Nicosia 2030 and the International Festival of Nicosia 2024 invite adults and young people over the age of 15 who have been forced to leave their homelands and are now rebuilding their lives in Cyprus, to participate in the workshop "Face Forward... into my home."

The migrant inclusion workshop is part of the Parallel Program of the 5th edition of the International Festival of Nicosia and is co-organized with the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST), with the kind support of the UNHCR in Cyprus. The program is part of Nicosia’s bid for the title of European Capital of Culture 2030.

"Face Forward... into my home" is a program that includes experiential workshops and a photo exhibition featuring portraits of the participants and their stories. Within the framework of the workshops, team members are invited to share with the group emotions, memories, hopes, and expectations, inspired by artworks from the EMST collection and the Cypriot collection of the State Gallery, which include artworks related to migration and other contemporary issues.

As Marina Tsekou, the Curator of Education at EMST, states: "Through this process, the personal narratives of people of different national or ethnic backgrounds, different religious beliefs or origins, family and social status, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity are gradually composed. The entirety of the narratives highlights various characters, opinions, attitudes, emotional shades and tensions, as well as the common core of dreams for the future and the deep need for communication. The 'Face Forward... into my home' program and the eponymous exhibition present the refugee issue in the best possible way described by Emmanuel Lévinas: 'To see a face is to speak of the world.'"

The first meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 3, 2024 (16:00) at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre (6 Museum Street, 1097 Nicosia). Translation will be provided to facilitate communication between participants and organizers.

To express interest in the "Face Forward... into my home" program, interested parties can contact Claudia Konyalian from the UNHCR in Cyprus by phone at +357 22 359 043 or via email at [email protected] by July 1, 2024.