Figaro celebrates its tenth anniversary in Athens with an impressive panel of speakers and performances
Kotzia Square from City Hall
Figaro Histoire in partnership with the City of Athens, and with the generous support of the Greek National Tourism Organisation, celebrated France’s enduring love affair with Athens with a two-day conference on May 27 and May 28 at the Academy of Athens. Les Journees Atheniennes, co-organised by Athens Insider, was the first in a series of annual conferences to be hosted in Athens by Figaro. The conferences were followed by two spectacular performances: Sylvain Tesson’s La Liberté ou la Mort at Ciné Thissio on May 27 and Sophocles’ Antigone interpreted by Philippe Brunel and his Demodocos troupe in Ancient Greek and French at the Pnyx on May 28. A few images from the Mayor’s reception at the City Hall from the conference at the Academy of Athens and the shows at Ciné Thissio and the Pnyx.
For Figaro Histoire, Athens was a natural choice to celebrate its tenth anniversary – this authoritative magazine had featured Athens three times before delving into both its ancient history and its modern transformations. A special 160-page magazine published especially for the occasion, Athènes Eternelle symbolises the expanding partnership and interest in investment in Athens by Figaro’s audience. With premium subscribers from Paris joining local conference attendees, the event kicked off with a reception by Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis receiving the Editor-in-Chief of the Figaro at the City Hall’s terrace to welcome conference delegates, speakers and special guests on May 25. Members from the diplomatic community and the Franco-Greek cultural scene were present in large numbers.
Mayor’s Reception at the City Hall
Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis listens as Alexis Brezet thanks the City of Athens for hosting Les Journees Atheniennes.
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- Poet Ioulita Iliopoulou and Fotis Papathanassiou, Director of the B&M Theocharakis Foundation
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- Maria Koutzabasi and Irini Spanou from Hotel Grande Bretagne, hospitality hosts for Les Journees Atheniennes.
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- Savvas and Rena Savvaidis from Sotheby’s International Realty
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- Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis with jewellers Vassilis and Hara Kessaris
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- Popi Domazou, President of Athens Radio 9.84 and Christina Kokota with Giorgios Kouroupos, Opera Composer
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- Anna Rokofyllou, President of OPANDA, and Olivier Descotes, Artistic Director of the Olympia Theatre
The two-day conference Les Journées Athéniennes featured an impressive panel at the prestigious 19th century Academy of Athens. The guests were received by Professor Christos Zerefos of the Academy of Athens.
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- Industrialist Nicos Vernicos with Publisher France Roque of Saint Simon Editions and Ambassador Tassos Kriekoukis, Diplomatic Adviser to the Mayor
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- Isabel Schmitz, Assistant Editor of Figaro Histoire with Sudha Nair-Iliades of Athens Insider and Alexia Kefalas, correspondent for Figaro in Athens
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- Evita Kalogiorga, Brand Director of This is Athens, Despina Trivolis, Head of Communications of the City of Athens Development Agency (ADDMA), Vagelis Vlachos, CEO of ADDMA and Tyler Boersen, International Press Officer of ADDMA
2 Day Conference at the Academy of Athens
Other than Figaro Histoire’s brilliant editorial team, the two-day conference Les Journées Athéniennes featured an impressive panel at the prestigious 19th century Academy of Athens. Speakers included Jean Tulard, a member of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences and author of more than fifty historical works, Sylvain Tesson, an adventurer who has explored peaks on foot, on horseback and by bicycle, from Iceland to the Himalayas, Francois-Xavier Bellamy a professor of philosophy who was elected Member of the European Parliament in 2019. In 2013, he created “Les Soirées de la philo”, a cycle of bimonthly conferences, held at the Hébertot Theater in Paris, and broadcast in around twenty cities in France, Andrea Marcolongo, an award-winning Italian essayist, writer and fierce advocate of Ancient Greek.
Show at the Cine Thissio
Speakers writer and adventurer Sylvain Tesson, paid tribute to Lord Byron, who died in Missolonghi, with his play Byron, La liberté à mort (Byron, Freedom to Death), which he performed at Ciné Thissio with William Mesguich, in the role of Lord Byron.
Freedom to Death at Cine Thiseio, a play written by Sylvain Tesson and performed with William Mesguisch
Show at ancient Pnyx
Philippe Brunet, Hellenist and Professor at the University of Rouen, recreates a Sophocles’ Antigone with his troupe Demodocos, chanted in the ancient style, with songs, dances, masks.
Performance of Sophocles’ Antigone at the Ancient Pnyx by Philippe Brunel and his theatre company Demodocos.
