2. Current cultural affairs
Greece
Last update: October, 2013
Cultural policy priorities, as derived from policy documents and budget allocation priorities during the last five years, are:
- the shift towards maximisation of the economic benefit from culture and the arts, necessary in order to support current levels of funding for cultural activities in the fields of cultural heritage and the arts. This is manifested organisationally through the twinning of culture and tourism in a joint Ministry of Culture and Tourism since 2009, as well as in mainstreaming and integrationist activities and initiatives aimed at maximizing, especially, numbers of visitors to sites of Greek cultural heritage, and also the international export of Greek cultural productions, mainly in film and the performing arts;
- rationalisation in the funding and monitoring of cultural activities through the introduction of formal criteria and performance measuring procedures. Also, more effective financial planning and exploitation of cultural heritage assets through traditional channels (such as museum shops, reproductions of archaeological artefacts, and publications intended for the general public) and digital technologies. To some extent, adoption of private market methodologies and approaches to identify, package and promote elements of the Greek arts and heritage deemed to be capable of generating revenue;
- the protection, preservation and valorisation of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of all periods of Greek history – including the recent past and contemporary culture - and of cultural groups and traditions that flourished in the territory of Greece, with an emphasis on Classical Greek and high Byzantine antiquities. The traditionally higher budget allocation for cultural heritage (rather than contemporary culture) is combined with an integrated approach in what constitutes heritage, and with the inception of comprehensive programmes geared towards more effective interpretation and access to heritage, such as the unification of archaeological sites of Athens; the call for the restitution of the Parthenon marbles now in the custody of the British Museum to be integrated with sculptures that remained in Athens in the context of the new Acropolis museum, a major visitor success since its opening in 2009; and the return of illegally exported antiquities in general, through a strengthening of international cooperation with countries and custodian institutions abroad;
- promotion of international cultural co-operation and exchange, initially as a tool for strengthening the relations of Greece with other countries (such as other EU member-states, neighbouring countries, major international actors and countries with a strong Greek Diaspora), and increasingly in pursuit of maximising the financial benefits from the international exposure of Greek culture and heritage through a policy of "extroversion". In this context, initiatives such as blockbuster events and archaeological exhibitions in major international museums are given priority over isolated small-scale activities. Instruments including encouragement of co-productions for film and showcase events to promote awareness of Greek artistic productions to international markets, have been launched recently;
- recent modernisation and expansion of infrastructures for culture and the arts, manifested through the launch of the new Acropolis museum with a Parthenon gallery as its centrepiece in 2009, the operation of a new national museum for contemporary art in Athens (to open to the public, hopefully, in 2013) and Thessaloniki, and of the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki; the creation of a Concert Hall in Thessaloniki matching the existing one in Athens; the new permanent exhibitions of the Byzantine Museum and the National Archaeological Museum in Athens; and the expansion or re-opening of major private museums, such as the Benaki Museum and its Peiraios street exhibition centre, the digital theatre of the Foundation of the Hellenic World in Athens, as well as the Gaia exhibition of the Goulandris Museum of Natural History in Kifissia; and
- support for creativity in the arts and letters and the promotion of best practice in these domains are addressed through funding and subsidy schemes (such as those for independent theatre companies and productions), commissions of works, awards, and social benefit provisions for artists and writers. The whole system of funding the contemporary arts is currently under reform, with a registry of organisations eligible for funding established in 2010, and further changes proposed in the 2012 Cultural Policy White Paper.
This information will be published as soon as possible.
This information will be published as soon as possible.
Last update: October, 2013
The Greek Constitution was recently amended to assert the right of all citizens to take part in the information society. According to a 2007 Eurobarometer survey (published in 2011), only 25% of Greeks use the Internet at least once a month, about half the European average. Several reasons have been put forward to explain low levels of access and participation: limited digital literacy; an extroverted, going-out lifestyle, favouring face-to-face interaction over solitary engagement on the Internet; the current scarcity of useful or interesting Greece-based content and services accessible through the Internet. Recent qualitative changes are, however, noticeable: in 2007, 28% of users accessed the Internet to visit museum, library or other knowledge-related content, 50% to download free music, 37% to listen to radio or music, and 35% to search for information on cultural products or events.
There are important changes on the use of the Internet in the field of culture. While back in 2003 only a handful of museums and institutions in the arts had a web presence, typically a dry online presentation of their identity and of their activities, this an increasing number of cultural organisations presenting parts of their collections online, including several dozen of the organisations that were funded by the Greek Information Society programme to digitise collections and make them available through the Web.
The Ministry of Culture has an organisational website giving access to reference information about its departments and activities; it also maintains an older portal ("Odysseus") on Greek archaeological and cultural heritage earlier websites, such as an extensive, journalist-run, portal covering all cultural and artistic events and activities supported by the Ministry of Culture, have been replaced by strong private initiatives such as http://www.elculture.gr.
In the field of new media arts, state support is provided to venues and events hosting interesting new artistic work, both from Greece and abroad. These include the yearly Medi@terra festival, which provides a focus for innovative work crossing the boundaries of visual, performing and new media art, mostly from the South East European and Mediterranean area, and a forum for artistic exchange and debate between the region and the rest of the world. A small number of private art galleries regularly exhibit technology-based artworks and installations.
Recent developments were driven by programmes in the context of the "Digital Convergence" Operational Programme of the Ministry of Economy (mostly from priority axis 1 and 2), part of the 4th Community Support Framework programme in the area of Information Society Technologies (2007-2013). Call 31 of the programme, launched in late 2011, amounts to ca. 60 million EUR and supports projects related to the digitisation of cultural heritage, popular and contemporary culture assets, their enrichment, access through web services and mobile devices apps, and integration within a unified metadata repository. The emphasis is on final delivery of cultural content to audiences and markets, both national and international, among other channels through exposure to the Europeana digital library. Projects are expected to start in the second half of 2012.
Issues emerging from current and planned policies regarding culture and the information society include:
- the increased emphasis on societal value and commercial exploitability of the outcomes of projects supported by digitisation programmes;
- the continuing prioritisation of investments in cultural heritage over support for artistic creativity;
- the need to balance leisure- and IT industry-driven priorities with cultural and educational concerns;
- the reliance on centralised mechanisms of funding and control, rather than on the initiative of the creative community, to achieve change; and
- the challenge facing the cultural and arts community in embracing information technology and new media of communication, and in keeping alive projects whose funding has dried out or is expected to run out soon.
Last update: October, 2013
Several cooperation projects have been initiated in the last decade within the INTERREG funding programme, involving local authorities, festivals or organisations and addressing issues of intercultural cooperation.
Greece participates in the UN World Tourism Organisation's Silk Road project, a collaborative initiative between 25 states aiming at highlighting the importance of tourism routes development, in facilitating connectivity and collaboration between the mosaic of destinations that make up the Silk Road. Greece also participates in the Silk Road Project initiated by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism which is still in its initiating phase, with a first working group meeting planned in 2012 with the participation of representatives from all participating countries (Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Greece, Moldavia and Turkey).
The Olive Tree Routes (an initiative of the Cultural Foundation of Messini Chamber) has been recognised since 2006 as one of the most important itineraries of culture and dialogue conveying a message of communication, cooperation and peaceful coexistence among the participant countries (Egypt, Albania, Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, France, Italy, Spain, Jordan, Croatia, Cyprus, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Portugal. Serbia, Slovenia, Syria, Turkey, Tunis).
Other Council of Europe's cultural routes in which Greece participates are:
- European Itinerary of Jewish Heritage
- European Cemeteries Route
- Phoenix Route
- Iter Vitis
The city of Patras was one of the associated cities of the Intercultural cities: governance and policies for diverse communities' project, a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission aiming at building a common intercultural city strategy across Europe.
Furthermore, several Greek music companies with a "neo-traditional" character (in particular, En Hordais, Liravlos, Kelsos etc) are often invited to perform abroad, especially in the Mediterranean, serving thus as vehicles for intercultural dialogue. On the other hand, the Thessaloniki Film Festival organises the Crossroads co-production Forum giving the opportunity to Mediterranean, Balkan and Central European producers with a feature film script to meet industry professionals for possible co-productions that contain a link with the above mentioned regions.
Finally, intercultural dialogue is one of the criteria taken into account under the call for funding in the framework of the Register of Cultural Organisations established in 2010 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
There are several cultural NGO initiatives that focus on regional intercultural cooperation, such as the Balkans Beyond Border short films festival which works towards creating mutual understanding in the region through film.
Intercultural dialogue: actors, strategies, programmes
Greece subscribes to international initiatives on intercultural dialogue of UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the European Union. It also supports actively the Euro-Mediterranean intercultural dialogue process, in which it is represented by the Hellenic Cultural Foundation, through a grant of 100 000 EUR to the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures. The need to strengthen dialogue between cultures, and religious denominations, is often evoked in public political enunciations in relevant public fora such as conferences and meetings. A wide-ranging programme of activities, including a major international conference organised by the Hellenic Foundation for Culture, took place in the context of the celebration of 2008 - European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
Local government is active in establishing low-level international links, and thus promoting grassroots intercultural dialogue, through town twinning of more than 400 Greek municipalities with foreign counterparts. Also, the Orthodox Church of Greece has been active in a process of inter-church dialogue, mainly with Islam and in inter-faith dialogue with other Christian denominations. On the other hand, while Greece remains involved in relevant global fora, there is notable absence of concrete intercultural dialogue action at the national level. Practical action, for instance involving subaltern cultures and ethnic traditions, has been low key and not consolidated in a clear and visible force.
Establishing a Directorate of Popular Culture and Intercultural Affairs under the General Directorate of Contemporary Culture of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as proposed in the 2012 cultural policy White Paper, is expected to have a positive effect in establishing cohesive and focussed policies of intercultural dialogue. The White Paper suggests, also, a stronger role of the European Cultural Centre of Delphi as a focus of intercultural dialogue actions.
Additional Resources:
Government's overall approach to intercultural dialogue
Last update: October, 2013
A Special Secretariat for Intercultural Education, and an Institute operating under an arm's length principle, has been in existence in the Greek Ministry of Education since 1996. Several intercultural education schools were created during the last fifteen years in almost all parts of Greece, and programmes to train teachers for the needs of intercultural education were established. Induction classes were created in general education schools, to help children of immigrant families to be integrated in the Greek school system.
In the context of the integrated inter-ministerial programme for social inclusion, coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior, and following changes in legislation emphasising positive mechanisms for cultural inclusion rather than punitive measures linking residence with acquisition of language skills, educational programmes were established under the auspices of local government to familiarise economic immigrants with Greek language and culture. In addition, a model educational programme for children of the Muslim minority of Thrace has been running since the late 1990s, producing impressive results as regards not only the attainment of educational goals by participating children (cutting dropout rate by half), but also the social capital and the nurturing of mutual cultural understanding in the local community. A similar programme with Roma children, launched as early as 2002, reportedly more than doubled the percentage of children completing obligatory (9-year) education.
The Universities of Athens, Thessaloniki and the Peloponnese have been involved in regional cooperation projects to produce intercultural textbooks and teaching materials which provide a more pluralistic account for the history and literature of South Eastern Europe that has been traditionally the case in national education systems in the region. Such materials have been tested successfully in experimental educational settings, but have yet to penetrate the general curriculum, which, in public debate, is still dominated by the traditional discourse of national historiography.
Several initiatives supporting intercultural non- formal education haven been supported by the programme "Youth in action" managed by the General Secretariat for Youth (especially regarding the Roma community and socially excluded young people)
Last update: October, 2013
Since the late 1980s, the Greek audiovisual media sector is organised in two tiers: the public radio and television broadcasting, represented by ERT (the Greek Radio and Television corporation), and a large number of private radio and television channels. There is legislation putting restrictions on the ownership of media by companies or individuals having other large-scale financial interests as foreseen by the EU free market provisions. There are also two competing digital satellite TV and radio services, bundling together a large number of international and Greek channels. Cable TV is not gaining ground visibly in Greece.
Private TV channels cannot be said to have a cultural agenda (although the positive portrayal of economic immigrants and Roma people in recently screened sitcoms may be noteworthy), and rare experiments in niche arts programming have not met with commercial success. On the other hand, the public broadcasting corporation ERT has an educational and cultural agenda described in its official mission: "to develop public radio and television through the production of high quality programmes which promote impartial and full information, diversity, entertainment, preservation of historical memory, promotion of Greek and world culture, and eradication of xenophobia and racism".
Together with ERT, the other two public TV channels (entertainment-oriented NET and regional-focus, Thessaloniki-based ET3), regularly commission and broadcast programmes of cultural interest, including, cultural and historical documentaries, adaptations of literary and theatrical works for TV, and cultural magazinos. They also broadcast Greek and international quality films, musical events and other programmes of cultural interest. The programmes of the satellite channel ERT-SAT, transmitted in the Greek language and intended for the Greek Diaspora, include a strong component of predominantly Greek cultural programming; a digital terrestrial channel launched by the state broadcaster, PRISMA, notable in providing arts and general interest programmes for people with hearing disabilities, i.e., with captioning and / or sign language simultaneous translation, was abolished in 2012 in the context of financial cuts; accessibility features will be added instead in the broadcasts of the main TV channel ET1. The Hellenic Parliament TV is an institutional agency, which apart from keeping track of parliamentary activities, brings cultural events and developments to the attention of the general public through TV programmes on education, science and culture, indicative of the channel's wish to contribute to an improved citizen education.
Of the two dozen nation-wide and regional radio stations in the public broadcasting system, Radio Cosmos specialises in multicultural, folk and ethnic music from all over the world. The 3rd programme focuses on Classical music, but also hosts jazz and traditional music, literature, and arts programmes. Most radio stations follow, in practice, a zone system allocating several hours of broadcasting per day to Greek music. In addition, public radio has regular programmes for migrant worker communities, transmitted in languages other than Greek, and a short wave programme transmitted globally. Finally, public radio corporation ERT has launched Philia, a radio station transmitting in 13 languages with a mixed cultural, news and general interest programme, targeting migrant worker communities; this covers the void left by the closure of Athens International Radio, the successful multicultural, foreign-language programme of the Athens Municipality which ceased transmission through the airwaves in 2008 when public funding for its operation was withdrawn.
Due to fiscal priorities, a restructuring of the Greek Radio and Television Corporation is currently under way, leading to a significant reduction in the number of state TV and radio channels (see above). The whole media sector in Greece, including private TV and radio, is undergoing a significant crisis leading to the closing of newspapers and magazines, as well as TV and radio stations, leading to large numbers of redundancies.
To put the role of public media organisations in context, it should be noted that public television channels are watched by only ca. 10% of all viewers, while the preferences of the majority of viewers lie with international brand reality shows, Greek and imported sitcoms, and standard entertainment industry films shown by the private channels. While public media organisations do see themselves in a cultural or educational role, it is apparent that television, radio and cinema are perceived by the public mostly as entertainment.
There is no evidence on formal and extensive training programmes intended to educate journalists in new multicultural realities. However, an increasing number of university graduates, especially in the humanities and social sciences, are employed by the media sector; academic degrees in communication and media are offered by four universities and have an orientation towards liberal studies.
Last update: October, 2013
Greek is the official language of Greece, and the native language spoken by the vast majority of Greek citizens. Modern Greek is the natural evolution of earlier forms of the Greek language, from the late Bronze Age through to Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and post-Byzantine times, and retains to a significant extent the vocabulary base and syntax of earlier forms. The poetics and rhetoric of Modern Greek can be best appreciated with knowledge of earlier literary and linguistic traditions. Through urbanisation and the homogenising effect of national education and the audiovisual media, local variants of the Greek language have become less prevalent, and amount today to little more than differences in accent and usage.
During the 1970s, language reform established the commonly spoken demotike as the official language for administration and education, replacing katharevousa, a "cleansed", somewhat archaic form that was the official language for most of the preceding one and a half centuries of the Modern Greek state. The usage of Modern Greek was further simplified by the abolition of breathing signs and the simplification of stress marks. Recent debates concern the use of an increasing number of foreign words, especially among young people, a fact that is deplored by some as posing a danger to the purity of the Greek language. This debate, clearly, is as much socio-political in nature as it is about language, and it is linked to a broader cultural debate about the distinctness of the Greek culture, and its position between distinct Eastern – rooted in Byzantium and Orthodox Christianity - and Western European cultural traditions. Current tensions due to the economic crisis add ammunition to these debates.
The vast majority of literary works, dramatic and cinema productions, benefiting from direct or indirect state aid, are produced in Greek. A condition for funding from the Greek Film Centre is that movies produced are 51% in the Greek language and 51% of the shooting should take place in Greece (exception to this can only be granted after a special decision). The government has a policy for the promotion of the Greek language that is apparent in integrative programmes for Greek language literacy among children of migrant workers and for people of Greek origin who were accepted by Greece from Eastern Europe (mainly Russia, Ukraine and Georgia) after the dissolution of the Soviet bloc. Greek language teaching is also provided to children of Greek Diaspora communities, according to the educational system and traditions of their adopted country: in the context of regular schools, in separate Greek language schools recognised by the local educational authorities, or in Saturday classes typically organised by the local Greek Orthodox Church. In addition, the Ministries of Culture and Tourism, of Education and of Foreign Affairs provide grants to a significant number of departments or academic positions of Modern Greek in universities throughout the world, and the Hellenic Culture Foundation, an arms-length organisation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has been active in monitoring and coordinating the teaching of Modern Greek abroad. Moreover, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism offers scholarships to students from abroad to participate at the International Programme of Greek Language, History and Civilisation organised every August, in cooperation with the Thessaloniki-based Foundation of the Aimos Peninsula. The amount granted in 2011 reached 166 300 EUR.
Last update: October, 2013
Equal participation of women in public, professional, social and cultural life has been recognised as a broader policy objective since the 1980s, when a General Secretariat for (Gender) Equality was established under the Ministry of the Interior. Some practical initiatives undertaken through programmes co-funded by the EU include financial support to women entrepreneurs, or development of gender studies programmes in academic curricula. Gender stereotypes have been increasingly challenged in recent years, especially in metropolitan areas, but gender issues remain a peripheral, rather than central, issue in public policy debates. In recent years, a mainstreaming approach to issues of gender equality has been adopted, e.g., in all projects supported by the 3rd framework programme. Several projects in the context of the EQUAL programme co-funded by the EU tackle issues of gender equality.
There is no evidence, however, to support the view that either positive discrimination or mainstreaming programmes have had a significant effect on matters related to cultural policy and cultural life. Women seem to be keener to pursue culture-related studies, as according to Eurostat (2005), women in the higher education studies represent 74.5% in Humanities, 67% in Arts and 57.2% in Journalism and Communication. It should be noted that while women constitute a significant majority among culture professions in Greece, high rank management positions in cultural institutions tend still to be occupied by men.
This information will be published as soon as possible.
Last update: October, 2013
Greece has developed as a relatively homogeneous society as witnessed through the development of nation-state institutions, socio-economic development and urbanisation. Greece recognises a Muslim minority in Thrace and the Roma population is dispersed throughout the different regions of Greece.
A major issue to be addressed today is the large numbers of migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers who have moved to all parts of Greece in increasing numbers from 1990 onwards, more than half of them from neighbouring Albania, and more recently from Central Asia and the inadequacy of mechanisms for their cultural integration. The effects, both positive and worrying, of the multicultural situation found in inner-city and some rural areas, is yet to be fully studied and understood.
The Greek state embraces an approach of socio-economic and cultural integration, balanced by respect and recognition of cultural diversity. To take the example of the Roma people, an inter-ministerial commission had been established as early as in 1997 to address the issue of their social integration in Greek society. Within the scope of this policy, the Ministry of Culture developed cultural and educational initiatives, co-funded by the 3rd Support Framework Programme of the European Commission and implemented in co-operation with local government. The programme aimed to develop cultural infrastructure for Roma settlements, to promote literacy and skills in the arts (such as music and photography) among Roma people, and to make their creativity and cultural traditions known to society at large. Photography exhibitions and music events by Greek Roma, arising from this programme, took place in various venues, including the 2004 programme of the Hellenic Foundation of Culture in Berlin. An "Integrated Action Plan for the Social Integration of Greek Roma" had been launched in 2002, including educational programmes for children and adults. In 2011 the Byzantine and Christian Museum participated at the EU- funded programme Roma Routes aiming at encouraging intercultural dialogue between Roma and non Roma by all partner organisations, as well as exploring and promoting Roma cultural heritage at a European level. Within the framework of the project, the Museum developed educational activities and cultural events that took place in June 2011 aiming to promote access by Roma visitors to a national museum.
The Ministry of Culture has also developed and implemented multicultural educational programmes, directed to children of non-Greek immigrant families in the centre of Athens and elsewhere. Changes in immigration legislation in 2005 removed knowledge of Greek as a pre-requisite for residence permit issuance, and established Greek language programmes for immigrants of working age under the auspices of local government. Significant initiatives have been launched with regard to the preservation and valorisation of monuments linked with non-Greek cultural heritage, including 42 major Ottoman monuments and several synagogues in all parts of Greece. Radio programmes in the main languages spoken by migrant workers' communities are regularly broadcasted by the public broadcasting channel ERT; in addition, Athens International Radio, an initiative of the Athens City Council, broadcasts general audience daily programmes in several languages including Albanian, Russian, and Arabic.
There is a declared policy against racial discrimination, racist and xenophobic behaviour and stereotyping of the media. Despite a strong tradition of tolerance and hospitality, it is not clear, however, how Greece can avoid problems of xenophobia and cultural exclusion already faced by other European countries with large immigrant populations. Under these circumstances, institutions such as the Ombudsman, with its annual report on discrimination and monitoring programmes and the work of different NGOs, play a paramount role in supporting equitable treatment of groups such as the Roma, the Muslim minority of Thrace and non-Greek economic immigrants.
On the other hand, educational and cultural policies are seen as key for the promotion of diversity. An important role in discouraging cultural and ethnic stereotyping is played by the National Radio and Television Council, the Code of Journalistic Ethics and the draft Code of Ethics for Information and Other Journalistic and Political Programmes.
Greece ratified the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (30/02/2007) as well as its optional protocol (27/09/2010). In line with Law 3304/2005 (Implementation of the principle of equal treatment regardless gender or origin, religious or other convictions, disability, age or sexual orientation) and following the EU Directive 2000/78/EC, there is now a Commission for Equal Treatment established under the Ministry of Justice supervising the implementation of the Protocol and the directive in cooperation with the Ombudsman and the Hellenic Labour Inspectorate.
Last update: October, 2013
Social cohesion is an established policy goal in Greece. Since 2005, groups such as the Roma and non-Greek economic immigrants have been recognised as deserving special protection ("socially sensitive groups"). Policy objectives include ensuring minimum levels of welfare, access to education and equality of opportunity for all.
A key challenge is the social integration of Roma people, as well as the increasing numbers of economic immigrants. An integrated inter-ministerial programme of social cohesion measures directed to the Roma community, including an educational initiative which, reportedly, more than doubled the percentage of Roma children completing obligatory (9-year) education, was launched in 2002; a plan to issue several thousand house ownership loans to Roma people is currently under way. Economic immigrants are encouraged to attend Greek language courses, administered under the auspices of local government, and designed to positively curb social exclusion.
Several initiatives, involving local government and third sector actors, and including NGOs and individual volunteers, some in the context of the EQUAL initiative partially funded by the EU, focus on encouraging social inclusion of immigrants, fighting against human trafficking, and other issues.
This information will be published as soon as possible.
Last update: October, 2013
No further policies have been identified in the context of this report.