Deputy FM tour of the Greek-speaking villages of southern Italy

[Truth Bearer]

Deputy FM Mr. Kassimis’ tour of the Greek-speaking villages of southern Italy






Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Theodore Kassimis completed his tour of the Greek-speaking villages of southern Italy, in the first visit of a Greek government official to the region. Mr. Kassimis’ tour took him to all of the Greek-speaking municipalities, where he met with mayors and representatives of associations, and he also visited schools where Modern Greek is taught, as well as the Institute of Greek Language Studies (IRSSEC) in Bova Marina, Calabria, where he unveiled a plaque commemorating his visit.



An important stop on Mr. Kassimis’ tour was the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint John Theristis, in Bivogni, where he was received by Bishop Antonio Scorvino and the senior archimandrite of the Holy Metropolis of Italy Evaggelos Yphantis. Mr. Kassimis also met with representatives of the Greek communities of Calbaria (Reggio Calabria, Messina, Palermo) and Apulia (Bari, Brindisi, Foggia).



Completing his tour in Corigliano, Apulia, Mr. Kassimis stated:



“I am deeply moved and overcome with feelings of great joy, which any Greek might feel in Magna Grecia. In Calabria and Apulia one sees that the Greek language – our language, our homeland, as they call it – has survived the centuries, from generation to generation, without being taught. And of course it is very important that in recent years help has been given to these people in learning their dialect, Grecanic, or Griko. I would like to express Greece’s gratitude to the Italian government for the effortst to preserve the local dialects of these regions. The Greek government is supporting these efforts by sending educators and assisting in the recording of this language.



In answer to a report’s question as to the significance of his visit, Mr. Kassimis stressed:



“Reinforcement of the educational effort in the regions of Calabria and Apulia is very important if the language is to be enriched – a language that is in danger of being lost if it is not enriched with new words. Those who know Greek want to borrow words from Greek, which is the mother language of their language. This is being assisted through the parallel teaching of Modern Greek, through the intensifying of relations with municipalities and regions in Greece, and through joint cultural programmes.



The Foreign Ministry, through the Secretariat General for Greek Abroad, puts great emphasis on exchange programmes for our young – visits of young people from the Greek-speaking regions of Italy to Greece, and vice versa.”


http://www.mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/Article...8_alp_1244.htm