Piraeus Bank Sponsors Program for 200th Anniversary of Greek War of Independence

An agreement to promote Piraeus Bank’s Anniversary Action Program to diaspora Greeks and Greeks living abroad for the national celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Greek War of Independence of 1821, was signed between the General Secretariat of Greeks Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Piraeus Bank.
On behalf of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the memorandum was signed on Monday by Konstantinos Vlasis, Deputy Foreign Minister with responsibility for Greeks Abroad and Georgios Hadjinikolaou, the President of Piraeus Bank.
Piraeus Bank, has designed and implemented an Anniversary Action Program in collaboration with institutions and organizations for the gala national celebration, which will take place all next year.
The program includes publishing educational, scientific and artistic material as well as conferences, workshops, exhibitions and local celebrations and events to highlight the importance of the national anniversary.
Piraeus Bank’s events and activities will include the publication of the poem “Hymn to Freedom” by Dionysios Solomos, which through the collaboration with the General Secretariat of Greeks Abroad, will be distributed worldwide to the Greek community, in Greek educational communities and churches abroad and in other centers of Hellenism.
It will also publish a work called “1821 and its Protagonists” in collaboration with the General Archives of the State.
As part of a gala celebration, it will sponsor a performance of the opera “Despo” by Pavlos Carrer, featuring the choreography of the ballet “Greek Dances” by Nikos Skalkotas from the National Opera (ELS) as part of the Opera’s anniversary program.
The bank will also lend its support to the National Historical Museum (EIM) in the creation of a commemorative gold and brass medal, inspired by the collections of the Museum.
In addition it will support of the floating exhibition of the EIM with unique historical relics and archival material from the rich collections of the Museum, which will highlight the importance of Naval forces in the War for Independence.
It will also give funds for the creation of a periodic exhibition of EIM in selected museums which belong to the Cultural Foundation of the Piraeus Group.
Piraeus Bank will also support an international conference, organized by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA), called “The Greek Revolution in the Era of Revolutions (1776-1848): Reassessment and Comparisons.”
This will also involve the implementation, in collaboration with EKPA, of a program and publications on “Aspects of Everyday Life in the Cities of Revolutionary Greece: Markets and Protests”; the organization of eleven days of workshops with the theme “200 Years of the Greek State: Reports and Perspectives;” and the organization of 21 lectures, and the publication of the content of the speeches, called “21 Speeches for ’21.”
The Bank will also publish of a poetry anthology for the War of Independence of 1821, in collaboration with the “Takis Sinopoulos Foundation – School of Modern Greek Poetry.”
It sill also support the publishing of a work titled “Study of the Agricultural Sector in Greece: 200 Years of History. Future Challenges – Perspectives” in collaboration with Serko Haroutounian, Konstantinos Tsimboukas and Dimitris Panagiotopoulos.
Lastly, it will also sponsor the creation of an exhibition entitled “’21 Differently: The Greek Revolution with PLAYMOBIL figures and dioramas” in selected museums belonging to the Cultural Foundation of the Piraeus Group.