NEWS RELEASES
NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH PRIVATE SECTOR SPONSORS CANADIAN ARTISTS AT EUROPEAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL
February 21, 1997 No. 34
NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH PRIVATE SECTOR
SPONSORS CANADIAN ARTISTS AT
EUROPEAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL
Eleni Bakopanos, Member of Parliament for Saint-Denis, on behalf of Foreign
Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy, today announced funding to support the Canadian
cultural presence at the year-long cultural festival in Thessaloniki, Greece,
named the Cultural Capital of Europe for 1997. She applauded the partnership
between Canadian business and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International
Trade (DFAIT) that will ensure that Canada will be the second-largest foreign
participant in this major cultural event.
"The Third Pillar of Canada's foreign policy is to present the richness and
diversity of Canadian culture to the world," said Mr. Axworthy. "This
department's partnership with Canadian business is putting Canadian performers at
centre stage before a European-wide audience."
Canadian artists invited by the Thessaloniki Festival include the Montreal-based
artists LaLaLa Human Steps, pianist Alain Lefèvre, Greek-Canadian painter Paul
Soulikias and the Gala des Étoiles. From Toronto are the percussion group Nexus,
Theatre Smith-Gilmour, Dancemakers, Tafelmusik Baroque Ensemble, and the New World
Symphony. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet will perform in Thessaloniki as part of an
extensive European tour and the Winnipeg Art Gallery will present an Inuit art
exhibit. The Canadian Brass quintet and guitarist Liona Boyd will round out the
Canadian presence.
"The sponsors recognized the value to them of having a strong Canadian presence at
Thessaloniki. As a Canadian of Greek origin, I share their appreciation of the
importance of strong business and cultural ties between Canada and Greece," said
Ms. Bakapanos.
Canada has become one of the largest foreign investors in Greece, with over $1.35
billion in direct foreign investment. Canadian sponsors are TVX Gold Inc.,
Seagram Hellas (Greece), Bombardier, Oerlikon Aerospace, ABB, Scotiabank, Denison
Mines, SNC-Lavalin International, National Bank of Greece, The Hellespont Group,
Air Greece, Air Canada and Decade International Development Ltd. The City of
Montréal has also joined the partnership by sponsoring the Gala des Étoiles.
Together, these sponsors are committing over $320 000, which will be added to
$200 000 from DFAIT's International Cultural Relations program.
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 1997 federal budget
and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.
Canada's participation at Thessaloniki will strengthen the rich cultural ties
between both countries. As a NATO ally and member of the European Union, Greece
is a pole of stability in the Balkans and a catalyst for modernization in the
region.
The evolving program of Canadian participation at the Festival will found at a new
Web site, www.hyper.gr/canada/, now under construction. Called "Canada at
Thessaloniki 1997," it will carry information and updates on the performers and
sponsors.
Information about Canadian participation at the Festival is also posted on the
departmental Web site at www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/greece/. This site is hyperlinked
through CultureNet.
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A backgrounder is attached.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Catherine Lappe
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
This document is also available on the Department's Internet site:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
Backgrounder
THESSALONIKI -- 1997 CULTURAL CAPITAL OF EUROPE
In 1985, Athens was the first Cultural Capital of Europe, an institution
envisioned by former Greek Minister of Culture and actress Melina Mercouri. As
1997's Cultural Capital of Europe, Thessaloniki will become the meeting point for
all types of culture. It is an opportunity not to be passed by, an opportunity to
become a focal point on the cultural map of Europe.
During 1997, artists from more than 40 countries will take part in events to be
presented in Greece for the first time, many of the events supported by the
participating foreign states, from as far away as Canada and Japan. Countless
cultural and scientific conventions and conferences have been scheduled to take
place in Thessaloniki throughout the year. Large exhibitions have also been
included in the festivities. One, the Greek Artists Abroad exhibition, aims to
present the achievement of Greeks who reside outside of Greece on all five
continents.
Thessaloniki is Greece's second-largest city and home to approximately one million
inhabitants. One of the largest ports of the Balkan peninsula, it is a gateway to
the Mediterranean Sea and a link to the Black Sea. The history of the city is
rich, its monuments marking the city's presence through various historical
periods, from the Macedonian dynasties in antiquity through the Hellenistic eras,
the Roman and Byzantine empires and the centuries under Ottoman rule.
Thessaloniki is one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in Europe. It
prides itself in having the largest coastline of any European city, built along
and around the Thermaic Gulf, and facing Mount Olympus and pine-covered green
hillsides. To its south lie sandy beaches and trendy seaside resorts.
Thessaloniki is home to Greece's largest university with more than 100 000
students. The city boasts a rich cultural presence in all fields of the arts.
Athens was the first Cultural Capital of Europe in 1985. After having been chosen
as the Cultural Capital of Europe for 1997, Thessaloniki began planning
approximately 300 works for small and large theatres, exhibit halls, cultural
centres, building renovations, modernizations, archaeological walks and pedestrian
zones throughout the city.
New institutions formed in Thessaloniki aim for a more permanent cultural presence
extending beyond 1997. Five new museums will open in 1997: the Museum of Modern
Art, the Cinema Museum, the Museum of Jewish Presence in Thessaloniki, the Design
Museum and the Museum for Technology.
In addition to the Demetria International Festival, held each autumn for the past
30 years, and the annual Thessaloniki Film Festival, Thessaloniki also hosts
several spring events, including an International Theatre Festival, a Festival for
Youth Orchestras, a Documentary Festival and a Festival for Chamber Music.
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