Exhibition: “Greece, Pathways to an Enchanted Land” 8

📌Online conference “Myths, Gods and Heroes in Ancient Greece”

The General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Η Ελλάδα στον Κόσμο and the Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών - University of Athens held an online conference under the title “Myths, Gods and Heroes in Ancient Greece” (30.06.2025)

Welcome speeches were given by Maira Myrogianni, Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy, and Gerasimos Siasos, Professor of Cardiology and Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The keynote speakers at the conference were Sophia G. Papaioannou, Professor of Latin Literature and Vice-Rector of the National and Capodistrian University of Athens and Dimitris Plantzos, Professor of Classical Archaeology and Academic Director of the BA Program in the Archaeology, History, and Literature of Ancient Greece at the same University. The event was organized following the great success of the 1st Greek Youth Diaspora Symposium, held in November 2024, and as part of the Protocol of Cooperation signed between the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which aims to promote Greek language, history and culture among Diaspora Greeks and philhellenes, and to strengthen networks between academics.

In her speech, the Secretary General referred to the power of Greek mythology, not only as a collection of ancient stories, but as a living bridge that connects us to our Panhellenic roots and values. She further noted that "this event is dedicated to those who may live far away from their ancestral land, but who carry within them the memory, pride and legacy of Greek culture.... This initiative shows that the wisdom and symbolism of ancient Greek myths are not limited to the past, but guide and inspire us in our modern lives."

The conference was attended by young people of the Diaspora, members of the international academia, and students from 16 countries and four continents where Greek communities thrive, as well as participants from Greece. The goal was to highlight contemporary youth's connection to the ancient Greek past and the way the myths, gods and heroes of Ancient Greece remain relevant elements in today's world through historical narrative and art.

Read more (in Greek): https://www.mfa.gr/diorganosi-diadiktyakis-imeridas-me-titlo-mythoi-theoi-kai-iroes-stin-archaia-ellada-athina-30-06-2025/

📚📚On the occasion of the publication of his new novel "Jacarandas" (Εκδόσεις Εστία, 2024), award-winning writer Foivos Oikonomidis spoke to Reading Greece about the book, the way his writings describe this liminal era, as well as the way literature converses with its surrounding reality.

"I think literature is quite effective in the way it permeates the skin and allows for what’s inside to be revealed in minute detail. Through literature one can show how reality takes form inside them. How they perceive it, how they suffer or thrive in it, what their attempts to escape it look like. I think there is no world other than the one in our heads, and that we have a really tough time communicating our worlds to each other. So, literature is a great way to empathize. That is the way, I think, through which it can be revolutionary. When we talk of radically different realities, dystopias or utopias and what not, what we want to know is how it feels to live in such a reality. As long as we emphasize on the human experience, literature can describe anything".