"The "odyssey" of Siberia's Greeks and the town of Novosibirsk had and still has as its destination the "Ithaca" of Greek consciousness and knowledge, our ancestors' history and culture," said Marina Pusic-Trofimuk, President of the "Elpida" organization, to the ANA-MPA.On Christmas Eve, Pusic-Trofimuk will deliver a lecture on Greek culture in the local prison facility. "Prisoners asked me to do it, because Greek culture is of a great interest. Inside the prison, where these people are, they wanted to feel more festive, listening about Greece and its history," added Pusic-Trofimuk.
The "Elpida" organization connects the Greeks with philhellenes, aiming to keep the Greek spirit alive in town. Marina Pusic-Trofimuk is also a musicologist, pianist and a Greek language school teacher. "I do what I can. The little Greek that I know, I pass on to my students with great passion and love and they learn. Perhaps I also pass on to them my love for Greece and this surely helps," said Pusic-Trofimuk.
The "Elpida" president's Greek roots are traced back to Mariupol, Ukraine. Her grandparents moved to Siberia during a great plague in the 1930s.
Greeks associate Siberia with severe winter, polar bears, Stalin's gulag prisons and Theodoros Kourentzis, a famous Greek composer and artistic director of Novosibirsk's opera. "We met with Theodoros...he was raised in Greece, loved Siberia very much and we are proud to have a Greek conductor in our country," said Pusic-Trofimuk.
It might seem strange, but Greeks of Siberia consider this place as their true homeland and they don't plan on leaving to settle in Greece. "We love Greece, but our life is here. We established our organization through initiatives by the city's Greeks - Symeon Ioannidis, director and producer who died a few years ago, Anton Papadopoulos, director of the state hospital and Andrei Nekrasov, a doctor," stressed Pusic-Trofimuk.
Ancient Greece and the Byzantine culture has taken root in this far-flung corner for many decades now, starting with the classical education offered in Siberia's schools since the 19th century.
This year's International youth festival is dedicated to Symeon Ioannidis, founder of the Greek club as well as a director and actor. The festival is divided into three periods. The first is from 6th until 18th of January 2014, including the international children and adolescents' painting competition, with the theme of "Sochi winter Olympics and Paralympics 2014". The fourth Greek- Roman wrestling tournament will take place in March, while an artistic, dance and theatre teams competition and Greek cinema mini-Festival will take place in October.
Other highlights include an ancient Greek state sculpted entirely of ice that was built in Yamal Peninsula, located in northwest Siberia. The creator-sculptor recreated ancient Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games and the news was broadcasted by all Russian media, becoming one of the week's highlights.
Greeks of Siberia show that Hellenism does not freeze even at the most inhospitable and remote corners of the world.
Posts
