‘Significant’ exhibition on British rule in Cyprus

President Nikos Christodoulides has attended the inauguration of a revamped permanent exhibition space for the British Period at Nicosia’s Leventis municipal museum, praising the institution for its 40-year-long contribution to preserving the island’s history.

Speaking at the event on Monday night, Christodoulides noted that the new exhibition space, dedicated to the British period from 1878-1960, was an important addition, as the period contributed significantly to the course of the island’s history leading up to the establishment of the Republic.

Referencing the exhibition’s theme, the president remarked that it highlights crucial aspects of life in the capital of Cyprus during the period, aside from the usual focus on the Eoka struggle for liberation.

“I consider it […] important, that the exhibit [highlights] urban development, social life, economy, trade, education and transport, struggles for self-determination and freedom, as well as […] pre-independence institutions [such as] courts, banks and the police [which it] brings to life,” he said.

Christodoulides went on to praise the museum’s diligently researched presentation of artefacts and its public offering of an interesting “tour” of the municipality’s evolution over more than 100 years.

The president particularly commended the institution’s outreach to school students, noting that having a historical background was critical for development and evolution of of identity.

“Historical knowledge […] is the fundamental prerequisite for deciphering our identity […] in particular [for those whose] homeland [is] under occupation [it] is a necessary component in order to […] build foundations for a future,” he said.

In closing the president congratulated director of the museum Tzeni Lymperopoulou Savvidou; its curator Maria Patsalosavvi; historian Antigone Heraklidou; architects Nagia Savvidou and Karin Georgiadou, as well as the municipal administration and donors, for establishing what he called a modern, innovative “cultural diamond” of which Cypriots can be proud.