NEW PORTAL “MY GNTO”

Hellenic tourism is responding to international challenges through the creation of a new portal for electronic services at "www.mygnto.gr" (Greek National Tourism Organisation), which intends to transform website visits into real arrivals in Greece. On May 22, Tourism Minister Costas Markopoulos presented the portal and announced that unified electronic strategic management in the tourist sector is becoming a reality. Visitors are encouraged to book their entire vacation package via this new portal.

CITIZENS’ EURO-PARLIAMENT

The office of the European Parliament in Athens inaugurated the "Citizens Euro-Parliament" on May 21, a multi-media kiosk where citizens from the 27 member states of the EU can share their views and expectations by sending a recorded a video-message to the EU’s decision-making bodies. Deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Valinakis addressed the opening, where he urged citizens to “express their ideas and aspirations for the Europe they want,” and encouraged them to vote during the European Elections on June 7.

DISTINCTION FOR GREEK FILM @ CANNES

The Greek film Kynodontas (“Dogtooth”), by Giorgios Lanthimos was named best film in the Cannes Film Festival new talent section (“Un certain regard” Prize.) It is the first major distinction for a Greek film at Cannes since Theo Angelopoulos won the Palme d’Or in 1998 for his film "Eternity and a day."

Kathimerini daily: Greek win at Cannes

“OLYMPIC AIR” SEEKS NEW LOGO

The Marfin Investment Group (MIG), which recently bought Olympic Airways (OA), will rename the national carrier “Olympic Air” as part of planned changes to the company. MIG also announced on Thursday an open contest for the new logo of OA, in which the public will have a say in the final selection. The contest committee will select the top three logo ideas, which will then be made public, placed on a special webpage, and put to a vote by the public. The winning logo will receive a cash prize of €20,000. Proposals must be submitted by Friday, May 29.

CULTURE & CUSTOMS

Artemis Leontis, Culture and Customs of Greece, Greenwood Press April, 2009.

The Parthenon, Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle, and Homer's epic poems. All of these images bring to mind traditional pictures of Greece, the cradle of Western Civilisation. But what do we know of modern Greece? The answer to that question and more can be found in this comprehensive look at contemporary Greek culture. This reference source is packed with illustrative descriptions of daily life in Greece in the 21st century. Ideal for high school students and even undergraduates interested in studying abroad, this extensive volume examines topics such as social customs, language, performing arts, modern art and architecture, among many other topics. Woven into the text are beautiful and accurate vignettes of Greek life, helping to illustrate how people live. "Culture and Customs of Greece" is a must-have volume for all high school and public library shelves. 

Artemis Leontis is Associate Professor of Modern Greek and Coordinator of the Modern Greek Program, at the University of Michigan, USA.

2009 DEDICATED TO YIANNIS RITSOS

The Poet Yiannis Ritsos

Yiannis Ritsos -together with Kostis Palamas, Giorgos Seferis, and Odysseus Elytis have marked contemporary Greek poetry- and has been among the country’s most widely translated poets. A prolific writer – many of his poems, like Epitaphios and Romiosyni were set to music by renowned composer Mikis Theodorakis.

Born on May 1st, 1909 in Monemvasia, Lakonia, to landowners, Yiannis Ritsos was often persecuted for his left-wing politics. That combined with the tribulations of his personal and family life (death of his mother and elder brother, his father’s commitment to a mental institution, his own struggle with tuberculosis since 1926) inspired his poetry and led him to receive many distinctions in Greece and abroad. He was awarded the Lenin Prize for Peace in 1977 and the 1956 State Poetry Award for his work "Moonlight Sonata" and was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature in 1968. He died on November 11, 1990.

Marking the Centenary of the Poet’s Birth

In order to bolster research and disseminate the work of Greek authors and bring them closer to the general public, the Ministry of Culture and the National Book Centre of Greece (EKEBI) launched, some years ago, the initiative of commemorating one literary figure every year. 

This year, to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Yiannis Ritsos the two institutions have planned a series of commemorative events such as the publication of a special volume dedicated to the life and work of the poet, the creation of a special website with extensive information on the poet, the preparation of a mobile exhibition which will travel around Greece and abroad, as well as the release of 12 commemorative telephone cards in collaboration with Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE). Also, since March 21, EKEBI has released a series of small-size posters on the Athens tram and metro.

Monemvasia to Honour Poet

A much-anticipated exhibition to take place at the medieval fortress of Monemvasia this summer will mark one of the artist's lesser known talents. “Ritsos the Artist” will be inaugurated by the French ambassador in Greece, Christophe Farnaud, on July 4 at the restored Agios Nikolaos Church, once the elementary school where Ritsos studied. Apart from some personal items, the show will mainly consist of watercolours, ceramics, and reed roots painted by Ritsos. Running through to August 4, the Ritsos exhibit is one of many events put together by the Monemvasia municipality and the show's artistic director, composer Pigi Likoudi, to mark the centenary of Ritsos' birth. [Programme of events in Monemvasia (in Greek)