Maria Nerantzaki: «Priority is given to synergies, cultural dialogue and extroversion»

Συντάκτης:

In this first interview of the new year, Greek Culture is the main topic of honour. We have the pleasure of hosting and talking today with Maria Nerantzaki, President of the Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy in Belgium. This new organisation optimistically aims at the extroversion of the activities of Greek culture, addressed at the international audience of the city of Brussels.
The correctness of the speech and the calmness that the President of the Institute exudes lay the foundations for a sincere effort to promote our culture at the centre of the European Union, while Maria Nerantzaki’s long involvement with Arts gives her an additional advantage.

Our wish is that this new organisation will find the way and the means to successfully accomplish all its goals. Already, the events it has organised and participated in, show the best omens.

Mrs Nerantzaki, we welcome you to our first interview of the new year with the main topic, in this first conversation with you, the Greek culture. We will ask you to begin this interview with your own wishes for both Greek Culture and for the Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy in Belgium, which you lead.

Thank you very much for your hospitality! First of all, I wish the whole world a much more beautiful and optimistic New Year, full of big smiles and meaningful communication. For Greek Culture, I wish for greater extroversion and for the Institute, substantial initiatives with impact.

Let’s take things from the beginning and ask you to tell us how the organisation, which has been established at the end of 2020, is set up and what is its main purpose?

The Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy in Belgium (HICDB) is a scientific, non-governmental organisation with a non-profit purpose, which operates by developing activities related to the creation and promotion of knowledge of Greek culture in Belgium and aims at the study, analysis, dissemination and promotion by all means, of all aspects of Cultural Diplomacy. It is worth mentioning that the term Cultural Diplomacy is a new term, it is a tool of international communication and understanding and it works as a defense of the cultural character of countries in order to promote their intangible characteristics and their interests. It is based on “Soft Power”, which is based on the power of attraction and cooperation, as opposed to hard tactics such as coercion and the intervention of military forces.

The aim is to set a new narrative for the image of Greece, promoting the heritage and contemporary culture of the country through extroversion, intercultural cooperation (synergies) and scientific research. It is an action that looks to the future and comes to amplify Greece’s mark on the global scene.

Could we summarize the audience to which you refer as the Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy in Belgium?

We primarily address the international audience in Belgium, which is why we have chosen English as the official language of the organisation. This can be Philhellenes, but also people who just want to know more about the culture of the country. Age-wise, we cater for all ages, especially the younger audience. This is one of the reasons why the organisation hosts Erasmus+ students for internships.

Is Philhellenism and the Philhellenes an additional bridge in your efforts?

The Philhellenes are the main, I would say, bridge. In fact, «Philhellenes in Belgium» was our first inaugural event, in April 2021. Symbolically, we chose four important Belgian Philhellenes in the context of the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the 1821 Revolution, as a reminder of the active contribution of Belgian Philhellenes in the armed struggle, in the intellectual and artistic fields, but above all as a reminder that Philhellenism did not stop there. Modern Philhellenism exists and contributes actively and daily to the promotion of our culture. However, I believe it is our duty not to “rest” there, but to contribute as a nation to its creation and expansion.

Mrs Nerantzaki, what is the presence of the organisation in other countries?

Currently, there are 13 branches in 11 countries: Athens (Greece), Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France), London (England), Rome, Ancona and Palermo (Italy), Nicosia (Cyprus), Bad Neustadt (Bavaria – Germany), Tbilisi (Georgia), Kiev (Ukraine), Sohag (Egypt) and Nashville (USA).

What is the added value that the city of Brussels brings to the objectives of the Belgium branch of HICD?

Apart from the advantage of "neutrality" that Brussels has as a city, due to its Belgian particularity (Flanders – Wallonia), Brussels is characterised by its international and multicultural identity. Therefore, this enables us to address not only the Belgian – local but also the international audience.

What is the organisation’s link with Greece?

The Athens HICD, with Peter Kapsaskis as its president, was founded in March 2017 and started as the only exponent of this idea in Greece. In an effort to expand and spread beyond the borders of Greece, the HICD of Athens has given the possibility to create branches abroad, provided that they are all based on a common strategy. The Athens HICD has therefore created a network of branches all over the world, which operate independently with their own statutes, administration, actions and budget. Also, the Athens HICD coordinates the monthly online meetings between the branches representatives and keeps our network alive and united.

What was the motivation for your own involvement? What are the obligations that come with being president?

At the end of 2019, the president of the HICD Athens, P. Kapsaskis, offered me the position of president and the establishment of the branch in Belgium. The proposal even came coincidentally with the news of my pregnancy! Considering all the difficulties and consequences this can have, I accepted to take on this role for two reasons. Firstly, because cultural diplomacy has interested me and I have been involved in the past in the context of my academic background and, above all, because as an artist myself, having served the art of dance for years, I have a sensitivity and love for culture.
The main obligation is the overall responsibility of the organisation. In practice, this means being responsible for conducting activities, fundraising, coordinating the organisation’s team, meeting with heads of foreign institutions, communicating with the Embassy of Greece, liaising with the HICD branches and, finally, supervising the organisation’s interns and their research.

Which are your direct partners in this effort?

My partners are five creative people with talent, ingenuity and imagination, all with some background in arts and culture, and I am honored to work with them. They are Thomas Kardakaris, Vice President of the organisation with studies and extensive experience in music and audiovisual arts; Theodora Matziropoulou, General Secretary of the organisation with academic background and experience in museums and cultural management; Christos Gkakoudis, lawyer and director of the Brussels Greek Choir; Konstantinos Tzitros, consultant with academic background in cultural management and extensive experience in cultural diplomacy; and Kelly Agathos, consultant, actress with academic background in history & archaeology, founder of ImproBubble and Schuman show. It is also a great honour to have with us as Ambassador of the organisation, an important academic with great contribution on Greek culture, Dr. Aikaterini Lefka. Dr. Lefka is a researcher in philosophy and teaches philosophy in the Greek, French and English sections at the third European School of Brussels, as well as at the University of Liège. Finally, we have the pleasure of hosting Greek and international student interns under Erasmus+, as well as interns living in Brussels and volunteering for the organisation. The interns are taking care of scientific research and articles and their contribution is valuable.

What are the synergies you aim to support your actions?

As a priority, synergies with international cultural institutions in Belgium. We have already introduced ourselves to our Brussels-based counterpart cultural organisations, both governmental and non-governmental, and we are in open dialogue for joint future events. In fact, we have already started collaborating with some of them, through an important scientific research conducted by our intern Phoebus Voulgaris, under my guidance. The research was about different perceptions of Cultural Diplomacy and was based on the contribution (interviews) of Klub Krug (Serbian Cultural Institute), Croatian Cultural Association Brussels, European Institute of Arab Culture, Czech Centre Brussels, Liszt Institute Brussels (Hungarian Cultural Institute), Austrian Cultural Forum Brussels and Korean Cultural Centre.
In addition, we have a very good cooperation with the Embassy of Greece in Belgium and we are in open dialogue with Greek cultural institutions for joint future actions.

How many different fields of action does the effort to promote Greek culture include?

Cultural Diplomacy has a wide range of approaches and tools which are drawn from all disciplines whose activities are based on cultural values or other artistic and creative expressions. In practice, this means that we can talk about the Diplomacy of Dance, Theatre, Gastronomy, Music, Museum Diplomacy, Conference Diplomacy, but also Digital Diplomacy, Sports Diplomacy, Religious Diplomacy, Entrepreneurship Diplomacy, Scientific Diplomacy, and so on.

What are the selection criteria for the Institute’s activities and events?

The selection criteria are the environmental context, the time frame required, the technical requirements and the availability of resources. The last one is perhaps the most important as the Institute is self-funded and we are in a period when while everything is getting more expensive, the budget for culture worldwide is shrinking.

Over time, the Hellenism of the city of Brussels has been characterised by a multitude of actors who directly or indirectly engage with Greek culture. Which new needs is the Institute called upon to meet and in what ways is it differentiated?

Extroversion is an important word for the vision of the organisation and for me personally. Like every country abroad, let alone in Belgium, we have the considerable advantage of promoting Greek artists, creators, scientists, entrepreneurs and products to an international audience. I think, however, that this is missing from the activities of Greek cultural organisations here, since all of them are conducted in Greek and been addressed to Greeks. The Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy is making an effort in the exact opposite direction. For example, the event we held on stereotypes was a closed event because we wanted to make sure that the majority attending would not be Greek. We finally achieved it by reaching 80% [of non-Greeks].

However, it is worth mentioning that there are eight Greek-speaking theatre groups that actively contribute to Greek cultural diplomacy by using French and English subtitles in their performances! An additional need that the organization is coming to meet is, as I mentioned before, the synergies and cultural dialogue with foreign organizations. This is something I have never seen here before and is a priority for the organisation in its immediate future actions.

Working mother, active artist, personal time. How do you manage this extra role?

Dance has taught me dedication, tenacity, commitment and discipline and as my love for dance has proven to be far stronger than any difficulty, by the time I undertook this role, I had already decided that I would dedicate myself as long as I was primarily interested in and loved the subject. There are good days and bad days, I try to do my best and don’t look back, I have a strategy, but things don’t always go as I plan. The daily routine with a child can suck all your energy but the strength you get from the moments with them is incomparable. The existence of my daughter certainly gives another meaning in everything I do. With love we can manage everything.

A few words about your actions to date and the Institute’s future plans for 2024?

The establishment of the organisation brought some difficulties but also a lot of maturity from the beginning, due to the pandemic. We were called upon to manage and make immediate solutions in the first year, and so we managed to hold three online events.
Our first and inaugural one, as I mentioned before, had as its theme «Philhellenes in Belgium» with four important Belgian Philhellenes in the context of the celebration of the 200 years of the Greek Revolution. This was followed by the academic lecture-event on «The representations of recent crises in the Greek language: a critical analysis focusing on freedom of expression» presenting the impact of
language during the economic crisis and the evolving health crisis in Greece. The third lecture-event, also as part of the celebration, was held in co-organisation with the Greek Consulate in Liege and was entitled «Adamantios Korais and the Revolution of 1821: the moral and political dimensions of classical education». In 2022, our first live event was held in the hospitable space of the Greek Embassy, on the topic «Subverting stereotypes: a contemporary vision of Greek culture», where the experiences of three renowned Greeks living in Belgium were presented, a lecture by a Belgian professor of Social & Intercultural Psychology at ULB and a presentation by a Belgian sommelier specialising in Greek wine and ended with a «stereotype-breaking» tasting by a Greek chocolatier and a Greek winemaker. This year, we co-organized the «1st International Conference on the Theatre of the Hellenic Diaspora», together with the Department of Theatre Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Université Libre de Bruxelles, under the auspices of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Greece in Belgium. The conference highlighted the activity of theatre groups in Brussels, the artistic creation currently produced by Greeks in Belgium, as well as the scientific work of professors/researchers on the theatre of the diaspora.

For 2024, what I can already reveal is that we are organising a music and dance performance with renowned Greek artists living and working in Belgium and a wine tasting event in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture!
I hope that these initiatives will be fruitful, mainly for our artists, but also for the promotion of Greek creativity outside the borders.

Website of the Hellenic Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Belgium www.hicd.be