(Taken from the facebook of Oriol Marrero, Counselor embacuba Greece)
Only hours have passed since the 8th. presentation of the book José Martí and “the Greek” in the Dimitris Hatzis room in Ioánnina, capital of the peripherial of Epirus and of the peripheral unit of Ioánnina on the night of February 16.
Heartfelt thanks to the Administrative Staff Association of the important university of Ioánnina, in the persons of Doretta Rizou, Olimpia Tsapari, Kostas Siapkas, Fotiní Karamitsou, and also to the Rector of said university, personally to its Rector, Triandafylos Albanis, for the organization of the event and above all for his solidarity, commitment to the Cuban people, to Martí and to what he represents for Cuba and the world. Heartfelt gratitude to so many people who voluntarily gathered in the Hatzis room to participate in this eighth public and open presentation -and the fourth in a Hellenic university--, even though on Wednesday the city of Ioánnina -born on the western coast of the Lake Pamvotida—had a night under parasols, capes and umbrellas, and as if that were not enough, just when the act would begin, only the greeting of a surprising snowfall would stop the rain.
However, within the Dimitris Hatzis cultural center, tropical Hellenic-Cuban heat reigned, that sort of fifth season of meteorology of solidarity, of love, where Homeland is Humanity.
The presentation of the book José Martí and “the Greek” had the opening words and general coordination of the Administrative Staff Association of the University of Ioánnina, in the person of Olimpia Tsapari (greetings to Doretta Rizou, main organizer of the event, who, being everything ready only hours before, knew that he would not be able to attend, speedy recovery). The act was greeted by the Rector of the University of Ioannina, Mr. Triandafylos Albanis; by the director of the Greek Publisher TOPOS, mr. Vaguelis Giorgakakis, and by the Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to the Hellenic Republic, Zelmys Dominguez Cortina. The historian and professor at the University of Ioánnina, dr. Ana Mandelará made a substantial intervention on the contents and directions followed by the book José Martí and “what is Greek”, criteria that are appreciated because they show the reception that Martí's thought on Greece and “what is Greek” has both in the general Greek public, as in high specialists in historical, philological, and cultural issues, among other spheres of human knowledge.
Then the author of the monograph intervened who commented on its genesis, research process, objectives, tasks, scope, structure, background, findings, elaboration, translation into the Greek language, previous photographic exhibitions based on one of the tasks set out in the design of the work, and other aspects, among which he mentioned José Martí's references to the Epirus region, about which Martí himself wrote, as well as translated references from other authors about Greece. As was said, since he was a student at the University of Zaragoza, the young Martí identified the existence of Epirus, spoke about the river Styx and the ferryman Charon who carried the bodies to the underworld, or about the important sanctuary-oracle of Dodona, regions all , stories and mythologies, which took place on sacred sites or nearby accidents, located right in the region of Epirus, issues that powerfully called the attention of those present. Numerous topics associated with this study are usually addressed in the presentations, exchanges take place, as well as spontaneous messages of support for the heroic people of Cuba, their history and their struggles, since Martí spoke with great love and inspiration on the struggles of Greece for its independence against all foreign occupiers, both in ancient and contemporary history, from the resistance at Thermopylae in the 5th century BC against the invasion of the Persian empire, to the resistance of the Greek patriots at Missolonghi against the domination of the empire Ottoman in the first quarter of the 19th century. Long before 1895, Martí's heart lived with the Song to Freedom by Dionisio Solomos, Greek national poet and author of the Hellenic national anthem, of whom the Apostle of Cuba's independence said precisely in 1882 that Solomos had sung to Liberty in Modern Greek.
Thanks to the friends who are following the presentations of José Martí's work and “the Greek” from these publications, thanks for your words and encouragement. Thanks to various Greek historians, philologists, or art critics who have written papers in scientific journals published on paper, digital, or on sites (and continue to do so), as well as radio programs and print or digital media that are producing articles or publishing news about it. Also to the journalists who have been interested from various media and cities in Greece or Cuba. Thanks to the people who are becoming even more familiar with the knowledge about the deep love that the Cuban National Hero felt towards Greece and "what is Greek", including first of all his struggles for national independence, a subject that was the object of study of this book. imperfect whose first edition came out in Greek, edited by Editorial TOPOS, and not by chance in the year of the 200th anniversary of the Independence of Greece, of the Greek Revolution of 1821.
In images: 8th presentation of the book José Martí and “the Greek” in the Dimitris Hatzis space in the city of Ioánnina, in front of the Pamvótida, on February 16, 2022.
