Civil Society Bazaar: Citizens as Actors of Change in Cyprus

CYINDEP, the Cyprus Island-wide NGO Development Platform, presented a Civil Society bazaar entitled Euro-Mediterranean Souk: Citizens as Actors of Change, on Friday 12 October 2012 in Nicosia. The event, held under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, provided an open space, inspired by Mediterranean market places, for participating Non-Government al Organizations to pitch their ideas and initiatives to a live audience,to form discussion groups, offer small workshops, to network and learn from each other. Live music and food completed the creative setting.

The Souk closed the Peace it Together, Power Of One Inter Regional Learning Exchange Conference. The event provided international and local participants with a series of unique opportunities: a creative open space to present their work, explore ideas on global change and network with a wide range of Cypriot CSOs and active citizens.

Guest speakers included Professor of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Hyderabad in India and holder of the UNESCO Chair on Community Media, Professor Vinod Pavarala, who gave a lecture about community media and civil society and Dr Matt Baillie Smith, Reader in the Department of Social Sciences in Northumbria University, Director of the Northumbria Centre for International Development, who spoke about his work in the field of Active Citizenship Development.

Dr Matt Baillie Smith states the following in connection to the subject of Citizens as Actors of Change: "I feel that if we say citizens are complicated people, which we are, and if we accept that empowered citizens don't do as they're told, then, absolutely critical in all this, is the way civil society organizations get to know the people they're trying to work with, what level of understanding they have of community, identity, history, and ways in which both change and move over time."

The Euro-Mediterranean Souk took place within the framework of the EU-funded project 'Solidarity in Change - Development in a Time of Transition'.

Next CYINDEP event will be “The World We Want – Global Civil Society Symposium:Food Security and Nutrition in the Post-2015 Framework” from 22-23 November 2012.


In the photo: participants at the Souk
Source: CYINDEP