Video installation and public dialogue with the screening of the AfroGreeks – prologue, at the Kypseli market (Dialogues SNF)
15/05/2019 Kypseli market, Athens, Greece
The history of culture, human rights, the living standards of the African diaspora in Greece and the position of the second largest continent on the world map were the focus of the monthly series Dialogues of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) for the month of May 2019.
The Døcumatism collective initiated the event, marking the opening of the Kypseli Market, and participated in the public discussion in which issues were raised regarding efforts to promote the destigmatization and social integration of the African diaspora in Greece, issues of Greek citizenship for second-generation immigrants, phenomena of racism and xenophobia and the right of Afro-Greeks, as identified, to dream of a better future, with equal opportunities for access to professional employment. The members of the project Peggy Ohilebo, Mikel Ergar, Loretta Macauley, Nikos Odubitan, Menelaos Karamaghiolis and others participated with dynamic and critical contributions to the discussion.
As a central axis of the discussion, a short documentary by Døcumatism, called the AfroGreeks-prologue was screened. The documentary, created especially for the event, features as its central characters members of the African diaspora in Greece, who grew up and live in the neighborhood of Kypseli.
In this video the term Afro-Greek was first widely used in public. It is a self-identification used mainly by second-generation youth of African descent in Greece to express their dual identity. It began to expand from the project’s hashtag on Instagram and other social media. The protagonists of the project critically express their different views about the term, creating a dynamic debate that is reflected on the ongoing project.
Speakers:
Sotiris Mousouris – President of the Hellenic-African Chamber
Gerasimos Kouvaras- General Director of Action Aid
Loretta Macauley- Founder of United Africa Women Organization
Menelaos Karamagiolis – Filmmaker, visual artist, producer and writer
Nikos Odubitan- CEO, Generation 2.0. for Rights Equality and Diversity
Asteris Houliaras – Professor of Comparative Politics & International Relations, University of Peloponnese
