Papandreou at Conference on Progressive Governance in London

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) Prime Minister George Papandreou arrived in London yesterday and will be participating today at a Conference on Progressive Governance, on “Jobs, industry and opportunity: growth strategies after the crisis.”
The premier will speak at a panel on the theme “Europe after the global crisis: A strategic role for government,” together with his British counterpart Gordon Brown, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. 
While in London, Papandreou will attend a working luncheon with the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and will meet with British Foreign Minister David Miliband.

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Greece: The Culture Agenda

VISUAL ARTS

                                     Tribute to Ianis Xenakis

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) The National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) in association with the Center for Music Composition & Performance (CMCP) is organizing a second series of events in tribute to the composer Ianis Xenakis.
The events are taking place from September 15 to October 11.

“Itinerary to Mount Athos, 1928-1930”

The exhibition “Itinerary to Mount Athos, 1928-1930” features a selection from the 400 photographs taken by Swiss photographer Frédéric Boissonnas during his travels to Mount Athos in 1928 and 1930.
The exhibition is organised by the Hellenic Foundation for Culture, in Sofia and runs from September 16 through October 25.

MUSIC

                                     Jose Carreras returns to Athens

Legendary tenor Jose Carreras returns to Greece after four years since his last appearance for a concert with the ERT National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of David Gimenez, on 19 September at the Herod Atticus Odeon (Herodion) in Athens.

Amadou & Mariam in Athens

Amadou & Mariam, the two musicians who manage to overcome all obstacles to become international stars and ambassadors of Mali’s musical tradition throughout the world, will be appearing live in Athens 18 September at the Papagou Garden Theatre.

The Spaghetti Western Orchestra @ Badminton Theatre

Armed with over 100 instruments the Spaghetti Western Orchestra is performing in Athens the stunning music Ennio Morricone wrote for movies such as “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “For a Few Dollars More” and “Once Upon a Time in the West.” At the Badminton Theatre from September 16 to 25.

Remembering Greek Jews

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) A memorial event for the Greek Jews killed during the Holocaust was held yesterday (June 17) at the Zappeion Conference Centre.  The event took place on the occasion of the Foreign Ministry’s publication of “Greeks in Auschwitz-Birkenau” and was attended by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Karolos Papoulias.  Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis held meetings with the President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS), Moses Constantines, and the President of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, David Saltiel. The book “Greeks in Auschwitz-Birkenau” recounts the story of the sixty thousand Greek Jews into the of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Greek News Agenda: Special Issue-The Jews of Greece

British Foreign Minister on official visit to Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)     British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, currently on official visit to Greece, held talks on Tuesday (26.5)  with Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and leader of the opposition George Papandreou.  In statements after their meeting, Bakoyannis and Miliband said that the discussion covered a wide range of subjects, including the Cyprus issue, Turkey’s and the Western Balkans’ European perspective, as well as developments in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and climate change. Miliband stressed the need for a solution to the Cyprus issue “by Cypriots and for Cypriots” adding that achieving the desired solution would require courage and flexibility. He also praised Greece’s stance over the past 10 years with respect to European Union enlargement to Turkey and the western Balkans, describing it as “strong, clear and brave.” Kathimerini daily: British FM backs pact ‘by Cypriots’

Book on the Making of Modern Greece

The Making of Modern Greece, Nationalism, Romanticism, and the Uses of the Past (1797–1896), edited by Roderick Beaton and David Ricks, King’s College London, UK Ashgate, May 2009.  This book brings together the work of scholars from a variety of disciplines to explore the ‘making’ of Greece as a modern state, using current theoretical and historical thinking about nations and nationalism in the modern world.  It spans the period from 1797 – when Rigas Velestinlis published a constitution for an imaginary ‘Hellenic Republic’ – to the establishment of the modern Olympic Games, in Athens in 1896, an occasion which sealed with international approval the hard-won self-image of ‘Modern Greece’. 

The Beauty of an… Almost Greek

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  “The Beauty of a Greek,” is a book by Nikos Engonopoulos, for the translation of which, David Conolly won the 2008 Greek State Prize for Translation.  Having translated numerous literary works for the past twenty years, and having met almost every poet the work of whom he has translated, Conolly knows Greece even more profoundly than the natives. Despite all his experience, Conolly continues to call himself ‘an apprentice.’   Born in Sheffield, England but of Irish descent, Conolly has lived and worked in Greece since 1979 and acquired Greek citizenship in 1998. His acquaintance with Greek culture started as a young traveller to Greece and continued during his studies at the Universities of Lancaster, Oxford and his doctoral degree on how to translate Odysseus Elytis.  As a literary translator,he has published some twenty-five books of translations of work by major 20th-century Greek poets, novelists and short-story writers, while his translations have won awards in Greece, the UK and the USA.  Conolly has taught translation at the Ionian University, Athens University and currently at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Being a genuine and devout admirer of the Greek language and its glowing poetry, Conolly has fairly won the respect of his Greek…compatriots.

New Members at Parthenon Sculptures Reunification

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Switzerland and Finland are two new members of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures. This association, consisting of various national committees, has been formed with the objective of supporting the return of all the “surviving” Parthenon Sculptures in the New Acropolis Museum in Athens. The addition of the Finnish and the Swiss Committees brings the number of participants to 17, including countries like Germany, the USA and United Kingdom. The Chairman of the Association David Hill (Australia), underlined the fact that consistent expansion of the association membership – since it was formed in 2005 – is a powerful reminder of the widespread and growing support around the world for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures. More information: Marbles Reunited

Official Visit of Greek Prime Minister to the United Kingdom

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis concluded an official visit to the United Kingdom yesterday (October 20-21). The premier was accompanied by Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis. Within the two-day visit, the Greek leadership met with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, David Miliband.  Speaking to the press, Karamanlis announced that the financial crisis topped the agenda in the discussions he held with his counterpart. He highlighted Brown’s fruitful contribution to the amendment of the situation at a European level, however, he clarified that Greece will first seek to protect the most vulnerable social strata against the repercussions of the turmoil.  Other topics included the future of the European Union, mainly the Lisbon Treaty, but also the bilateral relations of the two countries with particular emphasis on the situation in the Balkans and Cyprus. With regard to bilateral relations, Karamanlis reiterated Greece’s claim of the Parthenon marbles and their return to the New Acropolis Museum.  Yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister Karamanlis held talks with main opposition’s conservative party leader, David Cameron.  Athens News Agency: Karamanlis discusses global crisis with Brown; Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Greece-United Kingdom bilateral relations