now a pole of attraction for investors. These investors do not care about the Old City’s character, but just for profit. For them, the locals and everybody else that is active in the area are obstacles to their plans as these groups are mostly against the commercialization of their own neighborhoods. The immigrants are also an obstacle as, according to the investors’ opinion, they harm the nice image that they themselves are supposedly creating. The Media, as the sponsor of communication in their game, and the police as the physical perpetrator, provide full assistance in the investors’ attempt to overcome these ‘obstacles’.

This inconsiderate development they aim for creates a myriad of problems:

- Piles of waste in the streets, especially on weekends
- Traffic, noise pollution and air pollution due to the multitude of cars that accumulate there. Danger originates for the pedestrians in the narrow alleyways, as well as parking problems for the locals that simply want to go home
- It contributes to the alteration of the traditional character of the area, e.g. the Popular Market at the Old Town Hall’s square which is forced to close earlier due to a recently-build amusement center.


Pompos, holding his juice, walks…in the streets of central Nicosia in midsummer. As the heat gets unbearable he finds shade under a tree, in the park next to Eleftheria’s Square. He likes the trees’ shade, as a matter of fact he voted in favour of the creation of green space at the referendum for the Old GSP Stadium. Looking around he thinks that the decision of the authorities for a regeneration of the square is really good and necessary. However, he is unaware of the real plans…

The regeneration plan of the square conjectures the cutting of the park’s trees and the establishment of shops, the destruction of historical monuments and part of the Venetian wall that is situated there, and the construction of a huge, concrete airlift for cars. In the summer, with the absence of trees and the existence of so many tones of concrete, the situation will be insufferable. Trees make the air cooler and give life to the area; their presence is what makes a great square. We’re wasting so much money in order to remove what is most precious there.

As for the business with the Old GSP Stadium, that has become another big joke. Despite the result of the referendum, calling for ‘an open public space / a green space’, the authorities had other plans; they decided the construction of a skyscraper in Dubai standards, which will be visible from the entrance of Nicosia at the ‘Kalispera’ traffic lights. Once again, the will of the investors outweighed the wish of the citizens. A possible green oasis has been sacrificed on the altar of money.

We support the people’s direct involvement in the city’s daily affairs. Through general meetings and direct democracy procedures a lot can be achieved. We demand referendums for every problem and topic that concerns us. We want to control our lives ourselves, not to see them controlled by the ‘authorities’ and the
investors.

Suggestions for a more humanitarian city:

• The conservation of the traditional character of the Old City’s houses. As many houses as possible to be restored, not only from the outside but also from the inside.
• The construction of more pedestrian roads and the installment of electric buses and bicycle stations at key points around the city. In this way the number of cars will decrease and there will be an impetus for the creation of a friendlier, to man and nature, environment.
• In addition to the pedestrian roads, various small squares can be created, at places that free at last from the ‘occupation’ of cars can now be used differently, promoting socializing and human contact.
• We support the city’s regeneration provided that it protects the city’s character, it is environmentally friendly and it takes into account the people and not profit.

Planodio Steki Dromou

Bicycle FTW!

BICYCLE FTW!

A bicycle, for distances up to 13 kilometers, is faster than a car.

(a research of the association ‘Friends of the Bicycle’, Athens)

Ø It does not pollute the environment with gas emissions or noise pollution.

Ø Its manufacturing demands only a small number of raw materials and it only consumes renewable fuel (food).

Ø It’s economical as it is cheap and needs minimal maintenance.

Ø It trains the circulatory – respiratory system, the legs, the abdominal muscles and the triceps.

Ø It does not get caught in traffic jams.

Ø It parks anywhere

Ø With the bicycle you can enjoy the countryside, the wind, the shade, the smells of nature, things you do not experience when shut inside your car.

Ø You can modify the appearance of your bike whenever you like, easily and with nominal cost

Ø Bicycles add to the city’s vibes and appearance.

Ø A bicycle enables you to have an immediate contact with the crowd, to communicate and flirt, to experience the power of freedom!

Liberate yourself from exhaust gases and fumes!

Escape traffic!

Stop contributing to global warming!

Arouse the biker inside you!

HONOR TO THE GLORIOUS 15 OF THE ARIAN RACE!

15 worthy descendants of Leonidas, carrying ancient-Greek ideas and values, overflowing with courage and valor, defending the narrows of Thermopiles while yelling with voices loud and proud “MOLON LAVE,” (come and get it), fighting for their country and faith, managed to overcome the great enemy…a Nigerian student!

“They say they are Greeks and democrats, descendants of Pericles, long live the illusions!”
Panx Romana




No one in the world wants to leave friends and family behind to migrate to a foreign country. No person who has a decent job prefers to leave for worse working conditions and lower salaries. No one prefers to experience racism and humiliation in comparison to the security offered to him by his home. Few are those who even have a choice when it comes to migration. Even fewer are those who would still migrate if an alternate, viable solution was presented to them to improve the lives of themselves and those they love.


According to a survey of Fileleftheros,

85% of Greek Cypriots agree that migration causes an increase in unemployment,
81% say it increases criminality,
70% say it causes more problems than opportunities,
73% say it causes insecurity to citizens,
And 61% say that it is the main cause for illnesses being transferred to Cyprus

45% stated that they have no contact with migrants living in Cyprus.

England, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal, and many other western, ‘developed’ countries maintained colonies in many of the countries from which migrants tend to come from these days. They took advantage of the natural resources, the economy, and of course, the large workforce of ‘third world’ countries. Western countries grew rich while they submerged ‘developing’ countries in misery, blood and debt. A good example of this is the imposition of the English empire on India, and the colonization of Congo by the Belgians, one of the roughest in modern history.

The ‘third world,’ remains oppressed today. Many countries are tortured by clashes within the community, most of which were caused by the ‘developed’ countries for their own gain. Others are knee-deep in debt from the loans provided by ‘developed’ organisms such as the International Monetary Fund (e.g. Argentina). In all these countries, in Africa, Asia and Latin America, ‘western’ multinationals exploit the cheap workforce, mostly in awful working conditions with minimal rights (for example the company GAP in Indonesia). At the same time, these companies use up the natural resources of these countries, with the obvious example being the chopping down of enormous areas of the Amazon Rain Forest (in Brazil) to make soy plantations for companies such as McDonalds.


“All foreigners should leave, apart from the necessary labour force” is what some Cypriots demand. Which is the necessary labour force for them however? The woman for the Philippines who cleans their house and watches their children, the Bulgarian men working to build their houses, the woman from Sri Lanka who takes care of granny, the Pakistanis who clean their farms, and the Romanian women for the cabarets, in which they enjoy spending their time.


The people from these countries are often unemployed, poor, oppressed, or unable to take care of their families. The same people are welcomed into ‘developed’ countries with such strong dislike and hatred. We want to ‘clean’ Cyprus from foreigners but we exploit them, giving them pennies for salaries and no rights. We want to stop spending allowances for migrants, but we want them to work in all the jobs that are ‘too low’ for us: house-helpers, construction sites, nannies, etc.

Migrants are not objects, nor machines. They are humans, and each of them carries a story with him/her, most of the time rougher than we can even imagine. They need our help and solidarity. People in general need to understand the basic reasons which lead to migration currents of enormous size. We must finally decide to fight the root of the problem and not its symptoms. We must be the ones to put an end to the exploitation and oppression which we cause.


Planodio Steki Dromou

Life and consumption, mutually exclusive?

“You are at the store with sports goods. You can’t decide between a new jacket or a racket. Who do you ask? No one. You buy both and get it over with. Without doubt, you are living the best period of your life.”

From an advertisement in a Spanish newspaper.

Over-consumerism, economic growth, advertisements, sponsors, shopping malls, shopping therapies, addiction to shopping and products. This is the modern “culture” of the developed countries of the world, amongst which one will also find Cyprus. In this culture, there is no place for spontaneous entertainment, feelings and thirst for life. The only thing left is passion for consuming.

What is (over-)consumerism? It is the buying of products seen on a commercial and realizing they are useless only days later. It is the lingering feeling of dissatisfaction. The constant need for more, bigger, better. The creation of consciences which confuse reality with commercial, “wanting,” with needing. Moreover, it is the belief that lack of communication with our self and those around us, even our flaws, are covered and hidden with buying certain goods.

For the citizens of “developed” countries to be able to enjoy the goods produced by millions of workers working in awful conditions in poor countries, it constantly requires more money on their part. So, they accept to work in bad and flexible working conditions, to work more so as to earn more. They enjoy less time with their friends, children and themselves then what could truly make them happy.

The society of consuming looks down both on work and the value of products, since the only thing that counts in the human relations is the pattern of production – consuming. The labor and the uniqueness of each product do not matter before the “monster” of mass production.

The society of consuming puts “needs over resources, profits over people, the present over the future.”

Over-consumerism does not only destroy human lives, but nature as well. Reusing, recycling and the use of renewable energy sources are steps in the right way, but this is not enough. If we truly want to protect the environment and natural resources we must make drastic changes to our way of life.

The retrieval of resources, the production, the movement and transport of products which we demand and consume is the number one cause of the environmental disaster we experience every day. From the polluting toy factories in Asia, to the dropping of tons of garbage into the oceans, to the chopping down of thousands of trees in the Amazon on the altar of soy production for the immense amounts of foods (and mostly meat) we eat, the destruction and pollution of the environment has its roots in the consumerist society of man.

800 million people live in conditions of extreme poverty, 40% of foods produced are trashed without being eaten, 1/3 of fish caught are returned to the sea because they don’t fulfill the aesthetic specifications for the market, 300 million people in northern countries are obese.

70% of decisions regarding a purchase are taken inside the store.

One third of European consumers is addicted from shopping and has serious problems with spontaneous purchases and loss of self control when it comes to spending.

Daily, we are exposed to 3000 commercials.

The list of IKEA is the most “read” book in the world: 175 million lists printed each year, in 35 countries and 27 languages.

80% of those who enter a shopping mall eventually buy something.

Source of information:

http://sporos.org

Public Works: a three-day event about the city, the arts and public space

In the bi-polar centre of Nicosia the legacies of the C20th and the transformations of the C21st are challenging this divided city to introspection, vis-a-vis its claims to an international vocabulary, however ignored, and its architectonic steps forward. Moving on from the modernist legacy of challenging systems of knowledge through aesthetic experiences, art forms have developed into the manifestations of littoral, conversational or dialogue based public art. A role that art can assume is to challenge us to think of our world anew and trigger thought on our sense of community. How does Nicosia’s fragmented sense of community respond to such developments? How are we – art practitioners, cultural producers, architects, historians, theorists – responsible in shaping that community and how visual language is used to interact not only with a highly charged public space but also with the public that inhabits that space?

Public Works, will be held on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of July 2010 at APOTHEKE and across the Old Town of Nicosia.
will be divided into an afternoon of curated discussions and short presentations on the 3rd July 2010 and a more active engagement with the public space of the locale on the 1st and 2nd of Julyl, attempting to explore issues re:

*Nicosia as a space and place of conflicts.
*The public sphere and the subsequent and diverse uses of art in this specific locale.
*The public(s) that inhabits Nicosia, the degrees of its representations, and how and if art can attribute a visual voice.
*Historical and theoretical paradigms of social engagement through the arts and the importance of introducing such vocabulary into the Cypriot setting.
*Art as a contact zone for conflict resolution.

The workshops and events will also include:
* A workshop with children, aiming to reclaim and construct one of the numeorus temporary car parks in the city sprouting on evry other empty lot and transform it into an ad-hoc playground.
*A tour of stencils and graffiti and their importance as a form of visual communication and social engagement in the walled part of Nicosia by graffiti artists, taggers and activists.
*A presentation by the auotnomous left group of the history of their rich relationship with the city of Nicosia.
*A sensory challenge through a collaborative dance performance.
*A street party – a hisotrically traceable mode of public engagement with the city that has attracted multiple reactions and has partly rekindled the public interest for the Old Town of Nicosia.
*An exhibition of past and present collaborative, community-based and socio-spatially involved works at APOTHEKE.
*A radiophonic engagement with the space of the walled city

Organizers:
Demetris Taliotis info@apothekecontemporaryarts.com
Evi Tselika e_tselika@hotmail.com

For further information please refer to the website of the event

http://publicworks2010.blogspot.com/
Public Works Program- 1/2/3 July 2010
Public Works
in the public space of Nicosia

1, 2 & 3 July 2010

Apotheke Contemporary Arts: http://www.apothekecontemporaryarts.com/

Contact information Evi Tselika
e_tselika@hotmail.com
+447973906568/ +35797611269

Contact information Demetris Taliotis
info@apothekecontemporaryarts.com
+447788727571 / +35799764816

Thursday, 1 July 2010

17:00- 19:00
Illegal parking lot turned to ad hoc playground
Public Works meets Hope for Peace, Office for Children’s Rights
Drawings of young people using the theme of the old city that will have been turned to large stickers will be displayed throughout the city, but particularly at the location of the workshop. This will be accompanied by exhibits from the bi-communal arts workshops that are lead by the NGO HFC-OCR.
This will act as an ad hoc playground including a 3 meter canvas that will be set up so that members of the public can spray paint messages to the city.
Young people will be welcome to join and draw different pictures based upon emblematic images of the old city. Some of these images will then be turned to T-shirts and given back to participants. This will be held right behind Ermou bar at 261 Ermou street.
Artist leading Workshop: Evi Tselika
Location 1

Friday, 2 July 2010

18:30
Talking of Public Art
Talk on Public Art in the context of Cyprus by Christina Lambrou outside the Archbishopry where the Big Mac used to reside. Location 2

20:00
Exhibition of Public Works @ Apotheke Contemporary Arts, 23 Kleanthi Christofidi
An exhibition exploring the notions of the divided city, the use of the highly charged public space both as political statements and artistic endeavors and how the element of social/ spatial engagement has been presented by creative practitioners. Location 3

21:00
Street Party and Urban Guerilla Souvla @ street outside Apotheke
A historically traceable mode of public engagement with the city that has attracted multiple reactions and has partly rekindled the public interest for the Old Town of Nicosia. Location 3

24 hour Web radio experimentation by Antonis Antoniou launched at the street party. Starting time at 21:00


Saturday, 03 July 2010

10:00-11:00
Trading Places Physical Theatre Performance in the Municipal Market
Performance will take place by Dance Theatre United (Natalie Heller) & with the contribution of Nikoleta Verikiou. Location 4

11:00- 12:30
A tour of stencils and graffiti and their importance as a form of visual communication and social engagement within the walled part of Lefkosia/Lefkosha, which will be conducted by researcher Pafsanias Karathanasis. Location 5

Roundtable @ Cafe Berlin No 2(on border)

17:00- Evi Tselika- Introduction

17:15- Dr Gabriel Koureas- Nicosia: Memory, Place, Trauma

17:45- Dr Anna Grichting- Green Line Scapes. Nicosia’s Dead Zone as a River of Memory.

18:15- Dr Cameron Cartiere- Public Art and Social Engagement in Contemporary Art

18:45- Pafsanias Karathanasis- Geographies of graffiti and street art in the old town of Lefkosia/ Lefkoşa

19:15- Demetris Taliotis- Analysis and presentation of artistic collaborative work in the Public space of Nicosia.

19:45- Sumer Erek- Presentation of the artist’s work in the Public space and how he uses social engagement

20:15- Roundtable Discussion
21:00

Location 6