Declaration


The Cypriot Academy is a voluntary body of proactive, forward-looking individuals dedicated to the advancement of Cypriot culture and achievements in the UK and beyond.

The Cypriot Academy seeks to be a centre of excellence, reflecting the best in Cypriot heritage.

Responding to a need

The Cypriot Academy has been established by Cypriots in the UK in response to a desire and a need.

There has been a growing feeling among Cypriots brought up in the UK that they are becoming detached from their roots. Their shared sense of community has been weakening. Longstanding Cypriot organisations do not adequately reflect their aspirations. Cypriots have been slow to make a meaningful impact on mainstream UK and international affairs. They have lacked influence and an authoritative voice.

The division of Cyprus, the ancestral homeland, has hurt all Cypriots deeply. The bitterness on the island has polarised the varied and enriching elements contributing to Cypriot heritage. Traditional Cypriot language has lost ground to ‘mainland’ varieties, cutting off international Cypriots from their mother tongue.

In facing the world, Cypriots appear collectively insecure. They are unable to declare their Cypriot identity unequivocally. Outside Cyprus especially, the Cypriot community is at risk of losing both its past and its future.

Standing for the Cypriot

A body is required which makes a stand for things Cypriot – a body with an international perspective, which upholds Cypriot culture and which champions Cypriot achievements.

That body is the Cypriot Academy.

Its very name is intended to signify authority and noble purpose. For Cypriot culture is valid and worthy of serious appreciation. For Cypriot ambitions should be high and pursued with confidence.

Culture, excellence, freedom, identity

The aims of the Cypriot Academy are to:

    • revitalise Cypriot culture and values in the UK and worldwide
    • promote Cypriot-inspired excellence and achievements in all fields
    • seek the freedom of Cypriots from forces which oppress them
    • engender identity, pride and unity among Cypriots of every background

These inter-related aims are critical to Cypriots fulfilling their collective potential.

Cherishing Cypriot heritage creates a firm base on which to build success and recognition. As a small nation, separated and dispersed, Cypriots must work all the harder to attain influence beyond their numbers.

To secure and cement the freedom and unity of their island, Cypriots must affirm their freedom and unity as a people. They must be pro the Cypriot without needing to be anti anyone else, least of all their own compatriots.

Whatever their individual backgrounds and persuasions, Cypriots must believe in themselves unreservedly as Cypriots. This belief must be reinforced through pride in Cypriot culture and achievements.

These are the imperatives that underlie the Cypriot Academy’s aims.

The unique Cypriot experience

Cypriot heritage is vulnerable, particularly among the large UK and international community of Cypriots. Yet Cypriot heritage is the essence of what it means to be Cypriot. This heritage cannot be allowed to wither and die.

The unique Cypriot experience is valuable not only to Cypriots, but to the world. It is the duty of the Cypriot Academy to ensure that this experience lives on.


 

© Cypriot Academy