Restoring Closeness the AfroGreeks live- Events and live Streaming

Restoring Closeness

Sunday 21/03/2021, by its very nature, affirmed equality in practice as day and night were of equal length. It became the starting point for a dialogue on the ways one can manage the difficulties of the pandemic; whether as an artist or a spectator. That same day was the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the World Poetry Day. These three elements were enough to empower the members of the project the AfroGreeks to transform the empty city of Athens into a stage that would host a day-long action honouring the important messages of the day, taking into consideration the protective measures for Covid-19. The protagonists of the AfroGreeks project performed in multiple locations, each with its own significance. The actions were all recorded and broadcasted live for Athenians to watch from the comfort of their homes and practice social distancing during the covid pandemic. This event is an example of how art always finds a way and can be used in innovative ways to restore closeness.

Pedion tou Areos is the largest public park in Athens. During Covid-19 its role was vital, as Athenians and mostly residents of the neighbourhood of Kypseli spent time in the outdoors there.

This live action was a theatrical workshop in form of a game, put together by director Eleni Mavridou, actor Samuel Akinola and musician Giorgos Mavridis. 6 children from the 26th primary school of Kypseli with the help of their art teacher Eirini Bazara participated in the workshop in which poetry was merged with Greek folk songs and West African songs and drumming.

The Athens City Hall is a neoclassical building in the center of Athens that houses the services of the Municipality of Athens. Connecting the dots with the statements made about citizenship and belonging in the previous materials annotated, this building is where all the bureaucratic procedures relevant to the preparation of documentation for citizenship take place. Black Greeks born in the center of Athens get their birth certificates issued in this building and they only return here when preparing their documents (editing name spelling, acquiring additional documentation missing in file system) to file for citizenship. So, having access to this building and performing on the roof top the song A Change is going to come, is a great gesture of collective hope and resistance, to signal that the legal restriction and bureaucratic barriers shaping Black life in Greece are not permanent.

Steven Aderinto performs soul and gospel songs on the rooftop of the City Hall of Athens. One of the songs he sings is: Sam Cooke’s A Change is Going to Come.

Omonia Square

The Parthenon

Monastiraki Square is one of the oldest flea market neighbourhoods in the old town of Athens, making it a historically dense location. The area is filled with elements of the Roman, Byzantine, Ancient Greek and Ottoman periods and due to the train and metro, today is a very vibrant public space with a variety of restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, multiple street vendors and street artists. Monastiraki is always crowded, and it is a place that attracts a lot of tourists.

Street dance by dancers Mikel Ergar and Kofi Yadom. The recitation was done by Grace Nwoke. Poem "Where I Am" by Marcelino DosSantos.

The Monastiraki Square

The Parthenon

The Zappeion is one of the city's most renowned modern landmarks, as it was one of the first buildings constructed specifically for the revival of the Olympic Games in the late 19th century. Zappeion has a strong symbolic charge as it symbolizes Greece’s place within Europe, and it is associated with the country’s national identity, public visibility and modernity.

This performance was put together by four dancers and performers (Jessica Anosike, Grace Nwoke, Demelza Okoji and Maria Sackey) guided by the instructions of dance anthropologist Natasha Martin. It was a fusion of body percussion, singing and afro dance

Zappeion

This performance took place in the neighbourhood of Kypseli, on the terrace of a local bookstore called: Literature House. Mc Yinka was inspired by poetry and improvised using rap. He also performed two of his original songs.

The neighbourhood of Kypseli

The Benaki museum is one of the most significant cultural institutions of the country, as it preserves and exhibits Greek art and artifacts from prehistoric times to the modern era. Its collection includes artifact from ancient, Byzantine, Ottoman, and modern Greek culture, making it a comprehensive chronicle of Greek history and identity, while it also reflects the contributions of the Greek diaspora.

The final live action of the all day event was a musical encounter of Greek folk music with, soul, R&B and rap. Eleni Nzanga, Grace Nwoke, Steven Aderinto, and Mc Yinka performed blending seamlessly their distinct musical styles.

Athens

At the end of that day, the restrictive curfew measures in the city, started to take effect. An online discussion on zoom was created, where the artists who participate in the events during the day could discuss online with the participation of viewers who tuned in. Many questions were asked and a lot of them were people who have lived in Athens for several years and had no idea about the effects of racism on the Black community, neither were they aware that the Black community is strong enough and big enough to co-create such artistic interventions. The artists on the call all agreed they aspire to work together more and they will continue to fight stereotypes and prejudices through art.