Famagusta Festival Last Night

Aslan


Joined: 23/06/2008
Posts: 757

Message Posted:
17/06/2009 20:44

Not sure if any forum members made the trip, but what an incredible performance, well done to those that organised the opening event.



But a huge/massive slap on the hand to the Belediye and other authorities, oh! and the police for making the parking, access, lighting, toilets and other facilities yet again another disgrace.



When will these people learn that if they do not have an ounce of intelligence or the ability to realise that the time warp we live in can not accommodate for a concert with an audience o 7 - 8,000 people.



When will PC Blogs say to his boss that last night was a logistical disaster and offer to go on an events training course? Never!



The Ambulance if needed was parked at the entrance to the Ampitheatre, if and thank Allah was not the case the ambulance would not have been able to leave the site due to abandoned cars in the driveway.



Glasses were falling of the middle of the auditorium onto spectators below, no security, no safety and no thought.

Krin52


Joined: 25/08/2008
Posts: 419

Message Posted:
17/06/2009 21:28

Quite right Aslan, the performance and the venue were spectacular.



The traffic parking mess was just appalling and thank heavens, there was no need for emergency access with all those cars just abandoned and blocking the little road! Why were the police continuing to wave cars into the area when they must have known it was over full?

The lack of lighting and any other facilities was third world, no fourth!



The other thing I found extremely disappointing was, even after Ms McKennitt has requested no flash photography, the fools in the audience went wild with flash anyway! What poor manners!

Aslan


Joined: 23/06/2008
Posts: 757

Message Posted:
17/06/2009 21:50

Totally agree, It's all about having a culture and having respect for other people, people here have gone from bad to worse and do not give a shit who they upset or the laws of the land or those employed to enforce these laws, we must remember though without any forgiveness that this is and will be for a long time a banana republic.



I imagine the chief of police this morning asking the donkeys how it went last night? and their reply, " Ok boss, a few old Cypriots complained about the parking, but what could I do it was dark and I was in uniform"!

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
17/06/2009 22:07

I was there last night and despite my request to the mayor beforehand for some sort of arrangement, there was smoking everywhere.



Most people adhered to the "no photography" after the third piece but there was just this one fellow who insisted on taking pictures at close point. The man on duty from the belediye tried very hard to stop him and they almost had a fight. Its a shame that there was no policeman at hand to take over and put him in the cell for the night.



The other annoying thing was that people behind me carried on chatting even during the songs. TRNC autthorities claim that over 30% of its population are university graduates. so we have a population of educated illiterates!! Very sad indeed.

ismet

Aslan


Joined: 23/06/2008
Posts: 757

Message Posted:
18/06/2009 12:29

elko I totally agree, luckily not many of these "graduates" come to Bellapais for classical concerts which as allways are well attended by the expat community and watched in silence "BRAVO".



Surely at such an event with some many in attendance the police or a private security firm should have been in place to control the parking, audience participation, photography et al.



One citizen in his 60's complained to a "policemen" about the situation and my group laughed in his faced and ridiclued the policemen when he replied with the infamous phrase "What can I do" pronounced "Napiyim" please correct spelling elko if wrong. The old boy remined him that he was a "policemen" and he replied "I know Sir, and shrugged his shoulders" !



It would be good but very unlikely if the "policemen" the following day explained to his chief that the evening was a logistical disaster and suggest that he and a few colleagues go on a events management course.

Aslan


Joined: 23/06/2008
Posts: 757

Message Posted:
18/06/2009 12:30

And soon after start a rapid response events managent swat team or something similar!!!

semtcm


Joined: 13/01/2009
Posts: 249

Message Posted:
18/06/2009 12:43

i love the concerts for their atmosphere - and relaxed feeling - let's not go all european here and ruin our laid back life style - i do agree that crowd management and parking could be handled better - that's one reason why i take a bus over...ı would never want anything bad to happen - but let's not get all British over here and ruin what we came to enjoy!

Krin52


Joined: 25/08/2008
Posts: 419

Message Posted:
18/06/2009 13:03

Sure I agree with enjoying the atmosphere, laid back was not what I would have called it on Tuesday night though! And it wouldn't necessarily ruin the event to have the logistics handled better.... to have had better lighting, toilets open, water for sale even..... btw, what a merchandising opportunity to miss....the belediye could have made even more by having stalls selling water, even snacks?

Why were the police even there, when they were not controlling any traffic or parking, or crowd? Surely having a police presence means more than them just standing around watching everybody else?

Why doesn't the belediye rent a couple of dolmuses and shuttle people from a parking area off the entrance road?

It can't be that hard - and it doesn't need to be that sophisticated that it spoils everyone's enjoyment.

As for the audience manners, chatting all through the performance and flash photography, that's just a matter of time and hopefully it will come with more cultural exposure ....ensha

Aslan


Joined: 23/06/2008
Posts: 757

Message Posted:
19/06/2009 12:56

Message 7 " let's not go all european here and ruin our laid back life style " and but let's not get all British over here and ruin what we came to enjoy!



You are seriously joking I hope, I take you can remember the Hillsborough disaster which the police admited and apologised for their failure to control events leading to and after the event. The fact that as far as I was aware the following was in place:

3 traffic police

4 event police (no doubt there was some "secret police" around aswell)

1 ambulance (number of medics and equipment available unknown)



The crowd was so tightly squeezed into the theatre that one surge would have seen people falling of the edge.

The backstage is lined with trees and dry bracken (I did not see any fire extinguishers in place or fire attendants)

The ambulance if needed could not have exited the arena due to abandoned cars.

The lighting was minimal and land uneven which may have resulted in sprains e.t.c

Aslan


Joined: 23/06/2008
Posts: 757

Message Posted:
19/06/2009 12:59

I's not about British or EU values, it's about protecting citizens lives in the event of a disaster.



Since Hillsborough nearly every stadium on the globe has changed the way it thinks about safety.



This is a chance for the authorities here to put measures in place to prevent fellow citizens from losing their lives.

semtcm


Joined: 13/01/2009
Posts: 249

Message Posted:
19/06/2009 15:26

the concerts i went to in the past were fine - admittidly last tuesday did sound abit scarey - glad i didn't go...am going next tuesday though - so i will see......

inşallah it will be like last year...

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
19/06/2009 16:03

Actually there was a second alternative route which was opened after the concert. So this route could have been used by the ambulance in case it was needed. I was most annoyed by flash photography dispite the announcement that there should be none after the third piece. I considered it as a grosque disrespect for the artists. You will find this disrespect in all walks of life in TRNC. I went to HSBC this morning and there was some work on the Q-matic, thus we formed a single queue for two windows. People just don't know how to stand in a queue and they stand everywhere and then they try their tricks on you. It happened to me today, I objected and he withdrew. That's life, that's the culture here I am sorry to say and it is my country, so it hurts even more so.

ismet

Krin52


Joined: 25/08/2008
Posts: 419

Message Posted:
19/06/2009 16:07

We're also going back next Tuesday - and looking forward to it!



But, anyone planning to attend should be aware, you need :



a torch for the dreadfully dark areas you have to walk through on very uneven ground;

your own water (or other refreshment) - preferably in PLASTIC bottles, which you would then take back home with you;

a cushion to sit on;

and plan on parking way down the little entrance road and walking a few 100 metres! Do NOT get there early and think you've got a great parking place up close! You'll get parked in by the abandoned cars on the road!

(That's of course unless you're smart and going with Libby in a bus!)



Should be fun!