Free family fun festival
FAMILIES thronged to the first International North Cyprus Culture and Sports Festival at the weekend featuring fun activities for children, concerts and stalls.
The first two days of the three-day festival took place last Saturday and Sunday on a football training field next to the Atatürk Stadium in Lefkoşa.
Children, young people and their parents tried their hands at mini golf, archery, basketball, football, and badminton.
There were also bouncy castles, a handicraft exhibition of young Turkish Cypriot designers, workshops, and folk dancing performances.
The free festival was held as part of a series of events to commemorate the 47th anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation and was organised by the Evkaf Foundation and Turkey’s Archers’ Foundation under the slogan “One World North Cyprus”.
Festivalgoers were treated to delicacies from Turkey such as Kahramanmaraş ice cream, baklava from Gaziantep, hazelnut paste from Trabzon as well as other delights. There were also stands promoting areas of North Cyprus, such as Esentepe and Lapta.
Meanwhile “victory parades” featuring Ottoman-style marching bands were held in Lefkoşa, Girne and Gazimağusa.
Evkaf director İbrahim Benter, Archers’ Foundation head Haydar Ali Yıldızlı, Turkey’s Lefkoşa Ambassador Ali Murat Başçeri and Prime Minister Ersan Saner gave speeches at the festival’s opening ceremony. Mr Yıldızlı then presented the other speakers with arrow paintings.
In his speech during the opening ceremony, Mr Saner said: “I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for being with us during these days when we will celebrate the existence of the TRNC and our Peace and Freedom Day in such a beautiful environment.”
Mr Başçeri noted that Turkish Cypriots have been performing “all kinds of activities including sports in peace and security since 1974”.
Prof Benter said in his speech that the Archers’ Foundation is an “important foundation” and that he was “pleased they came to the TRNC” to help organise the festival.
Mr Yıldızlı said that the festival aimed to “create a space where young people can spend time participating in different sports and cultural activities and embrace national culture and awareness”.
He stated that “the Anatolian Turks” will support the “Turkish Cypriots in their just cause until the end”.