OPEN LETTER TO THE MINISTER OF CULTURE MR. ARISTIDES BALTAS AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE ATHENS AND EPIDAURUS FESTIVAL MR. JAN FABRE

      Minister,

We gathered spontaneously at the Sfendoni Theatre, today April 1^st, we the artists who live and work in Greece, representatives of the theatre, of dance, of cinema, of music, of the visual arts, and we discussed in depth both your appointment of the Flemish artist, Mr. Jan Fabre, as Director, and the programme of the restructured and henceforth international (?) Athens Festival which you jointly announced. We agreed, with an overwhelming majority, that this constitutes a series of unwarranted and inadmissible actions, legally and morally, which are clearly directed against contemporary Greek creative endeavor and against the long-suffering and/or unemployed Greek artists. All this demonstrates that you have neither a specific cultural policy, nor a vision for the present and future of our contemporary culture.

Since these specific ministerial decisions you have taken can be viewed as illegal and especially viewed as hostile towards the vital creative fervor and culture of our country, because, in other words, you can no longer represent us, we ask for your immediate resignation.

Our vote with regard Mr. Fabre follows.

P.S.  For your information, albeit belatedly, we cite SYRIZA’s electoral platform, regarding the theatre and the Athens and Epidaurus Festivals.

SYRIZA’s proposal regarding culture (summary)

Greek Festivals

-          A radical reorganization of the goals of the festivals, with special support for Greek productions, without excluding European and international dialogue.

-          Connection of the activities of the festivals with the economic, production and cultural activities of the regions where the festivals take place.

 Mr. Fabre,

During your brief stay in our country you managed to commit a series of serious transgressions which constitute profound insults to all of us, the undersigned, as well as many others. Specifically:

1.       You participated in an ‘aristocratic type’ interview with a carte de visite (an unprecedented action not only for the norm of the Greek Festival), from which you chose to absent Greek artists, ignoring that the Athens and Epidaurus Festivals, like all festivals, are, primarily, the creation of the artists who have generously sustained them over a period of many years, with their talent, their passion and their innovative ideas.

2.       You admitted that you do not have the slightest idea of contemporary Greek artistic work, but, nevertheless, you consider yourself competent to assume responsibility (as curator!) for the country’s top cultural institution, thus relegating Greek artists to a nebulous, artistically discredited mass, who should, in addition, be grateful to you.

3.       From the very beginning, you introduced a considerable staff of Belgian associates (who, it should be noted are on the payroll of our bankrupt state, along with yourself) thus pointing out in an eloquent manner that you desire that your ignorance of contemporary Greek culture remains ignorance.

4.       You attempted, with memorable audacity it must be said, to deceive us, claiming that you would transform into an International one, a festival which is already International and has been from its inception, at the same time announcing a program that is clearly Belgio-centric, with yourself, of course, taking the lion’s share of it.

5.       You have essentially excluded from the (our) Festival, not only for this year but for the years to come, us, the Greek artists, deeming us unworthy to participate in the ‘installation’ that you yourself are curating, allowing it to be assumed that perhaps we may be again offered a place, once we have been ‘initiated’ (in outright educational terms) into your personal aesthetic universe.

For all these reasons, for the conceit and the blatant artistic totalitarianism you have exhibited, you have rendered yourself, Mr. Fabre, persona non grata.

And to avoid any misunderstanding, with this letter we are not attempting to negotiate with you, no, we are not trade unionists, we are not asking for time and space in your ‘installation’, nor would we ever reach the humiliating point of claiming from you what is already ours. With this letter we wish to inform you, on the one hand, that we do not recognize you as the Artistic Director of the Athens-Epidaurus Festivals and, on the other, that you must offer reparation for insulting us by doing the obvious: returning the letter of your appointment (yours and that of your associates) to the Minister who presented it to you.

The body of participants

 Sfendoni Theatre

01/4/2016