“Honor and Memory of Vassilis Vassilikos” (photos)

In the presence of a large number of people, the tribute to Vassilis Vassilikos took place on the evening of Tuesday, April 23, at the “Antigoni Valakou” theater, on the occasion of World Book Day and the initiative of the Municipality of Kavala, the Municipal Library of Kavala, the DI.PE.THE. Kavala, the Municipal Conservatory of Kavala and the Society of Writers.

The well-known director, Kostas Gavras, spoke about the life and writing work of Vassilis Vassilikos, making special mention of the collaboration between them, in order to turn the book “Z” into a film, as well as the ongoing struggle of the deceased, with the aim of informing of the international community for what happened in Greece both during the dictatorship period and during the post-colonial period.

Afterwards, the authors, Diamandis Axiotis, Thanasis Agathos and Alexis Ziras, took the floor, who reported important facts from the path of Vassilis Vassilikos in the world of letters and in the places where he left his mark, such as public television, international organizations and educational institutions in various parts of Greece and abroad.

At this particular event, the General Secretary of the Society of Writers, Anna Afentoulidou, addressed a greeting and the actor, Thanasis Chalkias and the musical group of Manolis Pargentakis participated. Coordination: Artistic director DI.PE.THE. Kavalas, Eva Oikonomou – Vamvaka.

Speech by the Mayor of Kavala, Theodoros Mouriadis

“The point is to be present and honest in your place and in your time. Don’t be paid. Not to serve any given interest for reasons of party or bank loyalty”.

With these words, Vassilis Vasilikos, the author of 120 books, the excellent manipulator of words and emotions, who traveled to 33 countries around the world, wrote one of the epilogues of his life.

The man who made Greece, and especially Kavala and Thassos, known to the ends of the world, left his mark in various fields, from literature to politics and from social struggles to the production of culture and quality public discourse .

He never hid his intentions. He entered the game of fermentation with persons, events and situations, to testify his own truths. He did not abdicate his responsibilities. He knew and wanted to talk.

For the collapse of his country, for the unknown stories of the little heroes of everyday life, for all the universal values ​​that were found to be discounted, for his generation that struggled to survive, that was deprived of the basics, that was in danger of being forgotten because it lost its voice and its foundations.

Vassilis Vasilikos had decided from the beginning to exhibit and to exhibit. To not compromise with the silences he constantly heard around him, to be useful and not liked, to honor, beyond any doubt, his origin and experiences.

This road was often lonely. The supports were missing, the similar references were saved, the cries of resistance and disobedience were fading away, as a result of time. With his rich work, with his route and choices, he showed that he did not regret it.

He didn’t look back. The past may have marked him, but it did not define his work. His novels, novellas, short stories and poetry collections sprung up before the dust settled from the explosions of the protagonists he hosted on its pages.

He tested the views of his predecessors and was tested through the soul-destroying process of final vindication. He was influenced by the distinguished personalities of his time and certainly influenced the way of thinking of those who leafed through his pains.

He appeared brave and generous. He had no shortage of good reasons for those who chose to follow his path. The young writers were counted as fellow travelers, as continuations of his struggle, as genuine exponents of what the Greek people believe and wish to see in the present tense.

He may have been heavily traumatized by the atrocities of the Bulgarian occupiers and the extreme conditions during the German occupation, but he did not keep the hatred inside him.

He remained optimistic and entrusted his dreams to all those who did not bow their heads in front of any kind of asymmetric threat. The writer who had Despotides as his mentor, and the notes of Miki and the passion of the creators of the 60s as his companion, there was no way he could not question the new order of things and much more to be swayed by meaningless criticism and the risk of extermination .

He lived 42 years abroad, in Paris, Rome, West Berlin and New York, but his mind, his soul, his anguish always had a white and blue background.
The lights of Hesperia did not dim the great image he carried within him.

In front of his eyes two different Greeces constantly spread out. Of the violence that gave birth to the parastatal and the indolent visions of the majority of society. He felt the need to position himself, to show another way of coexistence and advancement, to cauterize, as much as he could, the pathologies that he saw at his every step.

Dear friends, And in my own epilogue, I will use his words: “Our whole civilization is based on a kind of mortuary. It is a sin to say to the person next to you “you are worth it” and to tell him as long as he lives, may the person enjoy it.

Even today we have intellectual peaks among us and we despise them or curse them without shame. I consider this a sin.” The Municipality of Kavala did not… sin. He gave his name to the Municipal Library, recognizing, while he was alive, his valuable legacy.

The Cavaliers repeatedly showed how much they appreciated his overall contribution to letters. We have done the obvious and will continue to do so. Next year, we will organize a Literary Symposium to honor his mark on an annual basis, while, in consultation with the Directorates of Education of our region, we will proceed to hold a Short Story competition, in which the students of the Municipality of Kavala will participate.

However, the face value of this magnitude never closes its circle, it is not limited to only symbolic movements. Its essence, many times, is hidden in the correct decipherment of its own timeless message to all of us:

ASK for a better future, ASK for another homeland, ASK for the Spring that this place has never known!”.

source: Municipality of Kavala