Initiative 12 Hours for Greece in Brussels

The initiative 12 hours For Greece has organized the event Democracy Revisited in Brussels on Europe Day 2013, May 9, for the second successive year. This initiative started in 2012 and aims at improving the image of Greece abroad and at supporting a series of Greek actions.

An independent group of Belgian and Greek volunteers who live in Brussels puts it together. Their common aim will be to send a dynamic message of solidarity with Greece from the heart of the EU.

The head of the European Commission’s Representation in Belgium, who is responsible for the effort’s coordination same as last year and the General Director of Doctors Without Borders in Greece, Willem de Jonge talked about this initiative at a press conference on April 24.

Jamar noted that the first event 12 hours for Greece that took place at the Cultural Center Halles de Schaerbeek gathered more than 2,000 citizens of various nationalities and about 10,000 “visitors” watched the event online through the internet. More than €12.000 was collected, which was donated to the non-profit, non-governmental organization The Smile of the Child.

The event will be hosted again in Halles de Schaerbeek, and will include works and ideas that occurred in Greece during its crisis and will focus on democracy.

The event will include a reading of Plato’s Republic for 10 hours by 200 readers,  all-day Greek food and wine tasting, conversations about democracy, Greek cinema festival, initiation in Greek dances and presentations by the brand strategist Peter Economides and George Chorafas.

The Greek mezzo-soprano Alexandra Gravas, in the context of the Year of Cavafy, will present a short musical program on the great Hellenic poet, accompanied by short poetry readings by leading European writers and artists.

The evening will close with a music concert by renowned Greek singers Lavrentis Machairitsas, Miltos Paschalidis, Dimitris Starovas and Dimitra Papiou, followed by a traditional dance show by local groups.