 |
Stavros Benos
President, Diazoma association
Diazoma is a citizens' platform, which, in
collaboration with the Ministry of Culture,
tries to put
the love for monuments and cultural
heritage of Greece into practice. Diazoma
focuses on the restoration of ancient venues for
spectators and audiences and the focusing of
resources necessary for their rehabilitation. |
Ancient theatres, stadiums, conservatories (odeia),
assembly halls (vouleutiria).
Culminating achievements of ancient Greek
civilization. Works of art built to host works
of art. Birthplaces of democratic principles and
cultural and intellectual creativity, sacred
spaces which reflect the spirit and soul of the
Greeks. One hundred and fifty ancient venues for
spectators and audiences are scattered all
across Greece. Some of them are world famous
(Epidaurus, Herodium, Dodona), some are in good
condition, others rescued fragmented, and there
are even some only known to us from the
descriptions and testimonies of the time.
Our aim is for ancient theatres to be in the
focus of two historical relationships: society
on one hand and tourism, economy, environment
and culture, on the other. The socialization of
monuments, combined with the sustainable
development of Greece, is the ultimate goal of
Diazoma.
Diazoma is the meeting point of three
'families', which are active contributors in
various areas of interest: a.
archaeologists/restorers, b.
artists/intellectuals, and c. the big family of
local communities (mayors, regional governors,
citizens).
We seek to publicize the beauty, the
originality, the values, knowledge, aesthetics
and harmony of the ancient theatres in a number
of ways: organizing events, setting up
individual campaigns for each theatre, our
"Adopt an Ancient Theatre" initiative, opening
bank accounts/"money boxes" for each ancient
venue, as well as utilizing new technologies.
We seek to convince the economic powers of
Greece to contribute to this effort as sponsors.
We seek to mobilize local societies with regard
to their monuments.
We seek to heighten Greek citizens' awareness of
their cultural heritage, in conjunction with
developing contemporary cultural creation.
From the first day of Diazoma establishment
in July 2008, we have had an ambitious master
plan, which is based on two pillars: the
documentation of ancient venues and the
establishment of alternative funding sources.
To this end, a growing number of activities
are taking place, including: 72 scientific
reports, 8 publications, 4 documentaries, two
smart phone-based digital tours, 3D images,
collaboration with 20 cultural institutions,
schools and civic movements throughout Greece.
The alternative funding for monuments is
being achieved through:
-
Program agreements of cultural character
through which cities and regions have the
opportunity to submit their own financial
contribution
-
Sponsorship contracts through which the
major economic forces in the country can
participate as sponsors
-
The creation of "money boxes," the bank
accounts where necessary resources are
brought together for the restoration work.
These three sources of funding enable us to
assist in geophysical surveys, expropriations
and excavations; we have already commissioned
studies for 8 ancient theatres and the results
of these studies are being submitted to the
Ministry of Culture. We are hoping that the end
point of this work will be the securing of
significant European funding for the restoration
work on the monuments.
These efforts are already paying off, as 50
ancient theatres are in various stages of
restoration design and implementation.
We never claimed state resources, a
commitment kept until today. Diazoma is
financially supported by sponsors, donors,
institutions, banks and companies and operates
on the principle of full transparency and
efficiency.
Our most ambitious project is to bring people
back to the monuments. We address the citizens
of the world and invite them to open their arms
to the ancient theatres of Greece. We urge them
to adopt an ancient theatre and contribute to
its restoration and enhancement. This is the
only way to ensure their universal protection.
The response we've had so far has been
overwhelming, even at such a challenging time
for the country. We have been greatly moved by
the voluntary offers of help, the contributions
from people of limited financial resources and
the enthusiasm of school students coming
together to assist in the effort to save this
important chapter of cultural heritage of
Greece.
This post is part of a series produced by
The Huffington Post in association with
TEDxKalamata's conference on July 26-27 in
Greece. For more information, visit
www.TEDxKalamata.com.
The
original publication
Adopt an Ancient
Theatre
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stavros-benos/adopt-an-ancient-theatre_b_3661290.html
.jpg)
