Strolling alongside the waterfront of Elefsina, 20 kilometres north-west of Athens, it's onerous to imagine that this metropolis of 30,000 inhabitants was as soon as one of the vital sacred websites in historic Greece. Now, the horizon is full of service provider ships and manufacturing unit chimneys, whereas the sound of seagulls mingles with that of vans unloading items.
For the report, Elefsina is the identify of town in trendy Greek, whereas Eleusis is the identify in historic Greek. The European challenge (2023 Eleusis) selected to make use of the traditional identify. In English, each Elefsina and Eleusis are used interchangeably.
Certainly, the traces of Elefsina's wonderful previous are preserved on the historic sanctuary of Demeter, within the coronary heart of town. The town has been named European Capital of Tradition for 2023, together with Timisoara in Romania and Veszprém in Hungary. Strolling across the surviving marble columns, elements of town appear frozen in time, however in actuality Elefsina is in turmoil.
Resulting from its pure port and strategic location close to the capital, Elefsina has at all times occupied a distinguished place on the Greek map. Right now, town is a mirror of Greece itself, the place the cult of the previous meets the challenges of the current. Laborious hit by the financial disaster in recent times, residents now hope to write down a brand new chapter within the metropolis's historical past because of the allocation of European funds.
Pilgrims progress
From 1600 BC to 400 AD, town was often known as a spot of pilgrimage for the Eleusinian mysteries; essentially the most secret non secular ceremony of historic Greece, whose followers needed to swear a vow with a view to maintain secret the ceremony.
Elefsina sanctuary was the place of worship of Demeter, the fertility god, and her daughter Persephone. The ceremony symbolised the parable of Demeter who descended into the underworld to search out her kidnapped daughter. In accordance with the parable, they each reach returning to the world - a return that signified rebirth and the approaching of spring. Subsequently, through the pilgrimages Eleusis represented the gate to the underworld, but additionally the vacation spot for a brand new starting.
widget--size-fullwidthwidget--align-center">
Right now, behind the marble of the sanctuary, guests can clearly see the smokestacks of deserted or dying industries. Through the twentieth century, the march in the direction of industrialisation utterly modified town panorama. Shipyards, metal industries, building firms, oil mills, wire factories and petroleum reshaped the picture of the up to date Elefsina. Industrial exercise developed anarchically on the antiquities and subsequent to the residential space.
Then, on the finish of the twentieth century, industries hit by the financial decline started to shut. The Greek debt disaster, which erupted in 2009, dealt the ultimate blow to metropolis's productive engine. Now, town is hoping that a “cultural renaissance” will reverse its monetary fortunes.
From the shadows to highlight
Panos Gkiokas is co-founder of Mentor, an organization established by locals decided to advertise Elefsina's cultural heritage. Earlier than town was named European Capital of Tradition, stray cats and schoolchildren from Athens have been the primary guests to the archaeological website. However currently, an increasing number of vacationers are coming, intrigued by its legendary historical past.
"For a very long time, Elefsina was penalised by its proximity to Athens: all energies and funds have been directed to the capital, whereas Elefsina sank generally indifference. However immediately, we intention to grow to be a supply of attraction for the capital itself, because of our cultural actions,” Gkiokas tells Euronews Tradition.
As a matter of information below the impulse of the European capital initiative, the areas of former mills, warehouses and industries have been transformed into theatres, museums and assembly locations devoted to cultural occasions.
Gkiokas grew up in Elefsina, and by no means considered leaving the place the place he was born. Nevertheless, lots of his friends damage by the financial disaster, have left searching for a greater future overseas. Because of its place near Piraeus, the primary Greek port, Elefsina has at all times been a spot the place tales of loss and arrival have been recounted. This in any case, is the place many Greek refugees from Asia Minor settled after the top of the Greek-Turkish battle, in 1922.
Assembly migration and trendy challenges
Asia Minor refugees doubled Elefsina's whole inhabitants Alongside Arvanites, a bilingual Greek inhabitants of Albanian origins settled within the metropolis for hundreds of years, there have been additionally Greeks who emigrated from the poorest areas to be employed in factories. It left town each enriched culturally and economically.
“From this standpoint, Elefsina represents a number of the most vital challenges Europe is going through these days: that of managing the migration phenomenon as a chance for enrichment and creating new jobs in territories deserted by industries,” says Gkiokas.
The European inventive program, named 2023 Eleusis and led by the overall inventive director Michail Marmarinos, focuses on three thematic axes: the primary is individuals, to find hidden elements of cultural variety; the second centres on the surroundings, looking for new methods to outline the connection with nature.
Lastly, the European inventive program is concentrated on labour and explores the widespread continental challenges of precariousness and the mannequin of a sustainable economic system.
“The challenge is predicated on the thought of how we wish Elefsina to alter for the higher for its personal inhabitants,” says Angeliki Lampiri, director of Cultural Coaching of 2023 Eleusis. “Our best achievement is to construct one thing to stay. We now have began to alter the overall mindset and show that tradition is a toll for financial restoration, however we'll see the ends in the subsequent decade," provides Lampiri.
Because of the European challenge, a choreography academy named U(R)TOPIAS has been established in a former bowling centre in Elefsina.
“After we began engaged on the challenge, I imagined this Academy as I might have dreamt of it initially of my profession” inventive director Patricia Apergi tells Euronews Tradition.
“I wished the Academy to supply the chance that so many people didn't have. Like many choreographers, I needed to prepare overseas as a result of there are not any related locations in Greece,” says Apergi.
Greater than 15 choreographers have participated in academy tasks thus far. Subsequent June, six artists will stage the choreographies they're engaged on, with one intention: to construct a bridge between their artwork and the host metropolis.
"Among the choreographers are learning the commerce union struggles that after fuelled town industrial hub. Others are researching the historical past of historic Elefsina. From these tales they draw inspiration for brand spanking new choreographies. In any case, we imagine you will need to depart a contribution not solely to Greece, however to town,” provides Apergi.
The beginning of 2023 noticed the partitions of many Elefsina buildings lined with quotes from nice artists who visited town within the historic and up to date previous. Amongst them, the traditional roman thinker Seneca (4 BC – 65 AD) wrote: "There are holy issues that aren't communicated suddenly: Eleusis at all times retains one thing again to indicate those that come once more".
The spirit of Eleusis 2023 appears to be encapsulated on this sentence: it’s the want for a return, and a homecoming. The residents of the small metropolis that grew up within the shadow of Athens nonetheless look in the direction of the ocean, however immediately they want to welcome somewhat than depart.
Post a Comment