Εκδηλώσεις “Ευρωπαϊκής Ημέρας Γλωσσών” (Βαρσοβία, 20-27/9/2010)- Συμμετοχή Γραφείου Τύπου Βαρσοβίας

Οι φετινές εκδηλώσεις της «Ευρωπαϊκής Ημέρας Γλωσσών 2010» πραγματοποιήθηκαν στη Βαρσοβία από τις 20 έως τις 27 Σεπτεμβρίου.
Το Γραφείο Τύπου, για μία ακόμη χρονιά, συμμετείχε στη διοργάνωση των εκδηλώσεων προβολής των ευρωπαϊκών γλωσσών, εκδηλώσεις που στοχεύουν στην ενημέρωση του πολωνικού κοινού για τον γλωσσικό και πολιτιστικό πλούτο των χωρών της Ευρώπης. Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ημέρα Γλωσσών θεσπίστηκε από το Συμβούλιο της Ευρώπης το 2001.
Διοργανωτές των εκδηλώσεων ήταν δεκατρείς χώρες, μέλη του EUNIC Cluster Βαρσοβίας (European Union National Institutes for Culture): Ελλάδα (Γραφείο Τύπου Ελληνικής Πρεσβείας), Εσθονία (Πρεσβεία Εσθονίας), Ιρλανδία (Πρεσβεία Ιρλανδίας), Μεγ. Βρετανία (British Council), Βέλγιο (Πρεσβεία Βελγίου), Δανία (Πολιτιστικό Ινστιτούτο Δανίας), Γερμανία (Goethe-Institut), Πορτογαλία (Ινστιτούτο Camoes), Γαλλία (Γαλλικό Ινστιτούτο), Ιταλία (Ιταλικό Ινστιτούτο), Αυστρία (Αυστριακό Ινστιτούτο), Ρουμανία (Ρουμανικό Ινστιτούτο), Ρωσία (Ρωσικό Κέντρο Επιστήμης και Πολιτισμού).
Στη διοργάνωση συμμετείχαν, επίσης, το EUNIC Cluster Βαρσοβίας, η Αντιπροσωπεία της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής στην Πολωνία, το πολωνικό Ίδρυμα για την Ανάπτυξη του Εκπαιδευτικού Συστήματος, το Πανεπιστήμιο Βαρσοβίας, το Εκπαιδευτικό Τμήμα του Δήμου Βαρσοβίας, το Κρατικό Εθνογραφικό Μουσείο στη Βαρσοβία, η Δημόσια Βιβλιοθήκη της συνοικίας Praga (Δήμος Βαρσοβίας), το πολωνικό Κέντρο για την Ανάπτυξη της Εκπαίδευσης, η πολωνική Κρατική Επιτροπή για την Πιστοποίηση της Επάρκειας της Πολωνικής ως Ξένης Γλώσσας. Οι εκδηλώσεις τελούσαν υπό την αιγίδα του πολωνικού Υπουργείου Εθνικής Παιδείας, του πολωνικού Υπουργείου Επιστήμης και Ανώτερης Εκπαίδευσης, της Δημάρχου Βαρσοβίας και της Πρυτάνεως του Πανεπιστημίου Βαρσοβίας.
Η απήχηση των εκδηλώσεων τις προηγούμενες χρονιές οδήγησε τους διοργανωτές στην απόφαση για την φετινή διοργάνωση πολυήμερων εκδηλώσεων, με ποικίλο περιεχόμενο.  
Το πλήρες πρόγραμμα, που περιελάμβανε, μεταξύ άλλων, ημερίδα, μαθήματα γλωσσών, σεμινάρια, φεστιβάλ ταινιών, street game, κ.ά., μπορεί να αναζητηθεί στην ηλεκτρονική σελίδα των εκδηλώσεων www.edj.waw.pl

Przemek Kordos, Maria Mondelou, Pantelis Gianoulis at the Greek stand

Η ελληνική συμμετοχή στις εκδηλώσεις, η οποία περιελάμβανε μεταξύ άλλων φεστιβάλ ταινιών, μάθημα ελληνικής γλώσσας, σεμινάριο για το ζεϊμπέκικο, ελληνικό περίπτερο κ.ά., διοργανώθηκε από τη Γραμματέα Επικοινωνίας, Μαρία Μονδέλου.
Αναλυτικότερα, η ελληνική συμμετοχή είχε ως εξής:

Advertisement

Poems on the Underground – Greek contemporary poetry

The Press Office of the Greek Embassy in Warsaw promotes the contemporary poetry of Greece and participates to   “Poems on the Underground” events (6-30 September 2010).
“Poems on the Underground” (Wiersze w Metrze) has been inspired by other similar projects  in many cities: Dublin, Paris, New York, Barcelona, Stockholm, Stuttgard and Moscow, organised for the first time in London in 1986.
Wiersze w Metrze promotes contemporary European poetry in public city spaces, through happenings, haiku competition, poetry city game and a performing poetry festival.
Many cultural institutes and embassies participate to the project, which takes place under the auspices of the the mayor of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz.
Greek contemporary poetry will be represented by two acclaimed poets, Kiki Dimoula and Nasos Vagenas.
Kiki Dimoula has recently been awarded the European Literature Prize for 2010. Her poetry has been translated into English, French, German, Swedish, Danish, Spanish and many other languages.
Dimoula’s poetry is haunted by the existential dissolution of the post-world era. Her central themes are hopelessness, insecurity, absence and oblivion. Using diverse subjects and twisting grammar in unconventional ways, she accentuates the power of the words through astonishment and surprise, but always manages to retain a sense of hope.
Nasos Vagenas, professor of Theory and Critique of Literature in the Department of Theatre Studies of the University of Athens, in 2005 was awarded with the State Poetry Prize for his poetic collection ‘Stefanos’.
His poetic work includes the books: ‘Field of Mars’, ‘Biography’, ‘Roxani’s Knees’, ‘Wandering of a non-traveller’, ‘The Fall of the Flying’, ‘Barbarous Odes’ , ‘The Fall of the Flying B’, ‘Dark Ballads and Other Poems’, ‘Stefanos’.
His poetry has been translated into English, German, Italian, Dutch, Romanian, Serbian.
Two poems of Kiki Dimoula and Nasos Vagenas have been translated in polish language for “Wiersze w Metrze” by the professors and students of the Department of Greek Studies of the University of Warsaw (Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies “Artes Liberales”).

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)

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.

Immigration Policy:Interview of Giorgos Tsarbopoulos

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) In an interview with a Greek daily (Ta Nea), Giorgos Tsarbopoulos, head of the Greek branch of United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) comments on the government’s decision to overhaul Greece’s migration policy. Tsarbopoulos admits that the draft law on granting citizenship to immigrants is a positive initiative but needs to be supplemented. He says that naturalisation should be the first step within a broader social integration policy. Similarly, asylum policy needs to be enhanced by a well organised hospitality and welfare safety net. What is important about the new asylum policy is that it disassociates itself from the police and that a new independent body is created to address the issue. UNHCR recognises that within the European Union, the Dublin II Regulation has placed a disproportionate burden on Greece and advises other EU countries not to send back asylum seekers when their reception is deemed precarious.  Greek News Agenda: UN Refugees High Commissioner in Athens & A Joint Letter on Immigration; UNHCR: 2010 Regional Operations Profile – Greece

2nd “London Greek Film Festival 2009” Awards

The Press Office of the Greek Embassy in London, along with the

"London Greek Film Festival" Awards

Hellenic Centre and the London office of the GNTO supported and co-organised the second London Greek Film Festival. Among the people who followed the festival’s events were artists, film makers, producers, members of the Academia, reporters and so on.
The London Greek Film Festival is a unique opportunity for the Greek culture to reach the British public, while contributing in promoting Greek films as well as new film makers and actors.
On Sunday 1^st November the Odysseus awards ceremony took place at the Hellenic Centre. Key speakers at the ceremony were the Head of the Greek Press Office in London Mr Spyros Diamantis and the Head of the GNTO London Office Ms Sophia Panagiotaki.

The film director Stefanos Mondelos

The Script Award for short film at the 2^nd London Greek Film Festival 2009 was attributed to the script:  “Two Shoes on Wheels” of Stefanos Mondelos, based on the illustrated fairytale of Nikolaos Andrikopoulos (“Ellinika Grammata” editions).
This script was awarded for the second time recently, as it has received the 3^rd Award for Adapted Script for short film by the Hellenic Book Center.

Τα βραβεία του: «2ου London Greek Film Festival»

Με στόχο την προβολή του ελληνικού κινηματογράφου, αλλά και γενικότερα την προβολή της χώρας μας στη Μεγάλη Βρετανία, πραγματοποιήθηκε φέτος στο Λονδίνο για δεύτερη συνεχή χρονιά από τις 30 Οκτωβρίου έως την 1^η Νοεμβρίου το Φεστιβάλ Ελληνικού Κινηματογράφου, το οποίο συνδιοργανώθηκε από το Γ.Τ.Ε. Λονδίνου, το Hellenic Centre και τον ΕΟΤ.
Στα πλαίσια του Φεστιβάλ, το κοινό είχε την ευκαιρία να παρακολουθήσει 41 ταινίες μικρού μήκους – με αγγλικούς υπότιτλους – οι περισσότερες από τις οποίες παρουσιάστηκαν για πρώτη φορά στη Μεγάλη Βρετανία. Στις προβολές που πραγματοποιήθηκαν στις δύο ημέρες που διήρκεσε το Φεστιβάλ, συμπεριλαμβάνονταν ταινίες μυθοπλασίας, επιστημονικής φαντασίας, ντοκυμαντέρ, ταινίες κινουμένων σχεδίων (animation), ταινίες μικρού μήκους, και video art. Επίσης, παρουσιάστηκαν σενάρια για ταινίες επιστημονικής φαντασίας και για ταινίες μικρού μήκους.
Την πρώτη μέρα του Φεστιβάλ (Παρασκευή 30 Οκτωβρίου) παραγωγοί και σκηνοθέτες είχαν την ευκαιρία να λάβουν μέρος στο Informational Networking Event με τίτλο Shooting in Greece: Ένα εργαστήρι, στα πλαίσια του οποίου, οι συμμετέχοντες είχαν τη δυνατότητα να ενημερωθούν σε βάθος από τους αρμοδίους και να λάβουν κάθε είδους πληροφορίες όσον αφορά την κινηματογράφηση στην Ελλάδα, (επίσης πληροφορίες για ελληνικές εταιρείες παραγωγής, για σημεία ειδικού ενδιαφέροντος στην Ελλάδα, για χρηματοδοτήσεις κλπ). Το Φεστιβάλ περιλάμβανε επίσης συζητήσεις, παρουσιάσεις σεναρίων και διοργάνωση εργαστηρίων (workshops).
Την Κυριακή 1^η Νοεμβρίου, ημέρα λήξης του Φεστιβάλ, απονεμήθηκαν στο Hellenic Centre τα βραβεία Odysseus. Κεντρικοί ομιλητές στην τελετή απονομής των βραβείων ήταν ο Σπύρος Διαμαντής, επικεφαλής του Γ.Τ.Ε. Λονδίνου, η Σοφία Παναγιωτάκη, Διευθύντρια του Γραφείου ΕΟΤ και ο Διευθυντής του Φεστιβάλ, Χρήστος Προσύλης.
Το Βραβείο Σεναρίου μικρού μήκους ταινίας στο 2nd London Greek Film Festival 2009 έλαβε το σενάριο “Δυό Παπούτσια με Καρότσι”  του Στέφανου Μονδέλου, βασισμένο στο ομώνυμο εικονογραφημένο παραμύθι του Νικόλαου Ανδρικόπουλου (εκδ. Ελληνικά Γράμματα). Το συγκεκριμένο σενάριο βραβεύεται για δεύτερη φορά, μετά το 3ο Βραβείο Διασκευασμένου Σεναρίου για ταινία μικρού μήκους που έλαβε εφέτος, στον Διαγωνισμό Διασκευασμένου Σεναρίου που διοργανώνεται για πέμπτη συνεχή χρονιά από το Εθνικό Κέντρο Βιβλίου.

The New Acropolis Museum at the World Media

The Acropolis Museum, designed by architect Bernard Tchumi with Michael Photiadis and their associates, has been constructed to exhibit the unique finds and architectural sculptures of the Acropolis of Athens.  Its official inauguration took place on June 20, 2009 and was attended by Heads of States and Governments, Ministers and other officials from around the world. The Secretariat General of Communication – Secretariat General of Information operated the Press Center for the official inauguration from June 17 through June 20 and facilitated more than 400 journalists and photographers, representing95 Greek and 167 foreign Media.  The Acropolis Museum has a total area of 25,000 square meters, with exhibition space of over 14,000 square meters, ten times more than that of the old museum on the Hill of the Acropolis offering all the amenities expected in an international museum of the 21st century. The admission price for the museum has been set at one euro throughout 2009, while from 2010 the admission price will rise to 5 euros.  According to Culture Minister Antonis Samaras, the new Acropolis Museum received 90,000 visitors in the first seven days since its official inauguration on June 20. The average number of tickets for the e-ticketing section for the first five days reached 11,000, while visits to the museum’s website exceeded 260,000 from the Americas to Nepal and Mongolia.

World Media on the Acropolis Museum

• Inside Athens’s stunning new Acropolis museum (Daily Mail, 05.07.2009)

• Successful first days for the Acropolis Museum (GRReporter.info, 01.07.09)

• The Lovely Stones (Vanity Fair, July 2009)

• The battle for the Parthenon marbles (guardian.co.uk, 30.06.09)

• At the Foot of the Acropolis (The Wall Street Journal, 30.06.09)

• Ancient Athens comes to life (The Times, 27.06.09)

• A New Way to See Ancient Athens (The Wall Street Journal, 26.06.09)

• A breast in London, a foot in Athens (GlobalPost.com, 25.06.09)

• Milestones – New Acropolis Museum opens (The Economist, 25.06.09)

• If We Ask Nicely, Can We Have Our Marbles Back? (The Huffington Post, 22.06.09)

• New calls for return of Elgin Marbles (IrishTimes.com, 22.06.09)

• Greece urges return of sculptures (BBC, 21.06.09)

• Greece demands marbles return as new Acropolis opens (AFP, 21.06.09)

• Greece’s New Acropolis Museum opens to visitors (AP, 21.06.09)

• President Georgi Parvanov to attend new Acropolis Museum opening(bnr.gr, 20.06.09)

• Opening of new museum in Acropolis, Cvetkovic in Athens (Radio Srbija, 20.06.09)

• A Home for the Marbles (The New York Times, 18.06.2009)

• The new Acropolis Museum website is active from today(GRReporter, 15.06.09)

• New Acropolis Museum (travelbite.co.uk, 15.06.09)

• Lecture on Acropolis Museum (ANA-MPA, 12.06.09)

• Who owns the Elgin Marbles? Romancing the Stones (Newsweek, 06.06.09)

• New Acropolis museum is summit of achievement (FT.com, 04.06.09)

• Return Elgin Marbles, Says Acropolis Museum Creator: Interview(Bloomberg.com, 26.05.09)

• Elgin Marbles question renewed as Athens museum opens (The Independent, 23.05.09)

• Acropolis treasures on display for euro1 (AP, 21.05.09)

• New Acropolis Museum to be inaugurated (Xinhua, 21.05.09)

• Acropolis museum to open in June: minister (AFP, 26.04.09)

• The New Acropolis Museum, Designed by Bernard Tschumi Architects(archinnovations.com, 07.04.2009)

• New Acropolis Museum Will Boost Tourism, Greek Minister Predicts(GlobalAtlanta.com, 01.04.09)

• Ancients modernised (dompost.co.nz, 24.02.09)

• Greece sets opening date for New Acropolis Museum (The China Post, 16.02.09)

UN: Reopen Halki Seminary

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

The United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has invited Turkey to reopen the Greek Orthodox Theological School on the island of Halki, after the Turkish authorities’ decision to close the Halki seminary in 1971.  The Committee has also called on Turkey to return confiscated properties and promptly to execute all related judgements by the European Court of Human Rights. Furthermore, the Committee noted its concern over the particularly serious situation of the Greek minority and calls urgently upon Turkey to redress such discrimination as well as respect human rights. The Theological School of Halki, established in 1844, was a prestigious centre of culture and civilisation. During its years of operation the school counted many internationally renowned scholars.

“Cinema on the Plate” in Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    For seven weeks, every Monday evening, film lovers may enjoy a night out, watching films in five cinema halls followed by dinner in one of the 14 restaurants participating in the initiative “Cinema on the plate.” After each show, the chefs of two restaurants in the city centre will undertake the task of interpreting the movie atmosphere with culinary suggestions, adding a new dimension to the films. The event opened on February 23 with the film “Slumdog Millionaire” and will continue until April 13. It receives the support of the French Institute in Athens.

Greece: Images of an Enchanted Land

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)      Black and white images of Greece in the ‘50s, as seen through the lens of Robert McCabe, have been exhibited until January 31 at the Sit Down Gallery as part of the Month of Photography in Paris. Greece has changed dramatically since Robert McCabe took the pictures in this collection – also available in a relevant publication – some of them fifty years ago. Certain viewers – especially those who were also there at that time – might find McCabe’s photographs elegiac.  This is the Greece they remember, glazed in dazzling sunlight and now gone. However, the principal sensation they convey is pleasure. Greece, Images of an Enchanted Land: View the photos

Greece: Essential Info

Visit the “Greece-Essential Info” link, on the Secretariat General of Information website (www.minpress.gr), to find numerous interesting links covering almost every aspect of contemporary Greek reality. Also visit the “Greece in the World,” “World Media articles on Greece,” as well as the “About Greece” + “About Brand Greece” relevant sections. Apart from its frequently updated english website, the Secretariat General of Information issues three specialised bulletins: the english online daily bulletin Greek News Agenda (www.greeknewsagenda.gr) and the weeklies GrèceHebdo (in French), Griechenland Aktuell (in German) and Boletín Griego de Noticias (in Spanish). A German weekly edition is also forthcoming.

4rth International Conference “People with disabilities and Mass Media” in Athens

The Secretariat General of Communication – Secretariat General of Information organises the 4^th International Conference on People with Disabilities and Mass Media. The  4^th International Conference will take place at  the premises of the Secretariat General of Communication – Secretariat General of Information, on 22-23 June and focuses  on the factors which shape the new developing environment of digital media such as social web, blogs, wikis, facebook, etc.  The Conference will also attempt to investigate the potentiality of presenting disability through advertising spots, as well as the changes this practice might bring in our perception of disability. The 4th International Conference will conclude with the active participation of children with disabilities, because children themselves can communicate their message better than anyone through their artistic expression. On the initiative of Minister of State and government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos, following up on the previous year’s International Conference “People with disabilities and Mass Media” that was held in Athens 18-19 June 2007, the Secretariat General of Communication- Secretariat General of Information organised:

1. The 3nd International Conference “People with disabilities and Mass Media”
2. The 2nd International Documentary Festival on Disability in Athens: Emotion Pictures

This combined effort has become an annual event, with the aim of increasing public awareness and promoting the inclusion of disabled people, whilst further encouraging the media and film-makers, disabled or not, to take an active interest in this area and address the widest possible public. Both events are organized by the Secretariat General of Communication – Secretariat General of Information, while the Documentary Festival is organized in collaboration with the Greek Film Centre. Read more about SGC–SGI‘s actions (PDF, 640 KB) on issues concerning People with Disabilities and Mass Media. You can visit the links below to read more about the previous Conferences on Mass Media and Disability as well as about last year’s Emotions Pictures Festival.

1. The 2nd International Conference “People with disabilities and Mass Media”
2. The 1st International Documentary Festival on Disability”Emotion Pictures”
3. The 1st International Conference on”People with disabilities and Mass Media”.

International Conference on “Combating Forced Labour and Human Trafficking” in Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Europe must adopt a public policy geared towards the relief of people hit by the global financial crisis, said President Karolos Papoulias on Friday, November 21, opening a three-day international conference on “Combating Forced Labour and Human Trafficking” in Athens organised by the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) to mark the 90th anniversary since its founding. The president emphasised that slavery and slave-trade is one of darkest pages in human history, underlining the importance of safeguarding human rights. The event was jointly organised by the International Trade Union Confederation, and the Confederation of European Trade Unions. Also speaking at the conference, Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said that according to international figures, a total of 12.3 million people worldwide are victims of forced labour, while an increase of 20 million of unemployed has been forecasted. “Neither the free economy nor open societies are to be blamed for the situation,” she said, explaining that the problem stems from the lack of rules, regulatory framework and control mechanisms. The minister suggested stricter penalties for culprits, increased protection for victims and higher public awareness. Addressing the conference on Sunday, main opposition PASOK party leader and President of the Socialist International George Papandreou stressed that combating forced labour and human trafficking is first and foremost a political issue and warned that of the millions of people worldwide held under conditions of forced labour, 5.7 million are children. He also said that figures show that roughly 1.8 million children also fall victim to sexual exploitation. Athens News Agency: Papandreou at conference on combating trafficking

Journal for Byzantine Studies on Line

(GREK NEWS AGENDA)   Taking into consideration the latest developments in scientific publishing, the Institute for Byzantine Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation has reevaluated the aims of ΣΥΜΜΕΙΚΤΑ, a journal it has published since 1966. Under the new name BYZANTINA SYMMEIKTA, it has become a peer-reviewed open access journal with well-defined processes and scope and it is freely accessible at: www.byzsym.org   It’s printed version will be published at the end of each year. By visiting the journal’s website, academics and researchers in the field of Byzantine Studies can, from now on, submit articles and book reviews. BYZANTINA SYMMEIKTA publishes original articles and book reviews in Greek, English, French, German and Italian.  Institute for Byzantine Research: Ιnternational peer-reviewed open access journal in Byzantine Studies