Attending the event were Prokopios Pavlopoulos, President of the Hellenic Republic, the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who gave the welcome address, other political leaders, His Beatitude Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Ieronymos, and ministers, MPs, academics, businessmen, and representatives of the Hellenic Armed Forces.

The Prime Minister began his speech by quoting from the preface to Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Hellas: “We are all Greeks. Our laws, our literature, our religion, our arts have their root in Greece. And modern Greeks inherit from their ancestors much of their sensibility, their rapidity of conception, their enthusiasm, and their courage.” Mr. Mitsotakis noted that the poem was published in 1822 and its proceeds were used to raise money for the Greek Revolution.

“So we should approach the 200 years since the Greek Revolution in many ways: Under the bright light of historic experience and the wisdom inherent in its lessons. But also guided by its positive projection into the future … In other words, this is a significant opportunity for a bold assessment of where we stand today, and a chance to benefit from serious reflection. It is also an opportunity to cultivate our national self-awareness, to rediscover our collective self, enabling us to recast our models and start anew, under a modern identity within Europe and the world.

We are called upon, both as a government and as citizens, to respond effectively to the multiple imperatives associated with the celebration of our national rebirth, and to rise to the occasion and meet the demands of the age, which include the obligation to cultivate historical self-knowledge and national historical awareness, and to systematically seek to combine social unity with a constructive critical knowledge. And to open up Greek horizons to the modern world backed by the reassuring frame of our national community …

All this requires the active participation of every one of us and is not merely a state-driven task. This is why the government is supporting the Bicentennial Initiative 1821-2021.

We have full confidence in the zeal and prestige of the stakeholders involved, as 200 years since the beginning of the Greek Revolution are rightfully a matter for civil society as a whole."

The 14 partner public benefit, cultural and academic foundations, alongside National Bank of Greece and more than 75 organizations in Greece and abroad, have collaborated for more than two and a half years to organize and prepare around 130 actions, which were presented in detail by the Initiative Coordinator, advisor to NBG Ioannis Manos, and will take place over the three years 2020-2022.

In his speech, Mr. Manos described the aims, philosophy and action of the Bicentennial Initiative 1821-2021. He mentioned how the 200th anniversary of the Revolution of 1821 provides an opportunity to reflect on the future of our country.

Mr. Manos also noted: "the Bicentennial Initiative began after National Bank of Greece – long recognized for its association with the growth and development of the Greek State – came into communication, in a spirit of respect and cooperation, with various benefit and cultural foundations with a view to setting up a creative hub for dialogue, exchange of views and collaboration regarding this great anniversary."

Mr. Manos stressed that through preparations and planned actions, "there needs to be an example of dialogue and a message of unity, in the spirit of what the Prime Minister has said in his program statements and in his speech at the event for the launch of the Greece 2021 Committee”.

On behalf of the Foundations, the President of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, Mr. Panagiotis Laskaridis, addressed the event. He underlined that “this is a private, independent, discrete initiative that aims to bring together and integrate within its overall framework a wide range of activities related to the celebration of the 200th anniversary of our country's rebirth”.

Mr. Laskaridis also welcomed Ms. Gianna Angelopoulos, Chair of the Greece 2021 Commission, and wished her “every success in her own endeavour to project, from another forum, the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the 1821 Revolution”.

Referring to the anniversary as a reason for reflection, the president of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation noted that “this reflection must, in particular, search for and analyze those less positive aspects of our governance that have led our country 4 times to bankruptcy, to national crises and our failure on occasions to secure more stable prosperity ... That is to say, we need to look at our failings straight in the eyes, to see what we need to change in order to stake out convincingly our place in the world, to improve our ability to cooperate and to accept ownership of our shortcomings and also how to overcome them.”

The contributors and actions of the Bicentennial Initiative 1821-2021

With regard to the program of events and the participants in the Initiative, the presentation drew attention to the following:

Ninety university academics and researchers make up its academic committees, and more than 450 academics from around the world will be participating as speakers in international conferences related to the Bicentenary.

In addition,16 cultural organizations are collaborating to organize 10 exhibitions and 12 major musical events, with themes inspired by the 1821 Revolution.

At the same time, more than eight actions focus on the future of the country, while at least 43 academic and cultural events will take place in six countries abroad.

All actions are inspired by the idea that the anniversary should initiate national reflection, based on the premise that history should be a source of inspiration for the future.

Each Foundation and the Bank maintain their profile, autonomy and goals and support actions under the Bicentennial Initiative which are associated with them. However, all participants agree that it is essential to foster, both in Greece and abroad, an outstanding example of cooperation, dialogue and unity. 

The website www.protovoulia21.gr will be launched on Friday 31 January 2020, and will be updated on an ongoing basis with information related to the scheduled actions.

The Bicentennial Initiative 1821-2021 is the fruit of collaboration between the following organizations and foundations: National Bank of Greece, the Eugenides Foundation, the B & M Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts & Music, the Captain Vassilis & Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation, the Social and Cultural Affairs Welfare Foundation (KIKPE), the Lambrakis Foundation, the A.C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation, the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, the A.G. Leventis Foundation, the Bodossaki Foundation, the Foundation for Education and European Culture, the Michail N. Stassinopoulos-Viohalco Public Benefit Foundation, and the Onassis Foundation.

Photographic material can be obtained from the Athens News Agency and other news agencies. A new press release will follow with more photographs from the event.

Through the following links you can access the videos of the presentation of the Bicentennial Initiative 1821-2021.

 

*Intro HQ

https://we.tl/t-jsDzicN6Qa

*OUTRO HQ

https://we.tl/t-ucwcOF43ne

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