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The battle for the title 27.2.2015
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Παρασκευή, 27 Φεβρουαρίου 2015
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Στη μάχη της πολιτιστικής πρωτεύουσας
http://www.agon.gr/news/117/ARTICLE/28924/2015-02-27.html
Η διεκδίκηση της «πολιτιστικής πρωτεύουσας της Ευρώπης 2021» δεν έχει ξεχαστεί από τον δήμο Ιωαννιτών.
Barbara Angeli In the battle of cultural capital Friday, February 27, 2015
The claim of the "European Capital of Culture 2021" has not been forgotten by the municipality.
A Municipal working group headed by the director of the Cultural Center Maria Stratsani was involved in these days at an information day organised by the Ministry of Culture, and later on participated in a workshop. The municipality and many other cities of the country wishing to claim to title to be the "cultural capital", were informed at this meeting about the evaluation criteria of the application-file which needs to be submitted and about good practices by cities which had previously won the title.
In its communiqué, the municipality ensures that the process for the preparation and filing of the application file is ongoing. "The attempt by Ioannina to attain the objective of becoming cultural capital for 2021 requires methodical work for preparing a sound file and which will document the application form of Ioannina. In this sense, the mayor chooses in order to move ahead the municipality from the first time he disclosed the intention of bidding for the title a way forward by which he can avoid the making of far pompous pronouncements about the actions which would 'highlight' the concept.
Ioannina like all the other cities which are interested, have eight months still available to submit their proposal. For 2021, there will be selected two cultural capitals - one in Greece and another one in Romania. The selection of two cities (one from each country) will be made by a European panel of independent experts. The institution of the European Union cultural capitals began in 1985 on the initiative of Melina Mercouri. Every year since then, the cultural "lights" fall on two European cities.
The municipality decided to get into the "hunt" of cultural capital title in the early autumn when the mayor Thomas Begas asked and received the political support of the former President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias and former Minister of Culture Costas Tasoula.
The whole exercise is undoubtedly difficult but is also a challenge for Ioannina, and in particular for what they want to be in six years. For preparing their bid to be "cultural capital", several cities have begun their fight well in advance, throwing into battle what they have and have not. The city of Ioannina, despite the publicity some initiatives from other cities receive and thereby enhances the their competitive profile, seems not to be perturbed by. It remains to be seen whether the effort will work. And as a result it would not only mean the conquest of "cultural capital", but also the creation of a sound and serious file-study wich can serve as the compass for Ioannina's future. It is worth noting that for the final selection of the city it is not enough the cultural background or history of the city, but it takes to develop a visionary idea. It is something which can make a difference for a city and give it finally a cultural, economic and social boost.
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