Greek News Agenda - Weekly Newsletter (22.12.2016)

[June Samaras]

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From: "Greek News Agenda" <in...@greeknewsagenda.gr>
Date: Dec 23, 2016 7:29 AM
Subject: Greek News Agenda - Weekly Newsletter (22.12.2016)
To: "June Samaras" <june.s...@gmail.com>
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​ Thursday, December 22 2016

​ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

​ 

​ A snapshot of current affairs and issues related to Greece that do  not always find their way to other  English-language online media.

 

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		Government’s decision to counter the sacrifices of the pensioners does not violate its commitments     The Greek government is determined to defend the rights of its people and not bow to measures that perpetuate austerity, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told lawmakers at the 5th conference of the Party of the European Left in Berlin on Saturday Dec 17. “We are determined to promote the rights of the Greek people. We’re determined not to abandon our people to ‘yes-men’ who support continuing austerity for many years,” he said on his second day of his visit to the German capital where he met with Chancellor Angela Merkel and other top German officials and lawmakers.d according to the agreement between the government and the creditors' institutions.   Read more
		Germany and the limits of austerity policies in Europe   Kostas Vergopoulos is Professor of Political Economy at the University of Paris VIII. His publications include “The Peasant Question and Capitalism” (with Samir Amin, 1975), “The Agrarian Question in Greece” (1977) as well as the more recent “The Love of Wealth: Money, Power, and Corruption in Greece” (2005), “After the End: The Economy of the Catastrophe and the Next Day” (2011) and “Greece-Europe: An inappropriate Relation?”(2012).   Professor Vergopoulos spoke to “Epohi” weekly newspaper (Dec 18) commenting on PM Alexis Tsipras visit to Berlin and the limits of austerity policies in Europe. Here you can read the main part of the interview translated in English. Read more
		New Initiative on Research & Development funding, new era for Universities and SMEs     It’s the beginning of a new era for universities and research centers in Greece that have decided to go into business, as “To Vima” newspaper reports. A new project of the Greek Government aimed at cultivating a brand new ... crop of entrepreneurs in the country and the granting of funds for research ideas and innovative Small and Medium-sized Enterprizes (SMEs). The project concerns the establishment of a new development fund (Fund of Funds) supporting corporate research and new technologies endeavours and the relevant agreement will be signed on December 22, in Athens. The Fund will consist of three new independent funds to finance research ideas.   A big step in basic research funding was already been taken in the summer of 2016 with the establishment of Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (ELIDEK). ELIDEK will be allocated funds of EUR 180 million by the European Investment Bank, along with 60 million provided by the Greek government for the period 2016-2019 with key beneficiaries academic and research institutions in the country. This will raise research funding in Greece and ensure that research jobs can be created for young scientists and doctorial students, who might otherwise leave the country, leading to brain drain.   Read more
		Arts in Greece | The Crisis through the Eyes of Greek Cartoonists and Illustrators     “Eλλάς” (Hellas or Greece) is a project that presents the crisis affecting Greece in the past years through the eyes of six authors, cartoonists and illustrators: George Botsos, Petros Christoulias, Thanassis Dimou, Michael Kountouris, Antonis Nikolopoulos (Soloup) and Thanassis Petrou. Under the high patronage of the Greek Embassy in Rome and with the collaboration of Katerina Fragou (founder of Iris Literary Agency), the project was presented last year by Giuseppina Frassino for Tricromia gallery (Rome, Italy). The idea of the exhibition was to portray the crisis in pictures, hoping that through the Greek case one can understand the future of every European nation. Greek News Agenda* spoke to Katerina Fragou** who provided an insight to the project’s concept and future plans, as well as to the six participating artists*** who shared their views on how feasible it is for an illustrator-cartoonist to communicate the case of Greece abroad, taking into consideration the cultural differences between countries.   Read more
		Chainis Dimitris Apostolakis: "In Crete, the continuity of musical expression has not been interrupted"     Lyra player, singer, songwriter and theoretical physicist "Chainis" Dimitris Apostolakis is a founding member of Chainides, a Cretan music group formed in 1990 by a group of friends, most of them students then at the University of Crete. Over the years, Chainides have collaborated with several well-known musicians and singers, performed extensively in Greece around the world and recorded 11 studio albums. In their live performances, Chainides blend their own compositions and songs with new arrangements of themes and songs from traditions such as those of Turkey, Afghanistan, Bulgaria and the wider eastern Mediderrenean region.    Chainis talked to Greek News Agenda about how Cretan music has evolved through the years, the anthropological and geographical uniqueness of Crete, the tradition of Anogia, the forgotten role of the lyra player as a master of ceremonies and how Erotokritos was the last European epic saga to be sung by the people. Read more
		Reading Greece: Thomas Tsalapatis on the Debunking of Stereotypes and the Role of Poetry in Times of Crisis     Thomas Tsalapatis (1984) studied theatre at the University of Athens. His first book of poems Το ξημέρωμα είναι σφαγή Κύριε Κρακ [The Dawn Kills, Mr. Krak] was published in 2011 and received the National Literary Award for best new writer the following year. His second poetry collection titled Άλμπα [Alba] was published in 2015. He has also published a Greek translation of poems by W.B. Yeats and writes for various papers and journals. Thomas Tsalapatis spoke to Reading Greece* about his two poetry collections, the themes his poetry touches upon and the binding thread between poetry and theatre. He discusses the role a poet is called to play nowadays noting that “it is a poet who will propose a new (and every time anew) way of handling language and words, and thus reality” and commenting on the necessity of poetry for the debunking of stereotypes.   Read more
		Study in Greece: English-language MA in Greek and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology     For those interested in mastering archaeology, a one-year postgraduate programme, taught entirely in English, is offered by the Faculty of History and Archaeologyy of Greece’s oldest University, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The programme, entitled “Greek and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology”, is devoted to the advanced study of archaeology of Greece and the wider area of the Aegean, as well as Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, including Mesopotamia.      Read more
		Yannis Tsarouchis: Illustrating an autobiography   One of the most important representatives of the Greek "Thirties Generation", painter Yannis Tsarouchis (1910-1989) embodied in his work the ideal of "Greekness". With a multiplicity of influences from Hellenistic and Byzantine art, the art of the Renaissance and more modern times, the work of Matisse, Theophilos and Kontoglou as well as the figures of the Karaghiozis shadow puppets, he created a unique personal style and depicted landscapes, still lifes, nudes and allegorical scenes. His interest was primarily focused on the human figure, creating isolated portraits, as well as scenes with sailors and soldiers, which make up a characteristic part of his work.   A new exhibition (Yannis Tsarouchis: Illustrating an autobiography. Second Part 1940-1989) is now hosted by the Benaki Museum from 16.12.2016 in its Pireos Street Annexe. The exhibition is part of a group of themed presentations of the holdings of the Yannis Tsarouchis Foundation collection. Read more
		Thessaloniki International Film Festival: Continuity and change     Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) is one of the oldest and most reputable cinema events in Southeast Europe. On the occasion of TIFF's 57th edition (3-13.11.2016) Festivalists "online playform for independent film criticism", published a report by Lydia Papadimitriou that provides an overview of the verve behind recent processes in the Greek film industry (Original title: Continuity and change):   The poster of the 57th Thessaloniki International Film Festival was bold and monochromatic. Large black capital letters, partly concealed multiple repetitions of the festival’s name and edition, against a white background. The effect was dynamic, underlining strength and simplicity, while also suggesting a sense of continuity and origin.     Read more
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		​  Greek News Agenda  Secretariat General for Information &        Communication   Fragoudi 11 and Al. Pantou,   Kallithea 10163, Athens, Greece   greekne...@minpress.gr

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