Interview of the President of the Committee "Greece 2021" at ERT
SPOTLIGHT

Interview of the President of the Committee "Greece 2021" at ERT

• "We will celebrate the bicentennial of the Revolution, all over the world, wherever there are Greeks"
• "Our call is to reach the heart of every Greek. We have been through difficulties as a country, but we have remained strong"
• "We have a main and an alternative plan for the programming of the Committee projects"

The global character that the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Revolution of 1821 will have, was underlined in an interview given by the President of the Committee "Greece 2021", Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, on Wednesday night in the main newsroom of ERT and the reporter Adriana Paraskevopoulou. "The celebrations will take place all over the world, wherever there are Greek people. We have 1733 proposals from all over the world and from five Continents," she said.

"We are determined to celebrate the bicentennial of the Revolution. Because we must honor the Revolution, our ancestors, who, with their struggles, led Greece to where it stands today. Because we have to honor this 200-year long journey. Because we need to highlight the personalities, the people who have played a vital part during these 200 years. And because we must move forward in the future with confidence, with dynamism, with self-assurance", stressed Mrs. Angelopoulos. In response to a question on how the anniversary events will proceed if the health crisis caused by the pandemic continues, she added that the Committee has a main and an alternative plan in the programming of its projects.

"We must reach the heart of every Greek"

"Successfully celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Revolution is a tremendous feat. For example, organizing the Olympic Games, whose great success filled us with pride, was also an enormous undertaking. But it had strict guidelines and a specific goal. On the 200th anniversary, we must reach the hearts of the Greek people," the President of the Committee said in her speech, adding: "The project is complex because the stakes are not palpable. We must remind every Greek that this 200-year course has bestowed a lot on us. It gave us strength. We've been through a lot, but we have remained strong. Today the country stands proud. A democratic and advanced country. Let us reflect on the strength we have, the historical load we carry on our shoulders, and how this ought to provide us with optimism and confidence in facing the forthcoming years."

On the financing and the program of the Committee

The President of the Committee mentioned that the overall and complete program of projects and events for the 200 years since the Revolution will be announced by December of this year. Meanwhile, on the financing of the Committee and its projects, she said: "We are a Committee established by a law voted by the vast majority of the Greek Parliament. We don't receive and didn't want to receive any government funding. After a decade-long crisis, we did not want there to be any skepticism about the money managed by the Committee. We have made it clear that the funding will come from sponsors. At this point, I would like to thank our sponsors for their contribution, including the Bank of Greece and the National Bank as the sole distributor of the "Precursor" collectible medal. The money we will use to finance projects will come from our Numismatics Program."

On the "Festivals of Cities"

The President of the Committee also referred to the 'Festivals of Cities', one of the main anniversary initiatives to be held under the Committee's endorsement. They will take place in two phases, on the 25th of March 2021, in sites that have played a significant historical role. And on the 20th and 21st of June where, on the occasion of the European Music Day, celebrations will be organized simultaneously in many Greek cities.

"Make known all over the world, what Greece is all about"

In conclusion, in response to a question about her role in public affairs, her ambitions, and aspirations, Mrs. Angelopoulos stressed: "Since I was blessed to have the ability and the strength to help my country, I do it. All Greeks love our country. We love our country, we at the Committee talk with thousands of people, and we feel it every day, we confirm it, we love our country. My ambition, and that of the members of the Committee, is to highlight the uniqueness of the Greek people, to reinvent ourselves, to make known all over the world, what Greece is all about."