Our politicians always pursue actions, initiatives, and opportunities that yield immediate and obvious results. A small example: a few days ago, during a tour of Athens’ neighborhoods, the Prime Minister sat down for a bit at a backgammon board with a regular and rolled some dice. The incident was considered quite amusing and was widely reported in the media, though no one, of course, made an issue of the game never being finished.
It is almost universally accepted that in the public sphere, what is visible is paramount, and everything else follows. If there’s substance, all the better, but that is certainly not the top priority.
The opening of the Hellenic Parliament to Culture is an interesting initiative by its President, Nikitas Kaklamanis, and for now, it seems to be progressing well. I wrote in the previous note that Cultural Policy requires “ant-like work” and not mere show-off events. Nikitas Kaklamanis seems to be handling it correctly. But the Devil is in the details…
On June 30, an honorary concert and award ceremony for Stavros Xarchakos was organized at the back of the Parliament. Here we are already in a gray area, as an honorary award for a “celebrity” is, in any case, a high-profile event. The perfectly organized event, extensively covered by the media, was attended by approximately 1000 listeners.
This is where things start to go wrong: Although it was a Parliament event, N. Androulakis, K. Velopoulos, and D. Natsios were absent. Minister L. Mendoni was also absent, while Zoe Konstantopoulou appeared – like a star – late. However, the main blunder of the evening was committed by the Prime Minister and Vice President Kostis Hatzidakis, as both left before the concert ended. The explanation given for the Prime Minister was that he had another pre-scheduled engagement.
I think the well-known saying “have your cake and eat it too” prevailed here. The Prime Minister’s staff thought it was worth attending even if he didn’t truly have the time. The fact that his departure might have a negative impact was apparently not considered at all by anyone.
All the above show how Culture, and especially Music, is generally treated in contemporary Greek society. Miltos Logiadis aptly put it: “a boring cultural duty.”
The current situation gradually developed in the early post-junta years, but it wasn’t always like this. During the Dictatorship, there were many activities and interest that were not limited to the “beaten path” but also embraced the new, pioneering music that was then appearing for the first time. Different times…
Today, things seem to be turning once again, and something is changing from the bottom up and within society. If this is true, Politics and Politicians will eventually follow, once it becomes completely obvious that this is happening, and therefore it’s worth “doing something.”
Will we thus experience another “musical spring”? Let’s hope so!