With great participation and enthusiasm, the events of the 51st KNE–Odigitis Festival in Kalymnos took place on Sunday, August 10, at Christos Square.
The slogan of this year’s festival — “We overthrow the old, we open the road to the new. Socialism, so that justice can prevail!” — dominated the entire duration of the festival, setting the tone for the discussions and artistic creations that accompanied the events. Dozens of visitors of all ages met through discussions and exhibitions with the political proposal of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).
The festival began with a performance by the student band Shadows in the Dark, featuring Nomiki Psarompa, Irini Axioti, Giannis Sembros, and Achilleas Roussos, who energized both young and older visitors with old and new rock songs.
This was followed by a political speech from Antonis Mochianakis, member of the Central Council of KNE, which highlighted the necessity and realism of the socialist path of development as an answer to capitalist barbarity.
A special moment came when the young friends of the Red Balloon, who throughout the festival had been making crafts and doing face painting with the theme “NO TO WAR,” arrived in front of the stage holding the banner they had made, shouting “FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE,” stirring the emotions of everyone present.
Next came the major musical–narrative tribute to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mikis Theodorakis, which captivated all festival visitors. Participants in the tribute included: Mikes Koulianos, Manolis Meimaris, Sakis Lelekis, Michalis Meimaris, Angeliki Koulianou, Lefteris Saroukos, Manolis Psarompas, Dimitris Kopanezos, and Popi Galanomati.
The festival grounds also hosted a “Contemporary Era” bookstore, an exhibition titled “In a world that is burning, the winners will be the people,” as well as a cartoon-based display highlighting the main events of the past month in the Eastern Mediterranean.
