Four decades have already passed since that distant June of 1983 when the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum opened its doors to the public for the first time. 40 years later, the Museum remains active and creative! So, this summer, decided to celebrate with events both at his headquarters, Myrtia Heraklion, and by traveling to Crete!
"I am the son of Crete, but Crete is my daughter" Kazantzakis wrote. The Kazantzakis Museum faithfully followed his phrase. For a month, the Museum put on its best clothes, filled its suitcases with theater, music, photography, children's events, and other cultural events, and wandered from one end to the other on the island where Kazantzakis was born and loved. Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion, Lasithi... a great journey to spread the word and highlight the life of the great writer in various ways. At the same time, an option to stimulate and give a vote of confidence to local cultural production, to people and organizations that are active and create high-level Art in Crete today.
The existential-poetic drama with a historical background "Nikiphoros Fokas" by Nikos Kazantzakis, which had been not staged in Crete for 39 years, thrilled the audience (about 700 spectators) with its minimal, but perfect artistic approach and the acting skill of its actors from the Vivi Theater in three intense performances. A special element of this production is the choice of the director Telemachus Moudatsakis to keep the text of the original play almost intact, thus keeping alive the unique "Kazantzaki" idiom. The performances inside two historic and emblematic Holy Monasteries of Crete, Arkadiou and Toplou, will remain indelibly etched in the memory of those who watched them.
Equally unforgettable will be the three big concerts of the Vamos Orchestra with the title: "Musical Imprints" which were attended by more than 1500 people. Thanasis Papathanasiou in the orchestration and direction of the orchestra, the soloists Tasos Apostolou and Anna Koti shared the stage with 22 musicians with their musical instruments and were able to travel the listeners on a journey to the time when Nikos Kazantzakis lived. Sounds and melodies of countries and peoples encountered by the author were brought to life in the best possible way and the audience experienced or remembered great musical moments that have been recorded in the history of our culture.
Finally, our little friends, with the valuable help of volunteers from the local community of Myrtia, traveled to the "Neighborhoods of the World" in search of the hidden treasure, but also to the value of traveling for Kazantzakis himself. All the visitors afterward (about 500 people) had the opportunity to remember the best moments from the very successful festivals of the Museum entitled "Traveling" through the open-air exhibition of photography and installation, a commemorative video, and an ethnic culinary tour in the Central Square of Kazantzakis' ancestral village. Of course, what stood out were the events that took place in the neighborhoods of Myrtia, which for another summer took on an international and cosmopolitan color with Spanish flamenco dances, English theater from Shakespeare's plays, cello music from Russian composers and an astounding Chinese dragon wandering rhythmically through the village's alleys.
All the events were held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture with co-organizers the Region of Crete and the Municipalities of Agios Nikolaos, Archanon-Asterousion, Heraklion, Rethymno, Sitia, and Chania, with the support of the 2nd Chania Book Festival, the Folklore and History Museum of Neapolis, the Cultural Association of Myrtia and the Development Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Crete, with the sponsorship of the Karatzi Group S.A. and of course with the constant support of the Great Sponsor of The Nikos Kazantzakis Museum, Mr. Evangelos Marinakis.
