Our Athens: a chance for the city to discover its full potential
We are Stefania Koutsoupia, Manwlis Nanouris and Romalea Ntregka, post-graduate students of Cultural Management at Panteion University. Our supervisor in Cultural Marketing classes, Professor Betty Tsakarestou, set a challenge for us: to discover the best city-branding tactics for Athens, wondering what can make the city a strong player in the worldwide cultural field. Our ideas and notions concerning Athens’ dynamics are constantly under development, but we have come to draw a map of the city’s capacities, both those which form its global competency, as well as those that are yet to unfold.
To quote Pindarus, “Become who you are”[1] and this is what appears to be at stake in modern Athens, concerning the people who live in the city and who reform its identity on a daily basis. So, you should not restrict yourself to obsolete cultural norms, that do not allow you to reach what you could really be.
So, which are the city’s brightest points in the cultural sphere? Undoubtedly, the vivid nightlife as well as the Greek kitchen, comprise two of the most famous reasons to visit Athens. Indeed, traditionally, both of them have been appealing factors for tourists, together with the historical and archaeological aspect. Yet, it is the cultural capital of Athens that we want to give prominence to, making it a city worth living in and not just passing by. Thus, the social awareness programs (such as, the Equal Society soup kitchen, the open courses for refugees and other vulnerable social groups, the anti-racist festival in the School of Fine Arts etc.) seeking to promote diversity, constitute important endeavors of the Athenian community to re-define itself as a cultural change-maker.
What is also a key-factor in city-life is Athens’ educative and cultural assortment. Educational seminars are offered from art-labs and cultural centers to bookstore-cafes. Moreover, many festivals are held annually, for instance the renowned Athens & Epidaurus Festival or the Athens International Film Festival. These artistic initiatives, together with the musical stages, the neighborhood cinemas, the very many publishing houses in Exarchia and the theatre-hive in Kypseli, they all form the vivid cultural imprint of the city. Last but not least, we couldn’t disregard the strongest players in the city-branding game, the cultural institutions (the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center, Impact Hub and Serafio, among others), which are under rising trajectory.
Nonetheless, Athens has another side too. A side which holds it hostage to malfunctions in welfare issues and to subtle antagonism among neighboring municipalities, spreading even in daily challenges (such as, the communal inefficacy considering cleanliness or the creation of a bicycle root linking the city). The architectural landscape is also very discouraging, but also very promising: there are many neo-classical derelict buildings with great potential and many closed stores. The public transport could also be ameliorated, turning to more Eco-friendly solutions, with the use of tram railway or the restriction of car use in the historical center, as well as with the prolongation of the metro’s operation hours with an overnight shift for the weekend.
It is time for the city of Athens and its people to stop “waiting for the Barbarians”[2]. They should shake off the comforting notion of incorrigible decadence, which, very conveniently, makes all of us citizens discard the responsibility of taking action. There is no perfect timing for perfect changes, but what we aspire for is the courage to start trying.
“Just to be on the first step should make you happy and proud. To have come this far is no small achievement”[3]…
[1] Pythian Odes B’, line 72 (Pindarus)
[2] Waiting for the Barbarians (C.P.Cavafy)
[3] The First Step (C.P.Cavafy)
