Author: Athanasios Koutoupas

  • Greek-Canadian Cameraman Wins Rory Peck Trust Award for Migrant Coverage

    Greek-Canadian Cameraman Wins Rory Peck Trust Award for Migrant Coverage

    ΟμογένειαLast Wednesday AFPTV freelance news cameraman Will Vassilopoulos was awarded the Rory Peck Trust award for his work on the migrant crisis gripping Greece.

    Filming from October 2015 to March 2016, Vassilopoulos focused his footage on following migrants on their journey as they arrived in Greece from Turkey and were settled in various camps such as the now demolished Idomeni refugee camp in northern Greece.

    His achievements do not stop there as his coverage of the migrant crisis also captured migrants’ protests when in the spring of 2016 FYROM shut its borders to Greece, bottlenecking thousands of migrants.

    A seasoned Vassilopoulos was chosen for the honor of this award because his work “brought the humanity of (the crisis) home” the judges commented on the award website, adding that “It’s difficult to do something exceptional when everyone is shooting it, however tragic and important the story is, and Will really managed that.”

    Shooting the migrant crisis was not without its challenges for the cameraman who said that he found that working on the migrant crisis in particular “very challenging” and that the work brought about “an emotional toll for all of us in the field. It hurts you really hard when it happens at home,” he said.

    “My intentions were always to film with utmost respect for migrants, and to film them with dignity,” he added.

    The Rory Peck Award has been bestowed upon freelance news cameraman and women since 1995 as a part of the Trust in memory of the freelance journalist who was killed in Moscow in 1993.

    (canada.greekreporter.com)

  • South Aegean named European Region of Gastronomy 2019

    South Aegean named European Region of Gastronomy 2019

    ΓενικάThe title of European Region of Gastronomy 2019 has been awarded to the South Aegean in Greece and the Transylvanian town of Sibiu in Romania, the international jury announced on the 29th of September.

    The title is awarded each year by the IGCAT (International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism) with the support of European institutions. The award aims to stimulate gastronomic innovation and sustainable tourism.

    The international jury comprising of IGCAT experts was chaired by Blanca Cros from the Catalan Tourist Agency (Spain), and included Peter Astrup, Central Denmark Region (Denmark); Anna Blaua, Delightfully Delicious Destination Project at Riga Tourism Development Bureau (Latvia); Alfred van Mameren, Province of Noord-Brabant (Netherlands) and; Ilona Sares, ProAgria Kuopio (Finland).

    According to the IGCAT, it is ‘a stimulus to link food, hospitality, tourism, culture, health and sustainability to support economic, cultural, social and environmental development’. Both regions will host  programmes of gastronomy-related events throughout 2019 that will showcase regional culture and innovation.

    The jury was very impressed with the work undertaken by both candidate regions in preparing and presenting their bids.

    The South Aegean region of Greece consists of the Cyclades and Dodecanese island groups in the central and south-eastern Aegean Sea. The region has more than 50 inhabited islands with specific historical backgrounds and culture, as well as distinctive gastronomic identity and local products, from Santorini, Paros and Mykonos through to Kos, Rhodes, and Naxos.

    George Hatzimarkos, the region’s governor, stated that for the South Aegean, gastronomy is not just about food, but also a social and cultural event. Quality ingredients are shaped by the micro-climate, the sun, the air and the sea, with trademark olive groves and vineyards part of the gastronomic tradition.

    IGCAT is an international network of experts in the fields of culture, arts, tourism and gastronomy that aim to empower local communities by guiding, facilitating and supporting leaders in cities, regions and cultural projects to understand the potential of their distinct food, culture, arts and sustainable tourism assets.

    This award aims to contribute to better quality of life in European regions, by highlighting distinctive food cultures, educating for better health and sustainability and stimulating gastronomic innovation.

    (greekcitytimes.com)

  • UNESCO Adds Greek ‘Momoeria’ Custom to Cultural Heritage List

    UNESCO Adds Greek ‘Momoeria’ Custom to Cultural Heritage List

    ΠολιτισμόςEvery year from December 25 to January 5 the village streets of Kozani, Greece light up with more than just christmas lights – they come alive with the ancient customs of the Momoeria -actors, musicians and dancers filling the village streets and visiting people’s homes in celebration of the new year.

    Recently UNESCO has announced that is has inscribed the ancient custom of the Momoeria on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, making sure that this beautiful cultural tradition will be preserved for future generations to come.

    What is the Momoeria?

    The dancers in the group are made up of 30 male performers and they represent the priests of Momos, or the god of laughter and satire, as well as representing commanders of Alexander the Great, dressed to the finest detail in traditional shoes, pleated skirts and helmets.

    The actors surround the traveling group of dancers while acting out well-known satirical plays while the musicians play along in the background.

    The practice of Momoeria is to bless the village for the upcoming new year with prosperity, healthy offspring and a good harvest.

    Something notable about this accomplishment of landing on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is that this is the fourth Greek tradition to be branded a sacred cultural heritage. Previously additions on the list include the Mediterranean Diet, the traditional harvesting and produce of mastic on the island of Chios and the marble expertise of Tinos island.

    (greece.greekreporter.com)

  • Egypt unearths city and cemetery over 7,000 years old

    Egypt unearths city and cemetery over 7,000 years old

    ΑρχαιολογίαEgypt has unearthed a more than 7,000-year-old city and cemetery dating back to its First Dynasty in the southern province of Sohag, the Antiquities Ministry said on Wednesday.

    The find could be a boon for Egypt’s ailing tourism industry, which has suffered endless setbacks since an uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 but remains a vital source of foreign currency.

    The city likely housed high-ranking officials and grave builders. Its discovery may yield new insights on Abydos, one of the oldest cities in Ancient Egypt, the ministry said in a statement.

    Experts say Abydos was Egypt’s capital towards the end of the Predynastic Period and during the rule of the first four dynasties.

    The discovery was made 400 metres away from the temple of Seti I, a New Kingdom period memorial across the Nile from present day Luxor.

    Archaeologists have so far uncovered huts, pottery remains and iron tools as well as 15 huge graves, some of which were larger than the graves of kings in Abydos, the ministry said in a statement.

    “The size of the graves discovered in the cemetery is larger in some instances than royal graves in Abydos dating back to the First Dynasty, which proves the importance of the people buried there and their high social standing during this early era of ancient Egyptian history,” the ministry said.

    Egypt’s tourism industry has struggled to recover since the bombing of a Russian plane carrying 224 people from a Red Sea resort in October 2015.