FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES
Lemesos 2030 European Capital of Culture Candidate City
National Network
Cyprus
Address
23 Mishaoulli & KazavoglouCountry
City
CyprusTelephone
+35799800090E-Mail (2)
administration@lemesos2030.comE-Mail (3)
director@lemesos2030.comWebsite
Click HereYear of Establishment
2022Contact Person1
Eleana AlexandrouJob Title 1
Artistic DirectorContact Person 2
Dara MilovanovicJob Title 2
Administrative OfficerOrganisation Type
OtherFields of Activity
Youth and educationGeneral Information
The Organisation Lemesos 2030 - European Capital of Culture Candidate City is an independent organisation founded by the Municipality of Limassol with the mission of bidding for the title in the first phase and in case of success, the course and implementation of the European Capital of Culture proposal until 2030. The vision of the organisation is to create an inclusive and accessible route through culture and the arts, in order to (re)introduce and (re)define our city, while highlighting the challenges it faces; challenges that are unique and similar to those faced by the whole of Europe and its citizens. The organisation employees three full-time members of staff, two university student interns, five core collaborators, 46 ad-hoc collaborators, and 30 volunteers. Its main partners are the Limassol Municipality, Cyprus University of Technology, and various cultural stakeholders. The majority of the funding comes from the Limassol Municipality.Mission and Objectives
The primary objective of Lemesos 2030 is to create and develop the philosophy and rationale for the bid book, and the objectives and projects that will be included in it. The organisation is, therefore opening up to the society, wanting to listen, understand, but also raise awareness. It will attempt to shift the weight of culture within the city's daily life and invest in its important contemporary artistic and creative capital through innovative actions and sustainable institutions that will engage in conversation with burning local, European and universal issues, going beyond the 2030 target. Since April of 2023, Lemesos 2030 began the outreach efforts. In this inclusive journey the organisation has been meeting, listening and discussing with all the city's residents, Cypriots and foreigners, institutions, youth, artists and all those who remain on the margins. Inviting the citizens of Limassol to imagine how their city would ideally look in the next few years, by enabling them to express and articulate their own views and ideas, became the very pillar of the series of actions that took place under the call 'Imagine a city.'Main Projects / Activities
The main project of the organisation is the preparation of the bid book as a part of the application for the ECoC 2030. In order to do this, we have engaged in research and outreach activities that included a democratic approach to data collection and discussion in form of consultations, focus groups, and questionnaires geared at cultural organisations, artists in Limassol. and the citizens. A highlight of these activities, was the large scale consultation ’10 10 100’ opening up a public debate to one hundred citizens from various demographics regarding the city of Limassol. Another milestone was the 3-day event ‘Out There Together’ which followed an entirely participatory approach for the co-creation of seven curated walks, mapped out by fifteen participant-designers, all active citizens in Limassol. The programme included walks of reconciliation, an embracing of the city’s multicultural identity, claiming of the public space for pedestrians and cyclists, reconnection to archaeology, history and the contemporary multifaceted narratives of the present. One of the most important aspects of participation is to have voices and points of view expressing themselves and not to have voices transmitted through other people.How can you contribute to the Network in your country?
We believe that our organisation will contribute to the network by leading a movement of inclusivity, cultural development, and creating a constructive dialogue in Limassol regarding inclusiveness, cultural and artistic development, gender, sexuality, and racial equality, and youth empowerment. With our efforts, we would love to contribute to the on-going intercultural dialogue that would enrich the existing network. Our efforts align with the network’s mission and aim to research, analyse, and create frameworks for civil society participation, cultural and artistic production, therefore we could contribute specific socio-political information to the promote the aims of the network. Like the network, we are keen to advocate for change and raise public awareness therefore we could promote the network’s ideology locally and, therefore, drive its aims and mission forward.Why do you want to join the ALF Network?
Lemesos 2030 would benefit from the network’s 'Intercultural Cities and Learning' programme , engaging with the ideas of cities as laboratories of intercultural dialogue for promotion of diversity, inclusiveness, social cohesion, and sustainable development to address the raising issues of racism, xenophobia, gender and sexuality based discrimination, and growing social inequalities. Additionally, our organisation would benefit from network’s capacity enhancement, peer-to-peer approach, and intercultural trends research that would enhance our activities and mission.Additional Information
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