Filenews 7 May 2021 - by Dora Christodoulou
What was considered most likely has now been officially confirmed. The top cultural event of Cyprus in the last fifteen years, the opera of Paphos, for the second year in a row will not take place. As revealed by "F" since 20 April cancellation has now been finalized during the official consultations in the Municipality of Paphos and during contacts with the relevant state departments. PafosAphroditeFestival, which has integrated the city and Cyprus in general into the calendar of world-wide cultural events, is also cancelled this year on the basis of the current decrees of the Ministry of Health due to the pandemic.
The competent municipal authorities have concluded that it is now too late to do the enormous preparations required for an event of this scope to be ready, even if the health situation improves immediately. In any case, they pointed out, in general the situation in Europe does not allow for the continuous contacts and travel required for months in order to complete the preparation for an event of this magnitude, so it was now considered as a one-way street to postpone this year's event in order to preserve the quality that ensured it a worldwide reputation and recognition.
The agents of the Municipality of Paphos who made these assessments to "F" expressed the regret of the municipal authorities for this development, which is however, as they pointed out, necessary in the ongoing serious circumstances and expressed the hope that everything will allow PafosAphroditeFestival to return as normal in 2022.
For the same reason, it is certain that the closer events for Kataklysmos, planned every June in the port of Kato Paphos, will also be postponed. The events of Kataklysmos are, however, considered to be of secondary importance in relation to the opera.
