EcocNews continues its journey to know more about the short-listed cities. After exploring the short-listed cities of Belgium, Namur, Leuven and Molenbeek, and after stopping in Larnaka today we continue our journey among the short-listed cities for 2030 by exploring the candidature of Lemesos.

Limassol, also known as Lemesos, is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the Limassol district. Limassol is the second-largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population of 195,139 and a district population of 262,238. The Limassol municipality is the most populated in Cyprus, with a population of 108,105, followed by Strovolos in Nicosia.

Limassol was built between two ancient Greek cities, Amathus and Kourion. Its historical centre is located around the medieval Limassol Castle and the Old Port. Today the city spreads along the Mediterranean coast and has extended much farther than the castle and port, with its suburbs stretching along the coast to Amathus. To the west of the city is Akrotiri, one of the two British Overseas Territories of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on the island.

In 2014, Limassol was ranked by TripAdvisor as the 3rd up-and-coming destination in the world, in its Top 10 Traveler's Choice Destinations on the Rise list.

Here the interview with Eleana Alexandrou, Artistic Director of Lemesos2030.

Why did your city decide to apply for the European Capital of Culture?
Lemesos is the second largest city of Cyprus and one of the most culturally vibrant ones. Many organisations, annual cultural institutions, small and large scale events by municipal, private and grassroots initiatives create a rich tapestry of artistic and cultural activity. Yet, in the recent years, Lemesos is facing a fast and often uncontrolled change, an urban transformation and uneven development that leaves many people behind and leads to growing inequality and exclusion. Artists, minorities, underprivileged communities, and young people increasingly find themselves pushed to the margins, unable to afford life in the city. You can maybe begin to imagine the disappointment, disempowerment and frustration we started from two years ago. We began to look beyond the developing city, to search for the alternative stories, we looked for more puzzle pieces, for more voices that could tell the story of Lemesos. We are bidding because we want to place ourselves as active participants of this fast change, and work together to create new connecting paths, to empower arts and culture, and build spaces of shared healing, imagination and empowerment.

What do you think are the keywords of your application?
We envision Lemesos as a truly inclusive city, where multiple and diverse stories are not only heard but actively shape the city's cultural identity and future. Our goal is to create a collaborative cultural ecosystem that nurtures artistic potential, builds capacities and enables creators from all backgrounds to thrive within renewed infrastructures and accessible institutions. Looking at the city of two speeds that Lemesos has become today, which is also true for many booming cities in Europe, our bid is a process that deals with gentrification, inequality and lost artistic potential, and we seek to do this through culture; through the European Capital of Culture! We exercise and develop participatory methods and processes and aim towards a cultural transformation which reclaims space, narrative, and meaning. We embrace critical thinking, imagination and dialogue, with the goal to bridge the current gaps between opportunity and access, tradition and innovation, central and marginal voices, and thus making Lemesos the ‘symbiotic’, ‘open-hearted city’ it declares to be, where culture connects, empowers and sustains.

How are you involving citizens in this competition?
Consultations, conversations, interactive discussions, focus groups, questionnaires, collaborative activities… We started from listening to each other, documenting our words, and gradually understanding our priorities from different perspectives. Our pre-selection bid book is full of quotes, thoughts and intentions that came from 1,300 individuals that dedicated weeks, days, house with us. The core team of Lemesos 2030 is quite small. But thankfully, and with the collaboration of inspired cultural workers and active citizens, we have managed to build a methodical path in which diverse voices participated in. Voices that have been critical, hopeful, determined, generous.

What are the next steps on your journey?
We are working on our final bid book, taking in all the comments of the jury in their pre-selection report, enhancing and crystallising our application. And, we are trying to stay calm in this pressure-cooker situation of the second round! A lot needs to happen in such a short time. Looking ahead, we are also excited about the jury visit towards the end of the year. Next to this process, we continue to engage with the city, our stakeholders, we open up to some new areas, we welcome new team members and keep building on a network of support and exchange.

What are your thoughts on the European Capital of Culture competition?
In Cyprus, the European Capital of Culture is the green light that motivates actions and planning that prioritise culture. And this is why, this long-term process of the competition is beneficial and empowering no matter the result. But the result becomes even more important in a place like Cyprus. The scale of investing in culture, of working strategically and creatively, of shining internationally is incomparable to how things usually develop here. Next to the reflections and proposals that were articulated this year in Chemnitz, as far as the future of ECoC, it’s essential for this initiative to remain a strong and relevant motivator of cultural empowerment and to remain relevant to the growing cultural, social and political challenges of Europe. Within culture we need to preserve and protect the space for free expression, critical thinking, empathy and inspiration.

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EcocNews is an independent, non-profit, online newspaper. We cover the world of European and National Capitals of Culture.
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