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* Happy October 28 Day (OXI day)
* Historic Plaque unveiling, Sat 30 Oct 2021
* European Union Film Festival, 12-28 Nov 2021
* The Greek International Film Festival of Toronto, Oct 1-4, 2021
* Conference on Greek Revolution, Harvard and Tufts Universities, Sept 24-25, 2021
* Mikis Theodorakis, some links
* Support the Wildlfire Relief Campaign for Greece
* Masterpieces of the Greek National Gallery
* European Union Short Film Festival, May 27-29, 2021
* Presentation on Greek forests, Wed 26-5-2021
* Help the Greek Community of Toronto overcome the financial problems
* Videos on Greek history
* A conversation with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece, Wed 31-3-2021 12 noon
* Lecture on the Greek Revolution by York U Professor Sakis Gekas, Wed 24-5-2021, 6:30 ET
* Ionian Islands and British Intervention in the Greek Revolution of 1821, Fri 5-3-2021, 5:30 PM EST
* Lecture on Emigration from Greece in the 2010s, Thu 4-3-2021, 4 PM
* Virtual short conference on 1821 Revolution in Macedonia
* Lecture on the 1821 Greek Revolution, Fri 22-01-2021
* Podcast series on the Greek Revolution of 1821
* AHEPA Canada Scholarships, deadline 1 June 2021
* A Foreign Country: a novel by Montreal-born Fotios Sarris
* Listen to the sound of Agia Sofia, 500+ years ago
* Greek language learning platform staellinika.com
* ImmiGrec, a virtual museum of Greek immigrants in Canada
* The 27th Modern Greek Studies Association Symposium, York U., 14-17 October 2021
* Happy October 28 Day (OXI day)
Χρόνια Πολλά Ελλάδα!
* Historic Plaque unveiling, Sat 30 Oct 2021, 9:30 AM
The Hellenic Heritage Foundation, as part of the commemoration
of the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821,
under the auspices of the Greece 2021 Organizing Committee,
invites all to the event of
Historic Plaque Unveiling - 170 Jarvis Street, Toronto
It is also not accidental that the event takes place
at a time close to the celebrations of the 28th of October 1940.
170 Jarvis Street is a very important location in the history
of the Greek Community in Toronto.
In 1912, Greek immigrants across Ontario raised funds so that
the community could purchase the building.
It served as our first church, our first Greek School
and our first community centre.
It's where the earliest Greeks founded our community.
The Hellenic Heritage Foundation felt it was important
to honour this part of our heritage and have successfully applied
to have an historical plaque erected there through Heritage Toronto.
The unveiling will take place Saturday, October 30th at 9:30 am
with Toronto Mayor - John Tory to provide remarks alongside
a number of other dignitaries, media and special guests.
For more information call 416-447-7107 or email events@hhf.ca
* European Union Film Festival, 12-28 Nov 2021
The delegation of the European Union to Canada and the EU Member States,
together with the festival presenters in Canada
(Canadian Film Institute, The Cinemateque and the EUFF Toronto)
present the 2021 European Union Film Festival.
This will still be online (as last year).
Each EU country shows one film, 26 films in total
(for some reason, I could not find Spain).
All films will be available for 48 hours after their scheduled start date.
The starting time is 3 AM the scheduled day.
See the schedule in https://www.euffonline.ca/schedule
Each inidvidual film costs $12,
5 films (whichever you choose) cost $50 (5-pass),
while you can see all films with $100.
*** Greece participates with
Title: Taylor (O rafths)
Year: 2020
Runtime: 100 minutes
Country: Greece
Director: Sonia Liza Kenterman
Screenwriter: Sonia Liza Kenterman, Tracy Sunderland
Producer: Melanie Andernach, Ioanna Bolomyti, Tanja Georgieva, Isabelle Truc
Co-Producer: Samuel Feller, Sonia Liza
Cast: Dimitris Imellos, Tamila Koulieva, Thanasis Papageorgiou,
Stathis Stamoulakatos, Dafni Michopoulou
Cinematographer: Giorgos Mihelis
Editor: Dimitris Peponis
Sound Design: Persefoni Miliou
Music: Nikos Kypourgos
Theme: When middle aged Nikos can't keep the family's tailor shop,
he takes it on wheels.
[Available Friday November 19, 3:00 AM - Sunday November 21, 3:00 AM, 2021]
More info:
https://www.euffonline.ca/schedule/tailor-greece-616858d4a4d20100c7d7ef22
*** Cyprus participates with
Title: Senior Citizen
Year: 2020
Runtime: 84 minutes
Country: Cyprus
Director: Marinos Kartikkis
Screenwriter: Marinos Kartikkis
Producer: Andros Achilleos, Marinos Kartikkis, Tonia Mishiali
Co-Producer: Panicos Petrides, Marios Stylianou, Polyvios Symeonides
Cast: Giannos Antoniou, Marina Argyridou, Alexia Charalambidou
Cinematographer: Yorgos Rahmatoulin
Editor: Stylianos Constantinou
Sound Design: Christos Kyriakoullis
Music: Christos Kyriakoullis
Theme: Theocharis, a lonely elderly man, sleeps on the benches
of the outpatient clinics of the local hospital each night,
and goes to his home only during the day.
[Available Wednesday November 24, 3:00 AM - Friday November 26, 3:00 AM, 2021]
More info:
https://www.euffonline.ca/schedule/senior-citizen-cyprus-6168a31916ae0a0029627131
More general info and to buy tickets or passes:
https://www.euffonline.ca/welcome
https://euffto.com/
* The Greek International Film Festival of Toronto, October 1-3, 2021
The Hellenic Heritage Foundation is pleased to partner
with Agape Greek Radio to present the first annual
Greek International Film Festival of Toronto (GIFFT).
A series of Greek films or films made by Greeks of diaspora
will be shown.
Held in the film making capital of Canada, GIFFT
will provide an exciting platform for directors, writers,
producers, and actors of Greek Heritage to
showcase their exceptional art.
There will be an in-person and an on-line version.
Anyone in Canada is able to attend the online version.
Anyone who goes to FAMOUS PLAYERS CANADA SQUARE THEATER,
2190 Yonge Street (Yonge & Eglinton), Toronto,
is able to attend the in-person version.
Dates: Friday to Sunday, October 1 to 3, 2021 (in-person)
Dates: Friday to Monday, October 1 to 4, 2021 (online)
The films come in packages of two,
one regular length feature film or documentary,
and one short film.
Take a look at the website www.gifft.ca
Films shown (including trailers)
Feature films: https://gifft.ca/features/
Documentaries: https://gifft.ca/gifft-documentaries/
Short films: https://gifft.ca/gifft-short-films/
Schedule and tickets:
Streaming schedule: https://gifft.ca/streaming-schedule-ticket-purchases/
Theatre schedule: https://gifft.ca/theater-schedule-ticket-purchases/
Brief list of feature films:
+ My Name Is Eftihia, by Angelos Frantzis: the life of Eftychia Papagianopoulou,
has received numerous awards
+ Pari, by Siamak Etemadi: Pari is an Iranian mother searching for her son in Athens
+ Sarmako - A Tale Of The North, by Marco Papadopoulos: Thessaloniki, October 1949, after the civil war
+ In The Strange Pursuit Of Laura Durand, by Dimitris Bavellas: two friends
united in their platonic love for (imagined?) Laura Durand
+ Vasy's Odyssey, by Vasileios Papatheocharis (Spain): two friends
from different worlds and their journey through gastronomy and old traditions.
+ God's Fans, by G. N. Bakolas
+ The Light Touch, by Robert MacLean: one pickpocket falls in love with her victim.
+ Lurk, by Vassilis Katsikis: fighting intruders from outside and inside
+ Sacred Footprints, by Nancy Athanasopoulos Mylonas: dedicated to
Theodoros Kolokotronis and other heroes, based on the patriotic poem "THE KLEPHTS" «ΟΙ ΚΛΕΦΤΕΣ»
All films come with subtitles in English (when English is not spoken).
My understanding is that
when you start an online viewing, you can stop it and resume it,
anytime up to Monday 4 October 2021.
* Conference on Greek Revolution, Harvard and Tufts Universities, September 24-25, 2021
Harvard University and Tufts University organise an online conference
on Greek Revolution.
The George Seferis Chair of Modern Greek Studies, Harvard University,
and the Karamanlis Chair of Hellenic and European Studies,
The Fletcher School at Tufts University co-sponsor
a two-day international conference marking the 200th anniversary
since the 1821 Greek war of independence,
Title: ``New Perspectives on the Greek Revolution''.
Dates: Friday to Saturday, September 24-25, 2021
Registration: tinyurl.com/greek-revolution
Registration is free, but mandatory, as zoom links
are personalized.
Information about the detailed programme of the Conference
can be found on the websites:
tinyurl.com/harvard-classics-events
and
tinyurl.com/karamanlis-events
The conference is co-organized by Constantine Arvanitopoulos
and Panagiotis Roilos.
Featured speakers include Costas Douzinas, Christina Koulouri,
Konstantinos Tsoukalas, Alexandros Kyrou, Sophia Laiou,
Nikos Alivizatos, Kostas A. Lavdas, George Alogoskoufis,
and many more!
See also
https://hellasjournal.com/2021/09/harvard-university-and-tufts-university-organise-conference-on-greek-revolution/
* Mikis Theodorakis, some links
For a while I have been watching some known and not so known
reports, documentaties, musical performances, and more
about or by Mikis Theodorakis.
I thought I can share some links:
+ Mikhs - Batraxoi - Karagkiozhs
(This is a Karagkiozhs performance, indirectly referring
to Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Hadjidakis)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zgbxZBMUMU
+ Dionusos and Epitafios
(One not so known and one known work by Mikis)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN4_5o1lmgc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlKmkjBr2k8
https://www.nationalopera.gr/nea-anakoinoseis/item/3733-o-epitafios-kai-o-dionysos-tou-miki-theodoraki-ti-m-paraskevi-30-4-apo-tin-ert2?dt=1630939056365
+ Sta Akra with Vicky Flessa
(A series of long discussions with Mikis Theodorakis with
reporter Vicky Flessa on Greek TV ERT in the 2010's.
He speaks like a river runs about everything: his music,
his ideas, his struggles, his sufferings, from child to
the 2000's).
https://www.ertflix.gr/afieroma-ston-miki-theodoraki-epeisodia/sta-akra-afieroma-ston-miki-theodoraki-a-meros/
https://www.ertflix.gr/afieroma-ston-miki-theodoraki-epeisodia/sta-akra-afieroma-ston-miki-theodoraki-b-meros/
https://www.ertflix.gr/afieroma-ston-miki-theodoraki-epeisodia/sta-akra-afieroma-ston-miki-theodoraki-g-meros/
https://www.ertflix.gr/afieroma-ston-miki-theodoraki-epeisodia/sta-akra-afieroma-ston-miki-theodoraki-d-meros/
https://www.ertflix.gr/afieroma-ston-miki-theodoraki-epeisodia/sta-akra-afieroma-ston-miki-theodoraki-e-meros/
A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJkkZ9cOScw
B https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hukCKSkx9NI
G https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cfdF6Fj3sE 2/12/2010
D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgSPACzZHbE
E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCV9KCg-upk
Of course, we should not forget the official website
https://www.mikistheodorakis.gr/
as well as the one set by a friend of him
http://www.mikis-theodorakis.net/
* Support the Wildlfire Relief Campaign for Greece
The Hellenic Initiative Canada
https://ca.thehellenicinitiative.org/
is running a relief campaign for Greeks affected by the recent fires.
Already 50K is raised, but there is still time to contribute:
See
https://ca.thehellenicinitiative.org/thic-wildlfire-relief-campaign/
You can also mail in your donations to:
The Hellenic Initiative Canada
180 Dundas St W
Suite #1200
Toronto, ON
M5G 1Z8
* Masterpieces of the Greek National Gallery
The Greek National Gallery re-opened recently
after a seven-year-long renovation.
The Gallery was established in 1878,
starting at 117 pieces of work,
but with the help of jurist and art collector Alexandros Soutzos,
who donated his collection to the Gallery in 1896,
and with continuing contributions by benefactors,
as well as Greece's efforts, it is now home to
over 20,000 pieces or work, paintings, drawings and sculptures.
An article in Greek Reporter identifies and describes
10 masterpieces of Greek and other European artists
of the 19th and 20th century. Have a look.
https://greekreporter.com/2021/05/18/10-priceless-masterpieces-in-the-national-gallery-of-greece/
* European Union Short Film Festival, May 27-29, 2021
The embassies and cultural institutes of participating
European Union member states present a festival
of short films from filmmakers all over the EU
May 27 - 29, 2021
The presentations are free and the program is in
https://www.cfi-icf.ca/eushorts
organized in three subprograms,
Program 1: Home
Program 2: Transformation
Program 3: Discovery
Greece participates with
Title: The End of Suffering (A Proposal)
2020 | 14 minutes | Greece
Director: Jacqueline Lentzou
Theme:
In this poetic, philosophical tale, a young woman discovers her real identity
and origins in a cosmic conversation with the universe.
I did not find a film from Cyprus, but I did find a Latvian film
relevant to Greece/Greeks
Title: Treasures of Greece (Grieķijas dārgumi)
2020 | 11 minutes | Latvia
Director: Jānis Cimmermanis
Theme:
When an old man fishing in the Aegean Sea discovers an ancient urn,
help is soon on the way from faraway Latvia.
Both films are in Program 3.
You can order tickets for free online at
https://www.cfi-icf.ca/eushorts
Each ticket contains 6-8 films from a subprogram.
You can order all three subprograms.
The content becomes available on May 27, 3:00 AM EDT,
and it remains available for 72 hours to start watching.
Once you start, you have 48 hours to finish.
* Presentation on Greek forests, Wed 26-5-2021
The Hellenic Initiative Canada New Leaders are hosting
a presentation
Title: Forests in Greece, Evolution and Present Condition
Date/time: Wed 26 May 2021, 12pm EST
Presenter: Nikos Petrou, Greek Naturalist, Nature Photographer & Author
President of the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature
Registration: it is free, but you must register
https://ca.thehellenicinitiative.org/2021/05/10/greek-forests/#
The presentation is expected to have marvelous pictures
from Greece's natural landscape.
This webinar is part of a collaboration between the New Leaders
and the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (HSPN)
(Ellhnikh Etairia Prostasias ths Fushs https://www.eepf.gr/ ),
a Greek organization that focuses on preservation of Greece's landscape
and natural resources, as well as collaborating with other organizations
on programs that promote sustainability.
If you find the initiatives of the Hellenic Initiative Canada
worth supporting, you can also donate through the above page.
But the presentation is free.
If you wish to see past events, visit
https://ca.thehellenicinitiative.org/past-events/
This particular one is now available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzI7RM2Y2hU
* Help the Greek Community of Toronto overcome the financial problems
The Greek Community of Toronto (GCT) is is dire financial situation.
Their income (mostly through the churches they operate) has gone
significantly down due to the pandemic, and their situation
even before the pandemic, though manageable, was not great either.
The debt inherited from the past was about 13 million CAD
and before the pandemic they managed to reduce it
to 3.2 million CAD, but at this point, with virtually
no income, they still have to pay running costs of about 1.5 million CAD,
the salaries of priests, and for all the programs they hold,
schools, as well as cultural programs (dance, theatre, sports and more),
and social programs.
At this point, they cannot overcome their debt and running costs,
unless they sell one of the four churches they operate
(Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, St. Demetrios, St. John,
St. Irene Chrisovalantou).
An independent committee asked the GCT to hold on the sale,
so that time is given to collect (though fundraising) some funds
to cover the costs.
They are calling all friends of the GCT to help.
The announcement is here:
http://greekcommunity.org/Resources/UserContent/Event/Message%20of%20the%20Independent%20Fundraising%20Committee%20to%20Save%20to%20GCT_March%2031_2021_EN.docx
If you would like to help, you can do so through
1. https://www.greekcommunity.org/Give.aspx
2. electronic transfer to GCT with e-mail officemanager@togreekcom.org
3. a cheque payable to Greek Community of Toronto
mailing address: 30 Thorncliffe Park Dr., Toronto, ON, M4H 1H8
4. credit card, call 416 425 2485 to speak to the GCT office
The GCT, established in 1909, has been serving the Greek Community
for 112 years. Now is the time for all to help. Please do not delay.
* Videos on Greek history
With the occasion of the 200 years from the Greek Revolution
of 1821, some past videos have become very relevant
and some new ones have come up.
Title: The timeless strengths of Hellenism over the past 4.000 years
Link: https://youtube.com/watch?v=6DsbA9iI4Qw&feature=share
Duration: 22'
Presenter: Maria Efthymiou
Content: a short course on the history of Greece
Title: 1821 through the writings of 1821 (To 21 mesa apo keimena tou 21)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB_gTL1bIJuB7ZJEDkhULmg5zFp8HIOsj
Duration: 365 videos each of 1' duration
Presenter: Maria Efthymiou
Content: Short "spot" readings of writings of the 1821 era about the revolution
narrated by Maria Efthymiou, music by Eleni Karaindrou
Each spot presented on a different day of 2021 at the Greek Television
* A conversation with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece, Wed 31-3-2021 12noon
The Hellenic Initiative Canada (THI) invites you to attend their
upcoming virtual discussion:
Title: In conversation with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece
Date/time: Wednesday March 31st, 2021, 12:00 PM (EDT)
Moderator: Katerina Sokou, Washington D.C. Correspondent and THI Canada board member
About the event:
On the occasion of the bicentennial of the Greek Revolution, join us for a
virtual event with the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis:
A discussion with THI Canada Honorary Director and
former Ambassador of Canada to Greece Robert Peck on his vision for Greece,
economic recovery, bilateral relations and the diaspora.
Register now:
https://u14745508.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=7omoEkKB0ln27uMvoRZYZWaE6vSyDCuKR4OqAZ5xUEc9a8bdbTix4kgygD7ZqfrAU3-2FvlF3FYwFrN3IhboCuGIozYh6i3pSMZWM6q-2FBg0kY-3DkTmV_RlwE7V8A41oxXofFSOx1Xk41-2Bs7eLvVymfVsrsE44Z3hvZ6CZHMyHrpg0BipaTPNgxqJ1SZB2RYYPUCBF97unwCMFEi3VqnVC4QJdkHDrvvWNM-2BndVoMusL8gW-2B4nrWPuXXeUq-2Bapo6Zsq37GrIDjhoWS-2F6Rq3kwirHQ9imTSTg-2F-2B7uf-2B6-2BKJprIQE8NHnDiPRo-2F3j7K9RhyDbqkZK7AsqXXFTDA-2B6MKyt-2FeY72P5BnpNzyIFBWssSRTb-2BYKvz4khnBYi0eo2Oki6HoLSRPhURXKddT8RdtJNEv-2BvPRXEMiCflcBI-2BYmh-2FzSid539pkHSb8ZvWNQdY2NaqjvQjisAN2OfFYP3BImnGEy97sk-2B4ZqlTNHVoMRMK6dco8raydePTsatYkdhjYsfW2ujwf8XRB5WVE0i4P-2BTys4fQjcIysx-2FKpyIWIyjDSY03IZduVEf0KIgu-2F03WVZO7QkyvREyw-3D-3D
In Partnership with the Canadian International Council, Montreal Branch
https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/c5l0cmsVSoG7HIqOml6d
For any questions about the event, you are welcome to send your inquiries to
Natasha Bourliaskou at: natasha.bourliaskos@ca.thehellenicinitiative.org
Investing in the future of Greece through direct philanthropy.
We empower people to provide direct crisis relief.
We are the Hellenic Initiative Canada (THI-C) - a part of The Hellenic
Initiative (THI) global movement of the Greek Diaspora.
* Lecture on the Greek Revolution by York U Professor Sakis Gekas, Wed 24-5-2021
The Department of Classics at the Ohio State University
hosts
The Annual Thomas E. Leontis and Anna P. Leontis Memorial Lecture
in Modern Greek Studies
Speaker: Professor Sakis Gekas
Hellenic Heritage Foundation Chair in Modern Greek History
York University
Title: Islands on Fire: Fighters, Pirates, Slaves in the Greek Revolution
Date/time: Wednesday, March 24, 2020, 6:30pm
Venue: normally at The Faculty Club, North Dining Room
The Ohio State University
181 South Oval Drive, Columbus, OH 43210
Now virtual
Register in advance:
https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqcemqpzwjE9PzYkDiGQAt8mvxrDloHHTr
The Lecture
When we think of the Greek War of Independence in 1821,
land battles often come to mind, except for the Battle of Navarino
in October 1827. Yet events in the Aegean and Ionian Seas determined
the course of the Revolution. The sea engulfed refugees and
the enslaved alike, while revolutionaries, pirates, merchants,
and battleships were riding the waves and determined the course of the war.
Moreover, the battles and many victories of the Greek navy sustained
the war and turned the tide in favor of the Greek cause.
At the same time, loyalties were shifting and the revolutionary war
left some islands and many lives in a desolate state.
In 1830 only some of the Aegean islands formed part of independent Greece.
This lecture shifts the gaze away from the ``continental'' point
of view towards a maritime history of the revolution and focuses on
piracy, slavery and the plight of refugees to shed light
to previously little-known aspects of the great event.
The Speaker
Sakis Gekas (B.A. History, Ionian University; M.A., Ph.D. History,
University of Essex) is Associate Professor and holder of
the York University Hellenic Heritage Foundation Chair
in Modern Greek History. He teaches history of Modern Greece,
history of Greek migration in the 20th century, and Mediterranean
and European history. In 2012, he co-founded the Greek Canadian
History Project and between 2017-2019 helped ``build'' a virtual museum
of Greek immigration to Canada (Immigrec).
His recent book projects include,
Xenocracy: State, Class, and Colonialism in the Ionian Islands, 1815-1864
(New York - Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2017), which will be published in Greek
as «Ξενοκρατία. Οικονομία, Κοινωνία και Κράτος στα Επτάνησα 1815-1864»
(Hellenic Open University Press, 2021).
An other forthcoming book is
«Τα λείψανα του αγώνος».
Απόμαχοι, χήρες και ορφανά των αγωνιστών της Επανάστασης,
1821-1850 [``The Relics of the Struggle'':
Veterans, Widows and Orphans of the Revolution, 1821-1850]
(National Research Foundation, Athens 2021).
Visit the Leontis Memorial Lecture
http://classics.osu.edu/about-us/annual-thomas-e-leontis-and-anna-p-leontis-memorial-lecture-modern-greek-studies
page for more information about the lecture series.
* Lecture on the Ionian Islands and British Intervention in the Greek Revolution of 1821, Fri 5-3-2021, 6:30 PM ET
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Centre for Hellenic Studies
at Simon Fraser University is pleased to present
a lecture
Title: Ionian Islands and British Intervention in the Greek Revolution of 1821
Speaker: Professor Sakis Gekas, Hellenic Heritage Foundation chair
of Modern Greek Studies in York University
Date/time: Fri, March 5, 2021 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM EST
Venue: virtual
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ionian-islands-and-british-intervention-in-the-greek-revolution-of-1821-tickets-142300347169
or send e-mail to hscomm@sfu.ca
registration is free but required
This lecture is part of the Spring Seminar Series of
Hellenic Studies at SFU.
This event is free and open to the public.
Abstract
During the Greek revolutionary war of the 1820s,
the British protectorate of the Ionian State
(the ``United States of the Ionian Islands'')
was the catalyst for several developments:
the formation of a pro-British faction,
the arrival of the first loans to the provisional government,
the protection of refugees from the Peloponnese and Roumeli,
and the deeper involvement in the resolution of the ``Greek affair''.
The British-Ionian administration provided information that
reached London and beyond and shaped British policy in the region,
as Ionian State authorities followed the war closely.
This talk will argue that the history of the revolution from
an Ionian and British imperial vantage point allows us to
make sense of British engagement with the making of
Modern Greece within a global context and understand
how the revolution affected Ionians in the islands and beyond.
Speaker bio
Sakis Gekas (BA History, Ionian University; MA, Ph.D. History,
University of Essex) is Associate Professor and holder
of the York University Hellenic Heritage Foundation Chair
in Modern Greek History.
His recent book projects include:
Xenocracy: State, Class, and Colonialism in the Ionian Islands, 1815-1864
(New York - Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2017),
which will be published in Greek as
«Ξενοκρατία. Οικονομία, Κοινωνία και Κράτος στα Επτάνησα 1815-1864»
(E.A.Π. (Hellenic Open University Press, 2021).
Another forthcoming book is «Τα λείψανα του αγώνος».
Απόμαχοι, χήρες και ορφανά των αγωνιστών της Επανάστασης,
1821-1850 [``The Relics of the Struggle'':
Veterans, Widows and Orphans of the Revolution, 1821-1850]
(National Research Foundation, Athens 2021).
* Lecture on Emigration from Greece in the 2010s, Thu 4-3-2021, 4 PM
The Centre for European and Eurasian Studies (CERES) and
the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy,
supported by the Hellenic Heritage Foundation
organizes a lecture
Title: Voting with their feet? Emigration from Greece in the 2010s.
Speaker: Professor Anna Triandafyllidou
Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration
at Ryerson University
Date/time: Thursday, March 4th at 4pm EST
This speaker series is part of the Hellenic Studies Program at
the University of Toronto.
To register for this online event, simply click on
the following link and fill in the required info:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_waYtNy0oS7-aT8kDJLtQ9w
A brief description of the lecture topic and main speaker is provided below.
Voting with their feet? Emigration from Greece in the 2010s
Anna Triandafyllidou is an internationally recognized sociologist
and migration policy expert whose interdisciplinary research focuses
on the governance of migration and asylum; the management of cultural
diversity, nationalism and identity issues; and overall,
the contemporary challenges of migration and integration
across different world regions.
Prior to her CERC at Ryerson University, Triandafyllidou was
based in Florence, Italy, where she held a Robert Schuman Chair
at the European University Institute and directed the
Cultural Pluralism Research Area as part of the
European University Institute’s Global Governance Programme.
* Virtual short conference on 1821 Revolution in Macedonia
The Association for Macedonian Studies
(Etaireia Makedonikwn Spoudwn, based in Thessaloniki, Greece)
held a short virtual conference on
Title: The Revolution of 1821 in Macedonia as discussed
in the Greek and foreign press
Date: Sunday 20 December 2020, 18:15
While this is past, the short conference is available in
https://ems.gr/epanastasi-1821-makedonia-typos/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foX28XtAMww&feature=youtu.be
* Lecture on the 1821 Greek Revolution, Fri 22-01-2021
The Hellenic Heritage Foundation
in collaboration with
Hellenic Studies Program at the University of Toronto
housed by the Centre of European and Eurasian Studies
at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
organize a lecture
Title: Diaspora, Nation, and Other Fantastic Interpretations
of the 1821 Greek Revolution
[Editor's note: Not sure what ``Fantastic'' here means, but
first guess is ``imagined'' or ``unreal'' rather than ``wonderful''.]
Date/time: Friday, January 22nd, 2021, from 2pm to 3:30pm EST
Speaker: Prof. Sakis Gekas, HHF Chair of Modern Greek History,
York University.
Moderator: Prof. Phil Triadafilopoulos, Political Science,
University of Toronto.
Registration is free, but needed to receive zoom link.
To register for this online event, simply click on the
following link and fill in the required info:
https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/ceres/event/29769/
A brief description of the lecture topic, the main speaker and
the moderator is provided below.
Abstract:
Diaspora and nation are two of the most appealing and
enduring notions used to explain the Greek Revolution of 1821.
How accurately do they depict the events that shook the Ottoman Empire
and mobilized people around the world to support the Greek cause?
The talk will suggest two ways to approach empirically
the foundational event of Greek history:
a) the crucial international context in Europe and beyond;
b) the divisions and conflicts among the revolutionaries that
nearly lost the war.
Both interpretations allow for a more extrovert and historically
accurate understanding of the revolution.
Speakers:
Prof. Sakis Gekas
HHF Chair of York University
Sakis Gekas is Associate Professor and HHF Chair of Modern Greek History
and Hellenic Studies at York University. He has published on the history
of the Ionian Islands and on aspects of Greek and Mediterranean economic
and social history. His book, "Xenocracy. State, Class, and Colonialism
in the Ionian Islands, 1815-1864," was published by Berghahn Books in 2017.
Moderator:
Prof. Phil Triadafilopoulos
CERES, University of Toronto
Phil Triadafilopoulos is Associate Professor of Political Science
at the University of Toronto. He teaches courses in political science
and public policy at the University of Toronto Scarborough and
the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and conducts
research in the areas of immigration and citizenship policy
in Europe and North America.
The full listing of upcoming CERES events can be viewed at:
http://munkschool.utoronto.ca/ceres/events/
* Podcast series on the Greek Revolution of 1821
The Hellenic Heritage Foundation
produces a series of seven podcast episodes
exploring the Greek Revolution of 1821.
Hosted by Georgia Balogiannis,
also under the auspices of the Greece 2021 Committee.
Sponsored by Agape Greek Radio. Original music by Demetri Petsalakis.
Title: The idea of Greece
Listen here: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1552246.rss
Episode One: The Origins of the Revolution
Episode Two: Not One War
Episodes drop every two weeks and you can also download them on
Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/,
Spotify https://www.spotify.com/ca-en/
and soon on Apple https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-podcasts/id525463029
Future episodes will also be available to listen to at hhf.ca
http://hhf.ca/podcast-series-the-idea-of-greece/
* AHEPA Canada Scholarships, deadline 1 June 2021
AHEPA Canada has a number of national and other regional scholarships
for currently registered or accepted students in a Canadian university.
See
http://ahepacanada.org/scholarships/
for more details and to download forms.
Most scholarships have a deadline of June 1st, 2021, to apply.
The topics range from education to arts, from medicing to engineering
and from business to law.
Here are some
National Scholarships
NICK LOGOTHETIS SCHOLARSHIP IN EDUCATION $2,000 AWARDED
The Nick Logothetis Scholarship in Education is awarded to
a Canadian resident enrolled in an accredited Education program
at a Canadian university and is a member of the AHEPA Family
(including spouses, children or grandchildren).
The AFCFC established this scholarship through the generosity
of the Estate of the Late Nick Logothetis.
NICK LOGOTHETIS SCHOLARSHIP IN BUSINESS STUDIES $2,000 AWARDED
The Nick Logothetis Scholarship in Business Studies is awarded to
a Canadian resident enrolled in an accredited Business Studies program
at a Canadian university and is a member of the AHEPA Family
(including spouses, children or grandchildren).
The AFCFC established this scholarship through the generosity
of the Estate of the Late Nick Logothetis.
Dr. Dimitriades Memorial Medical Scholarship $2,000 Awarded
The Dr. Dimitriadis Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a student
of Hellenic Heritage or AHEPA family enrolled in a school
of medicine at a Canadian university.
Katsepontes Family Scholarship in Law or Medicine $1500 Awarded
The Katsepontes Family Law or Medicine Scholarship is awarded to
a Canadian resident enrolled in an accredited law or medical school
at a Canadian university and are either members of the AHEPA Family
(including spouses, children or grandchildren) or
of Hellenic heritage (through a parent, grandparent or a spouse).
The AHEPA FCFC established this scholarship in 2011 through
the generosity of the Katsepontes family.
THE AROUTZIDIS FAMILY ENGINEERING STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP $2,000 AWARDED
The Aroutzidis Family Scholarship is awarded to
a Canadian resident enrolled in an accredited Engineering program
at a Canadian university and are members of the AHEPA Family
(including spouses, children or grandchildren).
The AFCFC established this scholarship in 2015 through
the generosity of The Aroutzidis Family.
Nina and Dean Antonakes Performing Arts Scholarship – $1000.00
The Nina and Dean Antonakes scholarship is awarded to
a Canadian resident enrolled in an accredited Performing arts program
at a Canadian university and is of Hellenic heritage
(through a parent, grandparent or a spouse).
* A Foreign Country: a novel by Montreal-born Fotios Sarris
Book title: A Foreign Country
Author: Fotios Sarris, Professor in the
Faculty of Communication and Design (FCAD), Professional Communication,
at Ryerson University
Released: November 17, 2020
Book: 416 pages, paperback
Edition: Dumagrad 978-1-988887-04-3
Distributed in Canada to all bookstores by LPG/LitDistCo
Approximate price: $19.95 CAD
Available online at wordcity.ca
https://wordcity.ca/author/fotios-sarris
and at amazon
https://www.amazon.ca/Foreign-Country-Fotios-Sarris/dp/1988887054
A Foreign Country: a novel by Montreal-born Fotios Sarris
The child of Greek immigrants to Mile End, Montreal,
struggles to cut bonds of tribe and family.
A Foreign Country is a family epic that ranges from the wreckage
of post-war Athens to Mile End in the seventies and beyond.
Sarris writes in the tradition of Mordecai Richler, with
his intimate understanding and colourful depiction of the streets
and people of the Montreal neighbourhood.
But his story moves into a political realm as well:
A Foreign Country interrogates the neoliberal levelling of the world,
and the West's uncertain stance towards its own strains of nationalism.
A novel whose protagonist is striving for freedom poses the question:
is it possible that freedom itself is what he is trying to escape?
We live in a perennial and constantly renewable now,
a present cut off from any past. Homelessness is the destiny of the world.
So says a stranger in Thessaloniki who challenges the narrator's
post-national values. It's a challenge towards the reader as well,
in a book that tackles our assumptions about identity and nationalism.
Sarris offers no easy answers in his ambitious, topical, and provocative debut.
About Fotios Sarris
Fotios Sarris was born in Montreal and grew up in the Mile End district.
After completing his doctorate at the University of Toronto,
he joined the faculty of Ryerson University, where he is a lecturer
in the School of Professional Communication.
A Foreign Country is his first novel.
More info: David Hull 647 273-3658 info@dumagrad.com
* Listen to the sound of Agia Sofia, 500+ years ago
Scholars at Stanford University recreate what a Christian choir
have sounded inside Agia Sofia of Constantinople,
when it was what is was built for: a Christian church.
This research was pursued much earlier than
the current sad and backward developments of converting
Agia Sofia to a mosque, but they are as timely as ever.
In brief, researchers (back in 2016) went to Agia Sofia, studied how
the sounds made by popping balloons spread and gather in Agia Sofia,
and designed a digital filter that takes a local sound
and converts it to what it would sound inside Agia Sofia,
given the specifics of the geometry, space and shape,
architecture, materials, etc.
Then, back in the USA, they had the choir Capella Romana,
a vocal ensemble based in Portland, Oregon, singing
Christian (Byzantine and other) hymns, passed their sounds
through the filter and recorded the result.
Essentially, the acoustics of Agia Sofia are imprinted
in the end sound result.
Read and listen in
https://www.npr.org/2020/02/22/808404928/listen-the-sound-of-the-hagia-sophia-more-than-500-years-ago
http://www.excusemeareyougreek.com/2020/02/listen-the-sound-of-hagia-sophia-500-years-ago/?fbclid=IwAR15N47dMNaxCG4d9j7n3YU7PxMzlTd3ZfscBuSBVEt_jkzcGhA6Iu11Mjs
More on Capella Romana in
https://cappellaromana.org/
* Greek language learning platform staellinika.com
The General Secretariat for Greeks abroad
at the Ministry of Foreigh Affairs in Greece,
in collaboration with
the Ministry Of Education and Religious Affairs,
the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America,
the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University,
and with the support of
the Stavros Niarchos foundation
have launched a Greek language learning platform at
https://staellinika.com/
The platform has courses for children starting at 4 years old and on.
Also puzzles and other games.
There is the online version and apps for IPAD (ios).
Register and watch. (Beta version for the moment.)
This is useful during covid and non-covid times..
* Portal for Greek (and not only) language in Canada
Those looking for Greek language programs and related activities in Canada,
can visit
https://greeklanguage.ca/
Similarly, those offering Greek language programs and related activities,
can visit
https://greeklanguage.ca/
to declare them.
GREEKLANGUAGE.CA, created by Dr. Themistoklis Aravossitas,
of the Modern Greek Studies program at the Munk School
of Global Affairs, University of Toronto,
is an online portal built to support Greek language education across Canada.
It is a model on how to connect communities, educational institutions,
language programs and courses, designed to meet the needs of students,
Greek-language educators, parents and Hellenic community members
looking for ways to connect to their culture.
GREEKLANGUAGE.CA collects and provides information on
courses, programs, events, resources and associated organizations,
related to Greek language in Canada.
* ImmiGrec, a virtual museum of Greek immigrants in Canada
The Stavros Niarchos foundation
has launched a virtual museum of Greek immigration to Canada.
Explore stories of Greek immigration to Canada with ImmiGrec,
a virtual museum that explores the history and language
of Greek immigrants in Canada, and elucidates their connection
to the social and cultural history of the country.
Visit:
https://immigrec.com/
https://virtual.immigrec.com/en#/start/immigration-and-language-in-canada
Designed and developed by
McGill University, Greek Studies
University of Patras, Laboratory of Modern Greek Dialects (LMGD)
York University, Modern Greek Studies
Simon Fraser University, Department of Linguistics
* The 27th Modern Greek Studies Association Symposium, York U., 14-17 October 2021
While this may be premature, it is still good to place it
in your calenders.
If you plan to submit your paper, deadlines come as early as Jan 31, 2021.
The 27th Modern Greek Studies Association Symposium
will take place at York University (Toronto) on 14-17 October 2021.
Call for papers
Important Deadlines:
January 31, 2021 -- Individual Abstract Submission Deadline extended from 1.15.
January 31, 2021 -- Panel Submission Deadline.
January 31, 2021 -- Special Session (roundtable, workshop, or luncheon
brainstorming session) Proposal Submission Deadline.
Acceptances and rejections will be announced on March 15, 2021.
See https://mgsasymposium.org/cfp.html
for more information on how to submit (electronically).