PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

The holy trinity of cultural festivals is firstly, a rich, inspiring, developing and informative culture…secondly, people who mine it and become enthused enough to passionately bring forth an expression of it and thirdly those who willingly receive it with curiosity, awe and delight.

FESTIVAL HELLENIKA is no different.  For over 30 years it has been a platform that collects, creates, curates and most of all presents Hellenism and its abundant and diverse Australian manifestations. We are delighted to present to you all another exciting programme of events celebrating a culture we are grateful to have inherited and now are caretakers of.

This year’s programme will take us on many Odysseys…from the seriously comical (yes, Effie is back…and so is Vengo) to the magic of wine making in the Barossa…from the deep south of Italy to the culinary creations of local cooks and chefs… from the enchanting music of Nikoteini and Café Aman to theatre productions from Athens and Brazil.  Academics will speak to us about the massacre of Chios, women philosophers in antiquity as well as the role of wine (our favourite philosophy juice), in Greek life through time.

We will learn to make mosaics, delve into the world of bees and unfurl the origins of the Greek flag. Muses of poetry (clearly with passports across borders and time) will visit and we will experience poetry from within our talented midst. We will meander through the Adelaide botanic garden, art galleries and the streets of our fair city to show you Hellenism in its Adelaide setting…there are gods and goddesses hiding in plain sight!

There is also,  of course,  our much-anticipated main concert, ZEIBEKIKO… one of our most potent forms of private and collective cultural expressions embodied in melody and dance … and a 9/8 time signature. All this curated for you by The South Australian Council for the Greek Cultural Month Incorporated – a passionate and generous committee of volunteers that I extend my heartfelt gratitude to. Working with them is at once humbling and a privilege…albeit, often… noisy. And, without wind in our sails our Odyssey doesn’t even begin.  Thank you to all our sponsors for believing in our vision and our work – your support breathes life into this festival and helps keep culture alive.

Finally, there is you, our audience…new and dedicated through the last three decades. There is much pleasure, learning and inspiration ahead…we hope you come along for the ride. 

Yours in Hellenism