“Kali Patrida” Greek Communities of Political Refugees in Eastern Europe

By the end of the Greek Civil War (1946-49), Greece was in a tragic state. The human loss and physical destruction incurred in this conflict was added to the suffering and damage already accumulated during World War II and the occupation. One of the most dramatic consequences of the Civil War was the odyssey of thousands of Greek men, women and children who settled in Eastern Europe and the USSR – mainly in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Hellenic Parliament Foundation for Parliamentarianism and Democracy is hosting until December 31, 2011, an exhibition titled Kali Patrida… Greek Communities of political refugees in Eastern Europe.
The exhibition draws on material (printed and audiovisual) from many sources, both from Greece and abroad in order to shed light on particular themes in the lives of political refugees: their establishment in the host countries (East Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Uzbekistan); their children’s education, their communities, their efforts to preserve their distinctive cultural heritage as well as their repatriation.
“Kali patrida” meaning “Happy Homecoming,” is actually a wish political refugees shared, expressing their nostalgia for their homeland.
ERT Archive: Documentary: Second Homeland – Episode: Stepmother Homeland & Michalis Gkanas: The history of my times [VIDEO]; TVXS: Writer Alki Zei talks about the Civil War [VIDEO]
ODYSSEY Magazine about Greece and the Greek Diaspora: Features-Our Town Beloiannisz in Hungary
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

 

Advertisement

Learn Greek Abroad On-Line

The teaching of Greek abroad will soon go online with a new e-learning programme being developed by the Centre of Intercultural and Migration Studies at the University of Crete.
The Centre is establishing a pilot Greek Diaspora school network that aims to eventually operate on an independent basis.
Greek teachers from schools abroad will visit Crete in July to participate in the creation of the project as partners. The teachers will participate in a two-week training programme at the University, following a 10-hour teleseminar briefing on Greek-language teaching methodology that they will undergo before their arrival. The programme is sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs.
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Greek Language Learning

On Line Learning
The Filoglossia+ consists of an educational multimedia CD-ROMs series for learning Greek as a foreign language, supported by English and addressed to beginners with little or no previous knowledge of Greek.
“Filoglossia” means fondness for language learning and the programme is mainly based on the communicative approach, focusing on the production and comprehension of both oral and written speech. “Filoglossia” is designed by the Institute for Language and Speech Processing (ILSP).

• Looking Ahead
A new strategic plan for the support of Greek language learning in Greece and abroad was the focus of debates at an International Workshop on Greek Language and Linguistic Training, organized by the Centre for the Greek Language held from June 28 to 30 in Thessaloniki, with the participation of 60 Greek and Foreign linguists.
On the occasion, Education, Life-long Learning and Religious Affairs minister Anna Diamantopoulou said that the establishment of a National Council for the Greek Language would help draw a comprehensive strategy.
Creating an organization, similar to the German Goethe Institute or the British Council, which would operate with branches around the world could be an important vehicle to promote Greek language, culture, and history learning. The minister also announced that a conference is to be held in October focusing on the Education of the Diaspora.

• Learn a Greek Word Every Day!

It has been observed that relations of the Diaspora with the Greek language have been weakening over the years – especially with second and third generation migrants.

To help redress this, three friends from Chicago have designed an on-line Greek dictionary aiming to help English-speaking emigrants keep in touch with the language of the forefathers.

Greektionary.com was created to provide everyone with an opportunity to improve their Greek vocabulary on a daily basis.

Three words (beginner, intermediate and advanced) are chosen each day and displayed with their translations, pronunciation, examples, and recorded audio files (Mp3s). Those interested can sign-up and receive free Greek words everyday by e-mail!

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Tourism campaign “You in Greece”

Greek tourism is about to be given an image boost – through the launch of the latest advertising campaign “You in Greece.”
The campaign aims to promote the country as an attractive tourist destination, but also provide the media with useful statistics on tourism, while shedding light on little known information regarding this year’s tourism prospects.
Visit Greece at: www.visitgreece.gr

This Summer, We Travel to Greece
Another goal is to appeal to the Greek Diaspora to visit and promote Greece abroad.

A two-month campaign has been launched under the motto “This Summer We Travel to Greece” by the bilingual Greek-American newspaper “Greek News” addressed to the Diaspora Greeks, and philhellenes.

2010 Reasons to Visit Greece

The exhibition titled “2010 reasons to visit Greece” is taking place once again at London’s Harrods department store. The Secretary – General of the World Tourism Organisation, Taleb Rifai, called Greece “one of the most important destinations in the world and a point of reference for us all.”

So Far Yet So Close

Boundaries in the Chinese market seem to be lifted one by one as increasingly more Chinese explore Greece every year.

Last year, 48 million Chinese travelled abroad but only one million visited Europe.
Chinese tour operators expect this number to increase in the future, stressing that Greece should consider capitalizing on educational tourism.
Visit Greece: “Kalimera” (Good morning)
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Macedonian Diaspora’s Meeting

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Hellenic Republic President Karolos Papoulias called on the FYROM leadership to abandon its “irredentist visions” and consent to a “mutually acceptable solution on the name issue that will respect history.”    Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 10th International Convention of Macedonian Associations and the 63rd Convention of the Pan-Macedonian Association of the United States, held in Litochoro, Pieria prefecture, on July 11, the President thanked the Macedonians who live overseas for the strength and determination with which they defend Greece’s interests.   “We all share a common vision for our country’s future and the future of the Balkans” – a vision of peace, prosperity, economic growth and cooperation in the framework of a united Europe,” the President noted.

Book for the Greek Diaspora

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Greek Diaspora and Migration since 1700, Society, Politics and Culture, edited by Dimitris Tziovas, University of Birmingham, UK, Ashgate, May 2009. The Greek diaspora is one of the paradigmatic historical diasporas. Though some trace its origins to ancient Greek colonies, it is really a more modern phenomenon. Diaspora, exile and immigration represent three successive phases in Modern Greek history and they are useful vantage points from which to analyse changes in Greek society, politics and culture over the last three centuries.   Modern Greek Studies Association:  www.mgsa.org (North America) & Journal of Modern Greek Studies: www.press.jhu.edu/journals; European Society for Modern Greek Studies: www.eens.org (Europe).  The Society for Modern Greek Studies: www.moderngreek.org.uk/society (Great Britain). International Communication Policy Forum: Interview with Professor Dimitris Tziovas (in Greek).

AHEPA Convention in Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The 86th annual American Hellenic Educational & Progressive Association‘s (AHEPA) supreme convention commenced in Athens yesterday.The Greek capital is hosting the largest and oldest Greek-American organisation’s main event, for the first time after 38 years. The AHEPA members from Australiasia, Canada, Greece and Cyprus are attending the event in Athens from July 1 to 12 and in Cyprus from July 13 to 15. Addressing the opening ceremony, Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis congratulated the Organisation for its valuable contribution to the Greek culture, adding that AHEPA members are genuine ambassadors of the Greek spirit abroad. On his part, the Minister of Economy and Finance George Alogoskoufis highlighted the business opportunities emerging in Greece, focusing on the foreign investments.  AHEPA is the largest and oldest American-based, Greek heritage grassroots membership organization.  It was founded in the United States of America in 1922. Convention Programme; Secretariat General of Information: Links Library-Greek Diaspora & About Greece, Greeks Abroad 

SAE regional assembly to be held in Alexandria in October

ALEXANDRIA (ANA-MPA/N. Katsikas)   The 2nd Regional Assembly of the World Council of HellenesAbroad (SAE) for Africa/Near and Middle East, will be held in Alexandria, Cairo, in October.The issue was discussed on Sunday between SAE Africa/Near and Middle East coordinator Haris Gouvelis and SAE president Stefanos Tamvakis.