Greek National Opera's educational program Co-OPERAtive, the first intercultural youth opera hub in Europe, will complete its fifth year by presenting a new music theatre performance titled (Another) Winter Journey. The performance will feature a mixed group of Athenian teenagers and unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors who were involved in the educational program, alongside the GNO Intercultural Choir. The asylum-seeking minors arrived in Athens from countries such as Syria, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Egypt, Pakistan, to seek refuge from war, violence, extreme poverty, or oppressive regimes; along with teenagers from neighborhoods within Athens itself, they take the stage of to present their contemporary version Franz Schubert’s emblematic song cycle Winterreise.

Guided by Panos Iliopoulos’ musical adaptation and the directorial vision of Vasilis Vilaras, the performance explores the emotional landscape of adolescence, opening a dialogue with timeless human questions—fear, loneliness, hope, loss, first love, and transformation. The dramaturgy, shaped by Vilaras and Lemonia Gianniri, crafts a tapestry of personal testimonies, music, movement, and lived experiences. Rather than following a linear storyline, the performance unfolds as a poetic collage, where the adapted compositions of Schubert function as an inner engine of memory and change.

The stage becomes a meeting ground for different cultures and languages, as young participants narrate, sing, and dance their own lived stories. The GNO Intercultural Choir acts as a collective voice—sometimes urging, sometimes guiding, sometimes reflecting—always carrying a sense of hope. Movement direction is by Ilias Hatzigeorgiou and the performance is conducted by Markellos Chryssicos on the harpsichord.

Winterreise (meaning Winter Journey), the song cycle for voice and piano written in 1828 by Franz Schubert is reimagined with a new structure, incorporating more voices and instruments to become a contemporary work, (Another) Winter Journey. Composer and harpsichordist Panos Iliopoulos, responsible for the adaptation of Schubert's work, said in an interview with ANA-MPA: "Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise was, of course, not originally written to be performed by a choir, so one of the biggest challenges for me was finding ways to make that possible without resorting to oversimplification — and while always preserving the core and essence of Schubert’s music.

As Iliopoulos emphasized, in some of the songs, the original character and mood have been preserved intact, while in others he took more liberties — transforming the pieces, for example, by adding melodies or changing the atmosphere of the instrumental accompaniment. "In our arrangement, the songs are supported by an ensemble of three wind instruments, three strings, and keyboards, instead of the 'lonely' piano of the original — thus turning something intimate into something collective," he explained.

How did young people from such diverse social and cultural backgrounds work together and find a shared voice for expression? In an interview with Efimerida ton Syntakton, the artists and workshop facilitators who guided the teens and are behind the production discuss the experience. Director Vasilis Vilaras recalls that greatest challenge during rehearsals was "bringing together teenagers coming from unstable sociopolitical conditions in their countries of origin and currently living in temporary accommodation facilities, alongside youths who were mostly born in Greece and experience a relatively greater sense of safety" and having them having inhabit the same universe, even if only for a short while. He points out that coordination was the key word for this entire endeavor.

As far as the role that role did the teenagers play in shaping the narrative, Vilaras explains that although the initial dramaturgical concept was developed by the artistic team the teenagers enriched this concept by bringing in their own personal experiences through free-writing exercises and improvisation, which experiences were then incorporated directly into the text of the performance.

Answering question on how he structured this mosaic of experiences, languages, and music on stage, Vilaras states that "we used Schubert’s Winterreise as our foundation. Each song we hear is transformed on stage into an expression of adolescence:
The longing for love, the fear of death, the anxiety about the future, and the urgency of simply existing — all unfold before us through the body, the mind, the heart, and the resistance that defines this age."

This production emerged from a months-long creative process involving teenagers from diverse cultural and social backgrounds, who met weekly in the GNO’s rehearsal spaces to share stories, experiment artistically, and ultimately co-create a unified performance.

(Another) Winter Journey is a performance that speaks to all of us: those who once were teenagers, those who still feel like teenagers, those raising them, and anyone who believes in the transformative power of art as a vehicle for inclusion and empathy.

The event will take place on Saturday, 7 June 2025, 19:30 in the Greek National Opera at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Admission will be free for the public with priority tickets, which will be distributed from June 2 at 12:00, exclusively through ticketservices.gr. The performance will be fully accessible providing an inclusive audiovisual experience for all audiences in collaboration with ATLAS E.P.

Co-OPERAtive - Intercultural Opera Hub for Teenagers

The intercultural opera hub for teenagers, Co-OPERAtive, is part of the GNO's intercultural activities (along with the intercultural orchestra and the intercultural choir) and is the recipient of the 2019 Fedora European Educational Award. Since its inception, it has continued to grow—broadening its collaborations and deepening its commitment to bringing opera closer to younger generations, while celebrating the cultural diversity of contemporary Athens and promoting social inclusion. After four years of successful implementation, Co-OPERAtive returned in 2025 for a fifth season and renewed goals.

Focusing on the importance of intercultural exchange in artistic creation, the program annually brings together 30 young people of diverse nationalities—including Athenians and unaccompanied minor asylum seekers—for a series of weekly workshops led by distinguished artists in music, theater, and dance. These workshops culminate in the co-creation and public presentation of an original musical theater piece.

Throughout this creative process, participants are encouraged—under the guidance of renowned professionals—to develop a shared artistic language and collaborate on a work of their own. The final production is presented to the public at the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the National Opera, a prominent contemporary 1,400-seat opera venue.

This year's Co-OPERAtive was implemented in close collaboration with Kinoniko EKAV, European Expression, Home Project, and Zeuxis.

I.L., with information from Greek National Opera, Efimerida ton Syntatkon and ANA-MPA

The post (Another) Winter Journey : Refugee and local teens forge a common voice in contemporary reimagining of Schubert appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Each year, the Greek National Opera’s Learning & Participation Department launches a diverse array of educational and social programs. These programs integrate opera, music, dance, and visual arts into a series of artistic, experiential, and participatory learning activities; they are designed to engage a wide range of participants, including children, teenagers, schools, adults, seniors (65 and over), unaccompanied minors from accommodation facilities, inmates across Greece, individuals with or without disabilities, socially vulnerable groups, as well as amateur and professional artists from Athens and beyond.

An integral part of GNO’s learning and participation initiatives are their intercultural education projects, i.e. Co-OPERAtive: an intercultural opera hub, the Intercultural Choir and the Intercultural Orchestra, all of which have been active this season.

A “ΣUΠΕR” Co-OPERAtive

Co-OPERAtive, an intercultural opera hub for a mixed group of Athenian teenagers and minor asylum-seekers from all over Attica, returns for a fourth year with the production of music theatre performance “ΣUΠΕR,” which is asking us “which superhero did you want to be as a child, and which one would you like to be now?” This question marks the beginning of a series of consecutive transformations into characters with superpowers. Numerous biographical fantasy references compose a non-linear collective story of allegorical and literal transitions from one state to another, through which we map our own self: both the personal utopia and the inner reality of each one of us.

“ΣUΠΕR” is directed by Argyro Chioti, with music composed by Panos Iliopoulos and texts written by the participants, Athenian teenagers and unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors from Kinoniko Ekav and European Expression.  Speaking to Greek News Agenda* on her experience directing this very special project, Argyro Chioti said: “Co-OPERAtive is a complex and demanding undertaking in many respects. I could discuss at length the specific issues we faced, such as the difficulty of establishing communication with teenagers due to language barriers, their almost complete inexperience on stage or with any creative theatrical process, and the ephemeral nature of their commitment—most teenagers are in a state of waiting to move elsewhere. Additionally, there were various challenges related to differences in religious, social, or cultural perceptions. And of course, the project’s desired outcome, which was that the theme, text and music of the performance would emerge from the participants themselves.

That is what I can summarize as far as the complexity of the workshop is concerned; I wish to focus more on what I found to be most essential, which I tried to learn and respect – with  the absolutely close and in-depth collaboration of the rest of the members of the Co-OPERAtive artistic team (Eleni Moleski, Katerina Gevetzi, Nikos Ziaziaris, Panos Iliopoulos and Pavlos Thanopoulos) – and it is the following question: How do you listen to these individuals without them speaking? How do you elicit responses without coercion? How can one tap into the creative power of the theatrical experience by building on something universal and common to all people and teenagers, giving each one with the space they need, without touching on their – often unimaginable– existential wounds, or falling into the trap of pity, or surface-level approaches such as pseudo-superiority or superficial sympathy?

How do you listen to what the other person would like to tell you on stage, without them saying it to you?

With a playful intent, we ended up with the world of ΣUΠΕR, the theme of hybrid superheroes in a dream circus and the couplet that the teens sing in chorus often during the performance, and which I could say encapsulates the absurdity of the whole experience and of our world in general:

‘Everything has gone well and we are getting closer to our dreams.

We haven't changed course.’”

“ΣUΠΕR”’s composer, Panos Iliopoulos told Greek News Agenda*: "I was amazed by the energy the kids brought to our rehearsals, and how we collectively managed to overcome major obstacles, such as verbal communication; there is no common language between us, so non-verbal codes emerged, a process that of course was greatly aided by the musical aspect of our project.

My approach to composing the music for “ΣUΠΕR” involved combining elements from the vocabulary of contemporary music with simple melodies, rhythmic speaking and recitation, so as to make it possible for everything to be sung and performed by children from diverse cultural backgrounds and varying levels of musical education ―after all, the children were not required to pass any auditions in order to be accepted into the program: the only requirement was their enthusiasm and love for music and theater."

Speaking to “Reader” website, Eleni Moleski, head of theater workshops for Co-OPERAtive and responsible for editing the texts for “ΣUΠΕR”,  noted: “Most of the children answered that when they were younger they wished they had a super power that would make them stronger or faster. But now, they wish they had the power to change things not only for themselves but also for the world around them, their family and their country. Still others said that they now admire people who have inner strength because they want them to feel confident and not be afraid to be themselves. The strongest desire was summed up in the phrase “I don't want anything. I just want to be myself." This need for acceptance of ourselves, by ourselves, and by those around us is a struggle for all us, from childhood through our teenage years and into adulthood."

The performance "ΣUΠΕR"  will take place on Friday 31 May 2024 at the Greek National Opera Alternative Stage at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Admission will be free for the public.

The intercultural choir

This year, for a seventh consecutive year, the Intercultural Choir will continue expanding its repertoire by combining songs from the world’s folk traditions with modern vocal music. The connection of the voice with the body, movement and improvisation, will become for yet another year the basic tools for musical co-creation and free expression. The first performance of the Intercultural Choir was given this December at the mountain village of Vamvakou in collaboration with the Vamvakou Revival project, as part of the Christmas Celebration Events organized with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Another performance will be given this June 12 at the Greek National Opera Alternative Stage (more details to be published  soon).

Greek News Agenda* spoke to Anna Linardou, the Intercultural Choir’s director on the project’s aims: “The Intercultural Choir is a project with educational, artistic, and social aims. Our choir this year consists of proximately 40 men and women from 14 different nationalities, ranging in age from 22 to 83 years old. Some of them are graduates of music universities, others are professional singers and actors, while others have no previous contact with music and singing. Some of our members found themselves in our country and in our group through difficult circumstances. Therefore, our goals are manifold. On one hand, we want to provide everyone, regardless of their musical background, with a fundamentally educational experience. On the other hand, we aim for the choir's activities to have artistic significance and appeal. But our primary goal is creating and the feeding a collective that works creatively with material of its own heterogeneity; a collective that encourages, motivates, inspires, but also asks of each of us to make the necessary personal adjustments towards a common path.”

Asked whether participating in a music project helps them process possible traumas, ms. Linardrou emphasized that “the contribution of collective singing to human well-being is now well established. After all, the role of the song before its incorporation into performance, was to strengthen community bonds and thus empower individuals. Therefore, restoring this primary function of singing is a desideratum. The young refugees who participate bring so much positivity and have such commitment to the group, that is definitely an indicator that something good is happening. But I don't know if this is enough to process a deeply traumatic experience...”

Responding on how elements from the diverse cultural backgrounds of the participants are incorporated into the choir's musical repertoire, ms. Linadrou explains: “First of all, we seek to achieve a multicultural repertoire and to include songs from the countries of origin of our members. Furthermore, our approach to the material is based on the criterion of vocal pluralism. That is, the aim is not to adapt traditional songs to the dominant vocal pattern of Western-style choirs, but instead to include many different vocal idioms and timbres. We do not desire vocal homogenization, but rather the exploration of the diversity of one's own voice through the voices of others”. 

Finally, when we ask her about a special moment she would like to share with us, ms Linardou replies: “They are many and touching. Most of them I can't share because they belong to the group. What I can share is my own feeling. I feel truly grateful to have the privilege of working with these people. They are a source of inspiration, motivation, and of valuable personal reflection.”

Intercultural Orchestra

The Intercultural Orchestra continued its journey through world music, further enriching its palette of traditions, styles, and timbres. Having evolved into a high-class ensemble since its inception in 2018, the orchestra will once again create new musical experiences this year with the steadfast goal of showcasing music as a universal language of communication and connection among people. This season, the orchestra welcomed new members and expanded its exploration to an even broader range of musical traditions.

In 2024, the Intercultural Orchestra participated in the Greek National Opera’s Opera’s 2nd Sacred Music Festival during Easter and concluded 2023 with a remarkable concert at the Parnassos Literary Society in December.

The post Empowering through art: The Greek National Opera’s Intercultural Education initiatives appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Behind the Haystacks is Asimina Proedrou’s compelling debut feature film and the official Greek entry for the 96^th Academy Awards (International Oscar). Critically acclaimed, both nationally and internationally, it has received numerous prestigious awards: 10 major awards at the Greek Academy Awards, including Best Picture, 6 awards at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Best Debut Feature Film Award at the International Film Festival of India (Goa) just to name a few.

Behind the Haystacks is a powerful film, lyrical and intense at the same time, about the human condition, moral impasses and ordinary people trying to survive and enjoy life in "modern" societies functioning as oppressive environments, full of prejudices, corruption and hypocrisy. The story brings together a middle-aged fisherman drowning in debt, a housewife seeking the truth in God and their daughter trying to pursue love and freedom.

Asimina Proedrou was born in 1982, in Athens, Greece. She studied, International Economics and Film Directing while working for the finance department of a large international corporation. She has produced, written and directed two multi-awarded short films (Facets of Loneliness, 2012 and Red Hulk, 2013). Her debut feature film Behind the Haystacks (2022), is a Greek-German-North Madeconian co-production, an intense drama that made huge success in Greece and is now embarking on its journey around the globe.

Greek News Agenda* spoke with writer and director Asimina Proedrou about the film, the human condition and her future plans.

Lake Diorani is a reference point in your film. How did this choice come about?

Lake Doirani is a lake of wild beauty, right on the border of Greece and North Macedonia. I learned about it by chance, from a friend in London, when I was there for some seminars as part of my postgraduate studies. I searched and found photos on Google, the lake had a wild, otherworldly beauty that captivated me. Huge banks of reeds lined its shores, while drowned houses and dead trees haunted the muddy shallows where local fishermen tied up their 'ancient' flatboats.

However, I felt that Doirani Lake had another, symbolic dimension. It was historically a trade route, a setting for wars over the centuries, and a source of life for fishermen and farmers. Since the last century, it has divided and connected the state of Greece with that of North Macedonia and the rest of the Balkans. At the time of the film's setting (2015), the border region with North Macedonia was a flashpoint of global interest, with the region being a crossing point for hundreds of thousands of refugees seeking to escape to Northern Europe.

In the film Behind the Haystacks Lake Doirani is the place where the father fishes and the daughter hides her illicit love, where refugees are smuggled, and some of them drown.  It is the symbolic setting of the characters' dreams. Dreams - nightmares perhaps - woven through ancient legends, old memories and mystical stories. A place where people live and die, dreams are born and broken, stories are woven, repeated and forgotten, while the lake itself remains almost unchanged in time.

The film touches on many pathologies. What was the trigger that led you to deal with all these issues?

The theme of the film relates to how everyday people get caught up in a system of corruption. That is, with the ways and different mechanisms by which a corrupt system reproduces itself. It has to do with my personal political, philosophical and existential concerns, dead ends and quests. It is something that has been plaguing my mind for many years, as it persists in the social and political life of our country as well, affecting, in various ways, my own life too.

The protagonists find themselves trapped in a bleak reality; was this by choice or by necessity?

The characters in my films are everyday people who are under intense pressure coming from the bleak social conditions in which they live and act and this adds to their tragedy. Nevertheless, they have choices - difficult ones, of course - but they do. Consequently, they are individually responsible for their decisions and actions. So I do not consider them to be at the mercy of their circumstances. However, I try very hard to understand them and not to condemn them uncritically. At the same time, I try to bring out whatever human and bright arises from their daily struggle for survival, from their need to love and be loved and to improve the world around them.

You describe in very dark colors the Greek countryside. Hypocrisy, overpiousness, corruption and patriarchy are in the foreground. Do you think that this is really the way things are? Is the situation different in the urban centers? In general, do you consider Greek society to be conservative?

I chose from the beginning to set the story in a closed society because the interdependencies between people and the system of power are such that they would help me to explore the theme in greater depth.

I could talk about the same theme, the mechanisms of corruption and entrapment, by placing the story within an urban setting: for example, within a political or other organization, where the interdependencies are also strong, as I did with my short film Red Hulk (2013), where there are similar quests.

The overpiousness, the corruption and the patriarchy may appear more intense in the Greek countryside, but the core of the problem is the same throughout the society. Therefore, the film is not narrowly about the Greek countryside, but about Greek society in general. At the same time, it is not narrowly about Greek society, but about all "civilized" Western societies, which also tend to erode, and, despite their apparent progressiveness, are, in my opinion, deeply conservative.

Of course, this in no way reflects the whole of society. It is rather a tendency that I feel exists, rather a reflection of my fears of where we are heading - fears that I am trying, through the process of creation, to exorcise.

What is your most memorable experience from the shoot?

The magic of the creation, the passion and the creativity of the heads of the artistic departments... And the fact that it was very, very cold!

What were the biggest challenges you faced as a filmmaker?

The main problem a filmmaker often has to face in Greece is underfunding. Films are usually made with much less money than they should be. In this respect, I must say I feel very lucky, because my producer, Ioanna Bolomiti, in cooperation with the co-producers managed to cover a budget that was beyond our projections. 

There were also huge difficulties because we shot during the lockdown (January to March 2021). This practically meant extra costs, closed shops (the set and wardrobe department did a great job despite the adversities), internal travel restrictions, closed borders (we shot in North Macedonia). There were huge difficulties in finding locations for filming, similar difficulties with extras, huge insecurity. The weather was also a huge challenge for us since we had to shoot for 10 hours in -10 degrees Celsius.

But finally, we managed to overcome these difficulties. I was lucky enough to work with a great artistic team, who always did their best and gave their hearts and souls to achieve the best possible result.

There is something magical in cinema. There are things that you plan and control but there are also things that come up, such as people you work with, circumstances or issues that come up all the time and you have to deal with.  At the same time, new ideas are constantly being born. These circumstances call for creativity. So, in a way, the outcome is something much more beautiful and alive than what you had in mind when it all started!

What do you think were the key features that made your film stand out?

I don’t think that there is just one thing. It’s the story, the theme, the cinematography, the editing, the performances… However, one thing that people talk to me about very often is the characters’ development. I feel that they deeply indentify with different aspects of the characters, their relationships and their moral dilemmas in a viewing process which is hard and healing at the same time.

After the success of your film, would you be interested in a career abroad?

I am currently working on two feature films. They are in the script development and financing stage. They mainly focus on the Greek society and characters. I feel like that's what I want to do - at least for now. 

What skills does a young creator need to have in order to succeed in Greece today?

Passion, patience and perseverance. And all of these at the highest possible level.

*Interview by Dora Trogadi

Read also via Greek News Agenda: Filming Greece | Yorgos Goussis explores the power of togetherness in "Magnetic Fields"; HELIOS project for the integration of refugees in Greece and the EU

The post Filming Greece | Asimina Proedrou on her film “Behind the Haystacks” appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

"Migratory Birds" is a newspaper published in Greece by a team of teenage and young migrants, refugees and Greeks. The newspaper, which is an initiative of the Network for Children’s Rights, is multilingual, publishing articles in Arabic, English, Farsi, Greek and Urdu. This initiative aims to give a voice to young refugees and empower them tell their own stories and expresses themselves, while reaching out to the wider public and informing them on the reality of refugee life. Migratory Birds aspires to contribute to the promotion of intercultural dialogue and to the fight against xenophobia, while facilitating the social integration of refugees and migrants.

Young Journalists

The idea for this project was born by the hesitation of people living in refugee camps to talk to journalists, as they believed that their stories would not be presented as they should. So, in 2016, fifteen Afghan teenagers and a young Greek woman decided to become journalists themselves and be the voices of the refugee population, with the help of the "Young Journalists" program. This program was developed by the Network for Children’s Rights with the aim to familiarize at teenagers and young adults with media and journalism, it is an original system of non-formal education as well as an inclusive training practice, equipped with tools for the inclusion of vulnerable groups.

Currently, adolescents from Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Albania, Georgia and Greece participate in writing and editing the newspaper, which is published every two months in the form of a supplement for the daily "Ef.Syn." The issues, also distributed in schools and refugee camps, are free. Since first issue of the newspaper was released, the group evolved and is constantly being enriched with a lot of new members from different backgrounds, nationalities and languages. In 2019, the team launched the website of “Migratory Birds” and later on, the web radio station "Dandelion”.

Thanks to workshops, journalism courses, visits to professional locations, but also the editorial meetings organized by the Young Journalists program, the young participants manage to form a theoretical framework which allows them to successfully conduct interviews with political figures, successful professionals, etc. while three of the participants successfully completed, during the past year, internships in media companies.

Every week the participants get together, research and write their articles, conduct interviews, discuss current affairs, record broadcasts and prepare the next issue of the newspaper. The topics covered in the articles vary from refugees' journeys to their interests in art, sports and culture, among others. Among the interviewees of the team are the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the US ambassador, the president of the Roma community in Greece and an American expert on human trafficking. The program has expanded over the years, now including multi-generational immigrants and young Greeks. All participants are aged 13 to 24 and work as volunteers.

Access to media is a powerful tool that can strengthen marginalized and vulnerable population groups, such as migrants and refugees. It is also a platform that allows adolescents to communicate their problems and concerns, but also to develop their skills and share their worries and dreams for the future, while maintaining contact with their native language and culture. Furthermore, interaction with other adolescents and adults, outside of refugee accommodation centers and homes for unaccompanied minors, improves young refugees’ integration into existing social networks and motivates them to actively participate in them."We facilitate the process of integrating refugees into society, in particular through this cooperation between people from different backgrounds. This helps avoid negative reactions and fight against xenophobia,” says Network director Panos Christodoulou.

The Migratory Birds journal also aims to combat the underrepresentation and sometimes stereotypical presentation of refugees in the media. A Council of Europe report concluded in 2017 that "refugees and migrants have few opportunities to speak directly about their experiences and suffering. More often than not, they are singled out and portrayed in images as silent victims."

The "Young Journalists" program was recognized as a “best practice” in integration and included in was included in a practical handbook for professionals working with children prepared by the Council of Europe Children’s Rights Division. In this context, the EFIVOS project was created, another initiative of the Network for the Children’s Rights, with the aim of upgrading the “Young Journalists” program, focusing on the extension of the good practice throughout the EU and further contributing to the acquisition of specialized skills by young people.

The publication of "Migratory Birds" and the production of the "Radio Dandelion" podcasts are carried out by the Child Rights Network with the support of the United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR.

In the past, the program has also been supported by the Dutch Embassy in Athens, Unicef, the German Foreign Ministry, Save the Children and the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.

Network for Children’s Rights

The Network for Children’s Rights acquired non-profit organisation status in 2004, but actually began as an informal action group four years earlier with the aim of raising awareness of problems relating to the rights of children and interceding in order to solve them. It encourages initiatives and actions to ensure that the UN International Convention on the Rights of the Child is implemented in Greece, to guarantee respect for diversity and to put an end to discrimination. Its members are teachers, parents, university lecturers, authors, artists and children who work on a voluntary basis both within and outside the school community. They carry out surveys, campaigns and programmes.

The Network cooperates with international bodies and other organizations and associations in Greece and Europe, organizes two campaigns per year, publishes publications, rewards students for their initiatives, offers material and moral support to groups of vulnerable minors and to their families, organizes seminars for teachers and parents, trains volunteers and encourages socialization through various activities.

Photos: Migratory Birds Page FB

I.L., translated from the Grèce Hebdo article : ‘Migratory Birds’ le journal des jeunes réfugiés en Grèce

The post Migratory Birds: The Newspaper of Young Refugees in Greece appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Kristina Gedgaudaitė is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow at the University of Amsterdam. She has published a monograph based on her thesis titled “The Memory of Asia Minor in Contemporary Greek Culture” by Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies Series (2021). Previously, she was a Mary Seeger O'Boyle postdoctoral research fellow at the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, Princeton University. Her research interests fall within the fields of 20th century Greek literature and culture, cultural memory, migration, comics and graphic novels.

Kristina Gedgaudaitė spoke to Rethinking Greece* on how representations of the Asia Minor refugee experience in popular Greek culture have changed through the decades, on her work on Soloup’s graphic novel Aivali, on why the graphic novel is an apt format to represent a difficult historical past and finally on the educational project Greek Studies Now.

Your most recent research project focused on the memory of the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) in contemporary Greek culture. How have representations of Asia Minor refugee experience changed in popular culture through the decades? Was there a turning point when refugee memory found its place in Greek history?

The memory of the Greco-Turkish War always played an important role in Greek culture, yet this role has not been the same over the period of the last hundred years, as it changes shape in accordance with the needs of the communities by which it has been invoked. To illustrate this point, my book Memories of Asia Minor begins from the testimony of a refugee woman, Marianthe Karamousa, recorded by the Center for Asia Minor Studies; at a certain point of accounting her hardships, she laments that these experiences do not find a place in history. The testimony is recorded in 1962, that is forty years after the war, the same year when many commemoration ceremonies were held across Greece. It is also the year that some of the works that are today regarded as most prominent on this subject were published, such as Aivali, My Homeland by Fotis Kontoglou or Bloodied Earth (transl. Farewell Anatolia) by Dido Soteriou. Yet this refugee still felt that her experiences lay outside history, even at the moment of narrating those experiences for the historical record to the interviewer of the Centre for Asia Minor Studies. The testimony was published in the first volume of the Center for Asia Minor Studies' collection The Exodus in 1980; the decade of the 1980s can indeed be regarded as the moment when refugee experiences assume great significance in the public sphere. All this happens at a transnational conjuncture, when a human rights discourse is on the rise and there is increased attention to individual stories that lay claim to these rights. Yet, while certain experiences, such as the exodus from Smyrna become watershed moments in the history of the Greco-Turkish War, others, such as those of Turkish-speaking Christians that left Greece, never obtain the same visibility. In this context, the focus of my project is on the role memories of Asia Minor come to play in present-day Greece.

What is the role of memories of Asia Minor in contemporary Greek culture? How do they connect to Greek society’s current hopes and fears?

I view cultural memory as a toolbox, which can indeed provide tools to position oneself in history and to address the present in a certain way, be it to assume a distinct cultural identity, to provide a template for responding to present-day issues, or to advocate for recognition and social justice. The two examples of this process I focused on in my research are the history textbook edited by the team led by Maria Repousi and the 2015-2016 response to the currently ongoing refugee crisis. Both attracted wide public attention, albeit in different ways: the former leading to outcries of outrage, while the latter – to solidarity. Perhaps one could say that the underlying premise of my work was that we need to take such emotions seriously, to understand where they come from and where they lead.

It was also important for me to foreground that while memories operate within certain social, cultural and political frameworks, the meaning that they take on is ultimately determined in an encounter with others. During my research, I witnessed a number of occasions when cultural works dealing with refugee memories deemed alternative visions were embedded in the national culture, and vice versa – the works that were considered as reflective of nationalist discourses served as a meeting point for diverse viewpoints to emerge. Hence taking into account encounters with memories was important for showing that contingent futures of memory emerge from established views and openings to difference.

How does your work on Asia Minor memories connect to current global debates over contested pasts and refugeehood?

While this is not a new phenomenon, the declared refugee crisis in 2015 brought this issue to the foreground of European politics. Returning to the case of refugees from Asia Minor in this context, offers an interesting point of departure for considering what meanings of refugeehood persist when the initial sense of emergency and crisis that led to it are long gone.

Looking into the ways in which contemporary identity politics intertwine with questions about the past, and how claims of ownership over this past inevitably come endowed with specific demands for the future, resonates strongly with debates taking place in other global contexts, be it on exclusions and inclusions that characterize commemoration practices or the role of migratory heritage within national culture. Finally and importantly, the compulsory population exchange between Greece and Turkey served as a blueprint for executing a number of other displacements, most notably after World War II, and exploring those links offers a vantage point for viewing the legacies of war in the global context, beyond Greece and Turkey. I have made some steps in exploring the latter in my most recent work. 

Your current research project deals with Greek comics and graphic novels. How did you get from researching memories of Asia Minor to comics?

Just as I was starting my research project on memories of Asia Minor, as part of my doctoral dissertation at the University of Oxford in 2014, Soloup’s graphic novel Aivali was published. I found it very engaging and particularly reflective of the ways in which the grandchildren of refugees relate to their cultural heritage. Just think of your own family memories: rarely they come as a full story, and much more often – as fragments, prompted by something in our everyday. It is then our task to piece those fragments together. This is a process which is often facilitated by delving into the archive to fill in the gaps in the story as well as a journey of return to the homelands of one’s ancestors. This is exactly what we see happening in the case of Soloup’s Aivali, but also other recent works on the topic.

The graphic novel is a particularly apt format to represent what dealing with a difficult historical past and what tis entails, which can be seen from the proliferation of such narratives across the globe. Graphic narrative is built around a number of tensions; between word and image, between single image and page as a whole, between representing and exposing the process of mediating representation. What is more, they often break down linear historical chronologies and as a result mange to expose history as a process with long lasting consequences beyond the event itself. The capacity of the comics medium to render history is what caught my initial interest and eventually led me to the wider exploration of comics and graphic novels as a means of artistic innovation and social critique in contemporary Greece, first conceived while on a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University, and currently continuing within the framework of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie individual fellowship, held at the University of Amsterdam.

You are one of the coordinators of the project Greek Studies Now. Could you tell us more about this project? What are the stakes for Modern Greek Studies in the current cultural conjecture?

Greek Studies Now started as an initiative between the University of Oxford and the University of Amsterdam in 2020, with Durham University joining as a third institutional partner in 2023. Yet from the very beginning it served as a network bringing together colleagues across different universities and career stages. The key question that this network addresses is how Greek studies can offer a vantage point for critical engagement with wider global contexts and debates. Over the course of three years since this network’s inception, the topics that were addressed in this framework ranged from eco-criticism to the trial of the Golden Dawn, from AIDS commemoration to Albanian-Greek identity, and much more. At the core of the network’s activities lies an invitation to think contrapuntally – weaving connections across topics, contexts, and disciplinary boundaries. Most importantly, I believe this kind of critical engagement with the present also invites reconsideration of one’s own role and positionality as a researcher. While this is certainly a much wider call, I see more and more colleagues who are active participants in the network activities to think through and engage with their research topics in various ways beyond academia.

Read also from Greek News Agenda:

Rethinking Greece | Emilia Salvanou on the Greek-Turkish population exchange after 1922 and the making of Greek refugees' memory

Reading Greece: The Asia Minor Catastrophe in Modern Greek Literature

* Interview to: Ioulia Livaditi

The post Rethinking Greece | Kristina Gedgaudaitė on representations of the Asia Minor refugee experience in popular Greek culture appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

‘Uprooting, Realism’ [“Ξεριζ-ωμός, Ρεαλισμός” in Greek] is the new exhibition running through July 9, 2022, at the Tsichritzis Arts Foundation in Kifissia. As indicated by its title, the exhibition refers to the Asia Minor Catastrophe events, as 2022 marks 100 years since the unfolding of this foremost, in Modern Greek history, traumatic experience.

(Left) Tsichritzis Foundation building (Right) "Smyrna" by Evangelia Bolani

“My dear, when your beautiful body took fire, and shone like the stars, God could not be found, nor a person to stand up for you, only the day watched, muted, and the night […], because people were monsters and God was missing in foreign lands.”

“Smyrna” quatrain by Greek poet Angelos Simiriotis (1873-1944)

Taking into consideration that these tragic historic events effectively meant the end of the presence of one of the ancient Greek populations in Asia Minor, which forced hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee to mainland Greece under appalling conditions, 32 contemporary artists make reference to the enduring, universal phenomenon of people’s persecution, uprooting and flight.

Ⓒ Artworks by: Vasia Moustaka, Georgios Babili, Stella Katergiannaki

More specifically, the show presents artworks by: Georgios Babilis, Miltos Tsivdaris, Paul Spourelas, Stella Sevastopoulos, Giota Angelopoulou, Sofia Aptosoglou, Elena Arsenidou, Poly Georgakopoulou, Vicky Zagouri, Aglaia Thanasou,  Christos Theodoridis, Stella Kateryiannaki, Christina Kateryiannaki, Miranta Katsifa, Selina Kritikou, Angeliki Kostalou, Evangelia Liaskou, Prodromos Manou, Costas Markopoulos, Vivi Mentzelopoulou, Vasia Moustaka, Emilios Barbatos, Evangelia Bolani, Yiorgos Deros, Olga Xithali, Popi Palatianou, Sotiris Papagiannis, Vangelis Pappas, Aikaterini Pouliasi, Titina Rondoyianni, Matina Sioki, Ioanna Tsachtsirli.

As the curator of the exhibition, Dimitris Lazarou, notes: “With a moral duty not to forget our history and chapters such as the Asia Minor catastrophe, 100 years later, 32 modern, remarkable visual artists, inspire and create works that tell stories that view again, in a different light, historical moments or periods. At the same time, they emphasize the eternity of phenomena that man, no matter how long he declares ready to extinguish them, continues through wrong policies or policies of indifference to hatch and repeat their resurgence”.

Ⓒ Artworks by: Selina Kritikou, Miranda Katsifa, Miltos Tsivdaris, Vivi Mentzelopoulou

The Tsichritzis Arts Foundation was founded in 1999 by lawyer and art collector Philip Tsichritzis, on account of his passion for contemporary visual arts. Located in the center of Kifissia, the Foundation is housed in a building that is one of the most distinct examples of modern architecture of the early 1970’s, designed by architect Michael Orros. Its main goal is to operate as a cultural and educational hub in the broader area of Athens’ northern suburbs by supporting contemporary artists, organizing painting, photography, and sculpture exhibitions, as well as providing courses on art history, museology, art conservation, costume design and more.

More info about the exhibition: visit the Tsichritzis Arts Foundation website

More info about Hellenism in Asia Minor: visit the Centre for Asia Minor Studies website

Read also: Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis’ speech at the memorial service for the National Remembrance Day for the Genocide of Asia Minor Greeks (September 2021)

E.S.

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Smooth integration and coexistence between refugees and local communities are the main goals of the HELIOS project recently launched in Greece, as the country in recent years has been receiving thousands of migrants and refugees with a peak during 2015-2016.

The HELIOS project is implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in cooperation with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and the funding of the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission (DG Home).

The main pillars of the project include accommodation support, Greek language courses and employability support as the inclusion of refugees to the Greek society are for the benefit of both sides. In close collaboration with national authorities and experienced Partners the HELIOS project supports the integration of beneficiaries of international protection currently residing in temporary accommodation schemes into the Greek society, through the following components:

• Integration Courses: Conduction of Integration Courses within Integration Learning Centres set-up across Greece consisting of modules on Greek language learning, cultural orientation, job readiness and life skills.
• Accommodation support: Supporting beneficiaries towards independent accommodation in apartments rented on their name.
• Employability support: Provision of individual employability and job readiness support, including through job counseling, access to job-related certifications and networking with private employers.
• Integration monitoring: Regular assessment of the integration progress of the beneficiaries to ensure that they will be in a position to confidently navigate through Greek public service providers once they will exit from the HELIOS project and start living independently in Greece.

Photo: IOM FB page 

The objective of the project is to increase beneficiaries’ prospects towards self-reliance supporting them in becoming active members of the Greek society, while establishing an integration mechanism for beneficiaries of international protection.

According to IOM data from July 2019 up today, 18,947 recognized refugees have enrolled in the HELIOS project, while 6,115 of them have signed new lease agreements for apartments rented in their own name. It is worth to highlight that from June 2020 - after the decision for the exit of recognized refugees from the accommodation facilities - until 9 October, 4,428 beneficiaries of the project have been registered with new rental contracts.

The project also includes a program of sensitization of the host community through the organization of workshops, activities and events, the production of a nationwide media campaign to create exchange occasions between the hosting and the hosted communities, while highlighting the value of the integration of migrants into the Greek society.

Integration efforts through education and training are essential not only for refugee’s inclusion in Greek society but also in every EU country where they could be relocated, in the future. Effective management of migration and asylum policies in the EU also depends on the effective social inclusion of refugees and migrants through the osmosis with the European societies participating and contributing to the well-being of the communities ensuring thus the social cohesion.

The new EU pact on Migration and Asylum

A new pact on Migration and Asylum was proposed on the 23rd of September by the European Commission requiring approval by the European Parliament and member states at the European Council. The proposal sets out improved and faster procedures throughout the asylum and migration system and makes efforts to set in balance the principles of fair sharing of responsibility and solidarity. Through improving cooperation between the countries of origin and transit, ensuring effective procedures as well as successful integration of refugees and return of those with no right to stay, European Commission’s proposal is trying to introduce a comprehensive European approach to migration.

Greece during negotiations on Commission’s proposal -as a frontline country like Italy or Spain still bearing the brunt of migrant/refugee’s arrivals- will support its fundamental positions asking for mandatory relocations and solidarity insisting on fair sharing of the burden between all the member states that will balance the responsibility borne by the first host countries.

Read more on GNA

Refugees in Greece: Integration efforts, remaining challenges
“Face forward... into my home” | Portraits and stories of refugees in Athens
EU-UNHCR Launch Housing Scheme for Refugees in Greece

I.E.

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Dimitris Christopoulos is Associate Professor of State and Legal Theory at Panteion University of Athens and the President of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH). Christopoulos was elected in this position on August 2016 by the 184 member organizations of FIDH during their 39th Congress in Johannesburg. He had chaired the board of the Hellenic League for Human Rights from 2003 until 2011 and served as the Legue's Vice President from 2011 to 2013.

FIDH is an international human rights NGO, founded in 1922 and federating 184 organizations from 112 countries with the aim to defend all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights as they are set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In his first speech as FIDH President, Christopoulos highlighted:"The issue at stake is the core of politics: the struggle against inequality, the struggle for altering the power structure in favour of the weak, in favour of the rule of law, in favour of our own vision for a just world."

Professor Christopoulos spoke to Rethinking Greece* about the emergence of a "post-fascist" style of governance in many countries; the importance of a total reconfiguration of EU political structures; the negative effect of the economic and refugee crisis on political and human rights in Greece and Europe and the need to persist on the project of relocation and resettlement of refugees within the EU -instead of creating buffer zones in the periphery. Finally, he stressed that we must remain vigilant and fight back for human rights, especially at a time when cynicism is disguised as realism and human rights are viewed as a luxury.

As FIDH president you have a global overview of the state of human rights. What would you consider the most important issues facing the world today?

This is a question I should have got used to answering but nonetheless, every time I face it, I do not have an easy answer. What I would say is that along with old fashioned authoritarianism, which makes the lives of citizens and human rights defenders unbearable, in our days we witness the emergence of a ‘new’ governance style that I could call post-fascist: it is not traditional fascism, yet it shares with it the basic premise of far-right ideology, which is a genuine disregard for universal human dignity. This is what unites completely different or even opponent political regimes.

So, you believe that this is not a localized trend but a universal one?

I argue that if we regard this drift as something relevant only to underdevelopment and retardation in a classic Orientalist stereotyping approach, things could get worse. A historical recipe for the success of such ideologies is that you think that “it can’t happen here”; and when it happens, it’s already too late. The damage is done and you need triple the amount of work to pick up the pieces. See what is happening in Turkey: we are talking about long lasting events that come to determine the nature of a regime, not conjectural changes.

Yes, but one could argue that Turkey was never a full democracy.

Indeed, but what would you say about Austria, where the extreme right candidate got 49% of the vote? How about Trump’s USA and Putin’s Russia? What about Poland? Of course, we are all relieved with the result of the Dutch and the French elections, but if the message we get is that “no worries, things are going well”, then I am afraid that our complacence is not far from stupidity. I wish I could be more optimistic, but what I see is, on the one hand, panic – after Brexit for example – and on the other hand, naive enthusiasm, like after Le Pen’s defeat in France. If we really want to move forward, panic and enthusiasm are not good advisors. We really need to see what makes people turn to these post-fascist solutions. We really need a total reconfiguration of political structures in the EU for example. Not simply “reform” them. The term “reform” today has been so extensively cannibalized that it is actually better to forget it.

Let’s talk about Greece then, which is really undergoing severe reforms. Has the economic crisis in Greece had a negative impact on human rights?

That the ‘crisis’ has contributed to the downgrading human rights standards in Greece is no novelty. The FIDH has already documented that in a report made jointly with the Greek League for Human Rights in 2014. If I might summarize it, I’d say that you can’t expect to shrink social rights without touching political rights and then, finally, violating individual ones. This is what happened in Greece. Cuts in education and health for example, lead to downplaying the role of the Parliament in decision making: laws passing with presidential decrees and emergency procedures have trivialized the role of the legislature in favour of the executive and the institutions of Greece’s creditors.

At the beginning of the crisis and up until 2013, social protests lead to abusesby the state: shutting down Greek Public television and radio in June 2013 has been the most illustrative example of this. Have things changed since then?

Yes and no. The main difference is that the fatigue of Greek society is such that people do not protest as they used to. “Crisis” is not seen as such anymore in Greece. It has become the new regime, the new normality governing our lives. What was once exceptional became the norm. At the beginning we regarded crisis as a V: you are up, you go down and then up again. Now, crisis is perceived as an L: you go down and then you continue down on this line. The generation of my students or my children does not view the current situation as a crisis: for them, that is life. Salaries of 480 Euros, unemployment at 20%, no prospect of a pension; these things are simply regarded as normal; harsh to admit, but true. Things will improve, but they will not be good.

You do not seem to be very optimistic...

I am a realist who hopes and works to change things acknowledging how hard this is. I stand for ‘Hope without optimism’, the title of Terry Eagleton’s last book. Hope is an existential position of fighting back for our rights. Hope is not naive voluntarism. It must be a vision and a strategy. Otherwise, we lose.

In 2015, in the turmoil of the financial crisis, Greece starts to deal with another crisis, that of the refugees. What has been its impact on human rights?

The impact differs according to the time period. In 2015, the Greek policy of letting people in was the only solution to face the humanitarian crisis. It would have been impossible for Greece to do otherwise without considerable casualties in terms of human lives and rights. Yet, now things have changed. After the closure of the Balkan corridor and the adoption of the “Common Statement” between the EU and Turkey on managing migrant flows, the islands in the Eastern Aegean have become a buffer zone, so that people won’t make it to the North of Europe. Unfortunately, the Greek government has accepted this.

You have strong views against the EU-Turkey statement on migrants and refugees.

I know that as long as Germany is convinced that the only solution is this “deal” with Turkey, Greece will have a hard time dealing with the issue. On the other hand, the situation is unbearable. Despite the enormous sums spent in Greece on the ‘refugee question’, the results are poor. On the one hand, the Greek administrative chaos has become a nightmare for all those working in the field. On the other, this chaos is in convenient complicity with the political objective of the EU, which is to stem the migrant flows. As FIDH President, I am convinced that such “deals” that externalize refugee and migration management to the EU periphery create very toxic precedents. The rich ask the poor to contain the poorest. And then the nightmare begins. See what is happening in Libya. We found a failed state with an absolute disrespect for human rights to do the dirty job of keeping African migrants and refugees out of Europe. How shameful...

What else could be done?

The dominant EU discourse wants to persuade us that there is no other viable solution. “We are not that proud of it, but what else can we do? If more refugees come, then right-wing extremism will rise”.

Yet, as I keep on saying, if we keep out refugees and migrants in order to avoid the rise of the far right, we ourselves become the beast we are fighting against. What could be done is what timidly started in the summer of 2015: relocation and resettlement within the EU so that all member-states carry a proportional responsibility. This is European solidarity. This is what solidarity to persecuted people means. This is what taking rights seriously means.

Nation-states can both uphold and undercut human rights, so a wider political order is needed to guarantee those rights. What is the role NGOs such as FIDH can play in that political order?

When Marx wrote that “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it” he did not mean that we should not interpret the world. He meant that only if we are able to interpret the world we might be able change it. The role that organizations like the FIDH have in this process is to provide tools for understanding and change. That is why I insist on both our vision and our strategy. It is not only about moral principles. Fighting for rights is an ongoing political project for human emancipation and peace. Otherwise, “no justice, no peace”: old motto...

After one year as FIDH president, do you believe that human rights overall are in retreat around the world? What do you perceive as the biggest threat against human rights today?

There once used to be a narrative: things would get better and better. According to this narrative, the world would always move forward, in the right direction. It is like a classic Hollywood scenario: some suspense, but at the end the good guy wins. This is the essence of liberal or communist determinism. Well, history is nothing like a happy end movie. History is by definition full of open questions that might turn into nightmares. And particularly in fluid times of transition such as the one we are living in.

Some would argue that we can learn from history, but I am afraid it is not so simple. If we could learn from history, we would have learned already, but this is not the case. The biggest threat against human rights today is the very idea that rights do not matter anymore, that what matters is effective governance that provides security. This is what unites Trump with Putin for example. This perception regards rights as an unreasonable luxury. Human rights defenders are treated as internal enemies or, at best, as Don Quixotes. The biggest threat and challenge to the global movement for human rights is this cynicism disguised as ‘realism’; fighting back for human rights, as we say in the FIDH, means deconstructing this narrative. We are neither Don Quixotes, nor victims. Human rights defenders are protagonists of history.

*Interview to: Ioulia Livaditi

The post Rethinking Greece: Dimitris Christopoulos on human rights as a political struggle for emancipation and peace appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Sia Anagnostopoulou is a SYRIZA MP and associate professor of History at the Department of Political Science and History of Panteion University. She has been visiting professor at the New York University, the University of Cyprus and the Έcole des Hautes Έtudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris. Her main research interests are nationalism in Greece, Turkey and Cyprus and colonialism in Cyprus. She has published two monographies: Asia Minor. The Greek Οrthodox Communities, 19th century-1919. From the Rum millet to the Greek Nation (Athens 1997, in Greek) and The Modernization of Turkey. Islam and Turkish-Cypriots in relation to Kemalism (Athens 2004, in Greek).

Professor Anagnostopoulou is a member of the Paneuropean Committee of the Academy for European History created by Transform! Europe, a member of the Greek Contemporary Social History Archives (ASKI) and a member of  the Board of the  Nicos Poulantzas Institute.

From 2000 to 2003, Anagnostopoulou headed the Cypriot Foreign Ministry's research team on issues concerning Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot community. In the January 2015 Greek legislative elections, Anagnostopoulou was elected as a SYRIZA Member of the Hellenic Parliament for the prefecture of Achaia and was appointed alternate minister for European Affairs. Following the last legistlative elections of September 2015, she was appointed alternate minister for Education, Research and Religious Affairs until November 2016.

Sia Anagnostopoulou spoke to our sister publication Grèce Hebdo* on the progress of the ongoing negotiations on the Cyprus issue, the European contribution to the Geneva Cyprus talks, the importance of installing an institutional framework for the coexistence of two communities of different religions and ethnic groups in one european state as an act of resistance against a galloping nationalism and the EU-Turkey refugee deal:

How would you evaluate recent developments on the Cyprus issue?

Very significant progress has been made. The negotiations between the leaders of the two communities, the Greek Cypriot community and the Turkish Cypriot community, are at a very good point. First of all, there is a historic development, symbolically and literally speaking: it is the first time since 1974, after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, that the two communities have exchanged maps outlining territorial proposals.

This is important because the leaders of the two communities are trying to define their space -the "border" between their communities- by themselves and through negotiations. In fact, the two communities are trying to reconstruct a "border" of trust and peace between them, thus in practice annulling the consequences of the invasion that has violently imposed a frontier of hatred, dividing the Cypriot area into two worlds, two enemy "countries". Through the presentation of maps, the Cypriot leaders claim that they, and not the Turkish army, are the ones with the responsibility to manage the Cypriot area. This is a first step towards the solution, and it is indicative of the determination of the two Cypriot leaders to move forward.

What is your assessment of the European contribution to the Geneva Cyprus talks?

This is the first time that the European Union has become more actively involved in the Cyprus issue. In my opinion, it is necessary to get more involved, especially since Cyprus is the southeastern border of Europe, the border between Europe and the Middle East. The solution of the Cyprus problem must be at the heart of European policy. Also, through Cyprus (not only Cyprus, of course), the European Union will reinvent itself; it will reinvent its "world" and its region, and the values ​​that prevail in its relations with its neighbours.

The solution of the Cyprus problem, the border problem of Europe, will give out the message that: 1) the European Union has political responsibility for its borders; 2) It does not permit the perpetuation of "grey zones" in its territory, and of zones that lead to the division of its frontiers between a “Christian world” and a "Muslim world", one against the other; 3) It puts a definite end to its colonial past and to nationalist politics that undermine Europeanization efforts of its region; and 4) it turns its borders into a bridge with its neighbours and not a "wall of hatred” between the  European world and the "barbarians".

In short, the resolution of the Cyprus problem, especially at a crucial time for the future -not only of Europe but of the whole world- will demonstrate that European values persist and that the world (on a local, European and global level) is not divided by criteria of culture, colour and religion; on the contrary, respect for democratic institutions, equality and justice is the basis of coexistence. Therefore, the solution of the Cyprus problem, i.e. the formation of an institutional framework for the coexistence of two communities of different religions and ethnic groups under the same state -Cypriot and European- can be an act of resistance against a galloping and threatening nationalism.

Some argue that "no solution" on the Cyprus issue is always the best solution. Do you share that view?

Not at all. First of all, by adopting this view, we accept the consequences of the post-colonial period, of ethnic conflicts and, above all, of the Turkish invasion, as something that happened "naturally", without political intervention. As a result, we passively comply with the notion that at this very intense historical moment in time, when problems in the Middle East and Turkey create a framework of instability, Cyprus -at least part of its area- is prey to this instability.

This means that we accept that Cyprus is potentially a gate to the importation of this instability onto European soil. In reality, allowing almost half of the territory of a European area to be outside European control and outside the control of the Cypriot state is not a good sign for the future, particularly at this time when the future does not seem so peaceful.

What is your view on the implementation of the agreement signed between the EU and Turkey on 18 March 2016 on the management of refugee flows?

This agreement could show that Europe is cooperating with neighbouring countries in order to solve a serious problem, a humanitarian problem, in order to more efficiently protect refugees from traffickers etc. However, this agreement is not the result of a humanitarian policy but an emergency management policy, dictated by the rationale of retaining the problem outside European borders. The European Union, which is very effective at imposing economic regulations, proves uninterested in applying humanitarian rules with the same zeal. So the European Union has capitulated to the threats and nationalist policies of member-states that do not accept refugees on their soil, but refuses to deviate somewhat from its economic rules when it comes to countries like Greece, which face a humanitarian crisis and which, at the same time, provide a humanitarian roof for refugees.

*Interview by Irini Anastopoulou, translated to English by Ioulia Livaditi

The post Sia Anagnostopoulou on the progress of Cyprus talks appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Greece is a country renowned for its contribution to philosophy, democracy and civilization in general. Currently, though, Greece has been making a different contribution to the world. Migration is a global reality and Greeks are dealing with it in a unique way: hospitality. Everyday people across Greece become examples of kindness, humanity and solidarity, offering items to people who have nothing.

Within this framework, Amnesty International in Greece and Oxfam have created The Museum Without A Home wanting to thank Greeks for offering pieces of their lives, both metaphorically and literally, to this cause.

The Museum Without A Home is quite different from the ordinary, since it neither has a specific location nor opening hours, while the objects it displays are not works of art but things that the Greeks offered to people who needed protection and support and that played an important role in their everyday lives.

Look around for the exhibits throughout the city. You’ll find them at particular Public Transport modes (tube, trams and over ground coaches) as well as at the Acropolis Museum, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of School Life and Education and the Frissiras Museum. Visit them and listen to their stories; maybe you can identify with one of those!

Amnesty International is a global movement with over 7 million supporters, members and activists, fighting for the protection and respect of human rights. The Greek Section of Amnesty International was founded in 1975. The range of its activities comprises among others: actions for the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, for the rights of women and LGBTI people, for the right to conscientious objection, as well as actions against police violence, ill-treatment, and hate crimes.

Oxfam is an international confederation of 18 organizations which works with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries to end the injustices caused by poverty. It was founded in Britain in 1942, during the Second World War, to help ship food supplies to women and children in Greece. In Greece, Oxfam first launched its programs in October 2015 offering support to the increasing number of people who arrived at the Greek islands seeking safety and a decent life; it now operates in Lesvos, Athens and Ioannina.

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