News

The Polyphonic Caravan is a “big journey of the voices” which constantly re-starts. An “all-weather” journey which continues in all conditions, being dedicated to the safeguarding, promotion and dissemination of the polyphonic song. Thus, it continued its work, even under the deterring circumstances of the suspension of operation of the cultural associations, the seminars and the emergency measures of social distancing which were imposed in Greece due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Polyphonic Caravan made good use of the two months of the “quarantine” for the development of its action in four directions:

1. Organization of online seminars of the Polyphony Workshops, with the realization of twelve online meetings and an increasing participation during the period between 20/3 – 20/5/2020.
2. Production of 30 videos, based on the material of the Polyphonic Song Archive and 5 new videos which were recorded online and in the field during the confinement days, with participants from Athens, Epirus, Peloponnese, Crete and Paris singing “together”. The videos were publicized through the online channel of the Polyphonic Caravan on Youtube, its pages and groups on Facebook and its website.
3. Organization of an online celebration for the “Polyphonic Song Day”. The “Polyphonic Song Day” is celebrated since 2016, under the initiative of the Polyphonic Caravan, every 14^th of May and its fifth celebration this year “took place” online, with actions that occurred until the end of May, contributing to the wider promotion of the polyphonic song.
4. Preparation of the forthcoming actions of the Polyphonic Caravan, with the formulation and submission of proposals via the Cultural Bodies Gate of the Ministry of Culture, the re-programming of its summer events, the preparation of a thematic Caravan for August 2020.

The two months of the imposed “quarantine” are being assessed today as particularly fruitful for the Polyphonic Caravan’s action and the search for new ways and means for its continuation under the current circumstances. This productive period confirms the dynamic of an institution constituting a practice nominated for inscription on UNESCO’s International Register of Good Safeguarding Practices in the field of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The Polyphonic Caravan is an “all-weather” journey. It has continued its course without interruption, even under difficult circumstances, for 22 years now. In a related way, it continues and readjusts its action during the period of the pandemic. Putting forward the need for the continuation of the promotion and dissemination of the polyphonic song even in the current unprecedented conditions. Having developed a productive and fruitful action during the quarantine period, particularly in the fields of the Polyphonic Song Archive and the online polyphony workshops, it is now being prepared for the two big, annual stations during every summer.

The Big Polyphonic Caravan 2020 will travel from Wednesday, 29 July to Friday, 7 August in Macedonia, Thessaly and Epirus. Its program will focus on the collective field-based research and apprenticeship as well as on the production of a thematic documentary, beyond the meetings and the nights of polyphony. The detailed program is being shaped along with the local actors and bodies who welcome us in their villages as hosts and will be soon announced. During the travel and the actions, the respect for the necessary protection measures will constitute a main concern and the conditions under which the actions will take place will be accordingly adjusted.

The Big Polyphonic Song Celebration 2020, the leading event of the Polyphonic Caravan every year in Athens, will take place on Saturday, 26 September, at 20h00 at Petra Theatre, Petroupoli. This year’s event will have a special character opening the second decade of the Big Polyphony Celebrations and will be organized at the big Petra Theatre. The area of Petra, thanks to the year-long collaboration with the Municipality of Petroupoli, constitutes the most familiar and advantageous place for the polyphonic song and its friends. And it is in this way that we will meet also this year, at a different and unforgettable night!

The ongoing health crisis appeared in Greece affecting all of the aspects of everyday life.

The expansion of the pandemic, the related measures, deepen the economic crisis in a general, social crisis.

Every day new data change our life, challenge our social and personal strength in an atmosphere of a widespread fear.

Under these circumstances, the creative escape from the objective confinement for self-protection and protection of each other is highly important.
Since the beginning of this year, the Polyphonic Caravan has already begun the implementation of a rich and demanding planning of action.
It is normal that the near future stations are being re-defined in the new conditions. The development of actions replaces the events programmed for the near future.
Main choices, the online promotion of materials of the Polyphonic Song Archive and the online continuation of the Polyphony Workshops.
In this unprecedently difficult context that we experience separately due to the need for mutual protection and support of a deeply hurt public health system, we are putting forward the need for sharing, preserving the social character of the action, with appropriate and safe ways.

We focus on the internet, the development of our webpage, the enrichment of our pages in social media and the online platforms.
We make good use of the internet for the continuation of the polyphony workshops, with the regular realization of online meetings.
We take advantage out of the isolation period for the further processing and systematization of the Polyphonic Song Archive’s materials.
We develop actions of mutual support, particularly for the frontiersmen, senior experiential interpreters who are experiencing the pandemic crisis in their villages.
We communicate with and encourage the members of our community in the other side of the borders, in Albania as well as the Griko co-travelers of ours.
We resist against any underlying transformation of the imposed mutual protection measures in a widespread social isolation with other evident targets.
Although the current period wants us to be apart, our days want us to be all together, solidary and cooperative, with a revitalization of the community spirit, of our social life.
We should not come out of this crisis isolated, surrendered to the advance of the terror but together, closer, with our communities and our society more alive and active.

In the beginning of such a painful spring, we create the conditions for a new spring!

News soon!