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Blog / 7 May 2011

Southern spirits

Southern spirits

As a western European outsider it is impossible not to pick up on Greek feelings of being a victim of a financial and political elite. According to Nadia Valavani Greece has been a social experiment for more than a year; a guinea pig for a German type of Europe. She refers to German banks being the biggest creditors of the Greek debt.


In any way the Greek - German relation is a very interesting and very sensitive topic during the evening. When an MP of the German Linke party, Andrej Hunko, makes his speech the Greek crowd almost explodes. Even the past relations of the Second World War are drawn into the discussion.


In the midst of the action a television crew of the Dutch public news programme Nieuwsuur, enters the room. They are making an item on the growing civil unrest in Greece. Earlier the spoke with the owner of an iron store who is planning to leave Greece because his sales have hit rock bottom. Maybe this item will contribute to a change in Dutch public opinion on the Greek debt crisis, the lack of working spirit of the 'lazy Greeks'. Monday or Tuesday (9 - 10 May) the item will be aired on Dutch public television.


For now I would like to return to the speech of Sofia Safakora. She ended with the words of Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet and politician: "Somewhere in the future days will be truly brilliant". Lets hope for those days because the light over the Acropolis and it's inhabitants seems to shine pretty grim.

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