“Respecting our history, honouring our people, investing in our future”
2021 is the year that marks the 200th anniversary after the beginning of the Greek Revolution for Independence, the Revolution that led to the formation of modern Greece. The Greek revolutionaries fought a successful war for independence against the Ottoman Empire and managed to establish the first modern Greek state. The 1821 Greek War for Independence generated a strong support movement in Europe and the United States. Many Philhellenes from various countries participated in military operations, contributed financially, or produced works of literature and art promoting the struggle of the Greeks internationally. This year’s milestone anniversary presents an opportunity to celebrate the bicentennial of the modern Greek State, to reflect on 200 years of history, to showcase contemporary Greece, and to outline the future.
2021 is the year that marks the 200th anniversary after the beginning of the Greek Revolution for Independence that led to the formation of modern Greece
Ambassador-at-large Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki was appointed as President of the “Greece 2021” Committee established by the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with the mandate to coordinate and provide a framework for the projects and events organized in Greece and around the world for the celebration of the bicentennial of the 1821 Greek Revolution. One of the fundamental decisions made upon the Committee’s establishment, was to use no state funding. All the Committee’s work is being funded through sponsorships and through its Numismatic Programme. The second fundamental decision was to ask all Greeks around the world and all friends of Greece to submit proposals for projects and events on the Committee’s online platform and thus co-create the year-long, worldwide celebration of this bicentennial.
This initiative was met with enthusiasm and resulted in over 1.800 submissions of proposals, over 330 of which came from abroad. They included proposals for events in Greece and in countries like the USA, Australia, Germany, South Africa but also India, Vietnam, Armenia, Chile, Brazil, and, of course, Serbia. The Committee worked closely with universities, entities of local government around Greece, schools, museums and other cultural institutions, foreign Embassies in Greece, Greek Missions abroad, Diaspora organisations and many other entities and individuals, in order to grant its auspices and its support to materialize as many of those proposals as possible, with a strong focus on projects that invest in Greece’s potential and leave a legacy for the future.
Many of those projects use this bicentennial as an opportunity to reintroduce contemporary Greece to the world, building upon the dynamics of Greeks in Greece and abroad. At the same time, they discuss the country’s past, present, and future in terms of education, technology, science, economy, and culture. Special mention should be made of the International Forum “Greece in 2040”, one of the Committee’s own initiatives. Within the context of the Forum, the Committee invited the Greek society, the country’s scientific force, and renowned personalities to assess the trends and challenges Greece will face in the next 20 years. They will attempt to outline the country’s path towards the future and document it in detail in a “White Paper,” which will be a helpful tool accessible to all.
The “Greece 2021” Committee’s primary objectives have been not only to honour the bicentennial of the Greek Revolution, but also to respond to the needs and expectations of Greek society, as shaped by the current circumstances. Fully aware of the challenges imposed by the worldwide battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee assisted the Greek State’s effort to strengthen the National Health System, by donating 18 intensive care beds, and by funding the research of the Hematology Clinic of “Papanikolaou” Hospital in Thessaloniki for the development of an innovative anti-coronavirus drug.
“Greece 2021” Committee coordinate and provide a framework for the projects and events organized in Greece and around the world
Additionally, with a sense of responsibility, the “Greece 2021” Committee’s Executive Board decided to participate in the effort to restore the fire-stricken areas of Greece through the Numismatic Programme. All proceeds generated by the Programme, as of August 23rd until the end of the Programme, will be allocated exclusively to the financing of measures aimed at healing the wounds left in Greece by the devastating August 2021 fires.
The “Greece 2021” Committee’s Numismatic Programme is one of the main sources of funding for the Committee’s work. It is a unique collection of 14 coins of supreme quality and exceptional style, issued in a very limited number. The coins’ dies have been destroyed after minting, thus further enhancing their unique collectable value. The collection presents a journey through Greece’s modern history and is an investment with added value over time, a timeless gift to cherish and pass on from generation to generation.
As the President of the “Greece 2021” Committee, Ambassador-at-large Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, has said “this landmark bicentennial anniversary of the Revolution is our opportunity and our goal to reintroduce Greece to us Greeks and the rest of the world. To show what Greece truly is: a modern state, democratic and contemporary, a country that imposes no discriminations or exclusions, an integral part of the Europe that we always illuminated and by which we were illuminated in return”. Her words perfectly capture the rationale and the mandate of the Committee and the essence of this bicentennial, which are to respect our history, honour our people and their achievements, build upon- and invest in the potential of Greece, and outline the future.
Visit the Committee’s website at www.greece2021.gr
All events can be found at the interactive online calendar at https://www.greece2021.gr/en/map-of-actions-and-events
The Numismatic Programme is available at https://shop.greece2021.gr/en/