On Sunday afternoon, on the stage of the Satirical Theatre, an orchestra of children and teenagers performed works by Vivaldi, Beethoven and other composers. Violins, violas, double basses and percussion instruments played in perfect harmony, the result of discipline, determination and love for music, change, solidarity and teamwork.
Most of these young musicians have what we call migrant backgrounds. They are the children of El Sistema, a programme that began in 2017 when a group of music teachers in the Faneromeni area of Nicosia saw these children growing up marginalised with limited prospects. They decided to extend a helping hand, following the example of José Antonio Abreu in Venezuela, who decades earlier had helped street children otherwise destined for lives of crime. This small individual initiative has now grown into an enormous programme with hundreds of thousands of members across dozens of countries, including Cyprus where approximately 250 children participate, with a permanent waiting list.
Children from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Cyprus have created a musical ensemble that inspires hope. Audiences applaud them enthusiastically not only for their music but also for the messages conveyed through their efforts. Some of these children have already grown up and left for university; others have matured within El Sistema; while new members join each year, finding in musical notes and coexistence a ray of light in a world that has not been welcoming to them.
Just hours earlier, in stark contrast to the beauty emanating from this initiative and the children’s concert, a group of masked attackers assaulted foreigners living in an abandoned complex without water, electricity or rubbish collection. There was, however, a property manager, and reports suggest the residents were paying €125 monthly per room. Then the complex was sold, and they were told to leave. Thugs were employed to violently evict them, resulting in disturbances that left one resident fighting for his life, while even an infant was injured. But why should we care? They were “illegal” after all.
Just as “illegal” as those who tried to reach our shores by boat a few days ago before disappearing into the sea. We don’t know how many. Two were saved. Nobody knows where they are or what they’ve said about the incident. Government ministers stated there will be no investigation and denied that pushbacks occur. And if ministers send the message that the lives of “illegals” have no value, why would masked thugs believe otherwise?
Yet we continue to hope that “beauty will save at least some part of the world.”