Surprisingly, nothing of the sort happened. Big Brother did no more than reorganize a few problematic companies and Crete stayed more or less where it is, even furnishing the loyal opposition with a new archigos.
The drachma washed its hands of the Yankee dollar (by about 30 percent) and far from the streets of Athens being overgrown with grass, as pessimists predicted, they only gained in potholes. The nefos, it’s true, stubbornly stayed on while its noblest adversary, Mr Tritsis, vanished into the smog.
On the positive side, though, 1984 gave us the entertaining and colorful Euro Elections with their mountains of bunting, the 150th anniversary of Athens as the capital of Greece and the thrilling travels of Andreas which improved everyone’s knowledge of eastern Europe, Libya and Syria.
Now, 1985 promises to be an even more festive year. In the first place, there are going to be two elections, presidential ones in April and national ones in October (at the latest) which will keep us if not gainfully, at least gayfully, employed. Although Mr Arsenis has warned us of the new austerity, it’s the simple life that every Athenian loves most dearly.
It is on the culture front, however, that 1985 is going to bring Athens back up to the level of the age of Pericles. This year Athens has been designated the Cultural Capital of Europe and what’s in store is going to make every other continental capital grow sickly green with envy.
In brief, 1985 is going to be a 365-day, non-stop cultural feast, but the piece de resistance is falling on July 21, a midsummer night’s dream come true, and the program as released to the press needs to be studied in some detail. It’s a brainchild sprung out, Athena-like, from the heads of the celebrated composer Yiannis Xenakis, the divine Melina and the charming Jack Lang, the French Minister of Culture, who is footing most of the bill — as it would be unseemly to ask Mr Arsenis to pay for it.
Mr Xenakis’ multimedia “Polytopo” at Mycenae a few years ago — which caused a stampede of goats in the Argolid — was a meagre hors d’oeuvre compared to what he has conveived now. “Polytopo, Athina” (Many-sided Athens) is an Apocalypse Now, dedicated to the triumph of Peace. The much publicized scenario goes something like this:
On June 21 three helicopters painted in bright phosphorescent colors will take off from Mount Olympus bearing the message of peace from the ancient gods. (Who the Olympian god, or goddess, of peace is has not been revealed.) When they reach Athens it will already be dark. On their arrival the Attic mountains will be floodlit by huge spotlights, five on Hymettus, three on the Acropolis, two on Lycabettus and five more on Aigaleo. These will illuminate the sky with meaningful patterns. As the helicopters approach the Acropolis, the great celebration of peace will begin, the first since the Panathenaia was observed in ancient times, and the first ever which will be attended by all chiefs of European states (at least they will all be invited.)
At this point there will be a 15-minute ballet performed by 30 brilliantly colored helicopters lit by strobe, light beams and accompanied by rockets, and ship whistles will blow from Piraeus. After this prelude, there will be official speeches greeting the leaders, as well as the people, of Europe. Immediately following, thousands of carrier pigeons from all over the continent will fly across the Attic sky wearing little globe lights around their necks and spelling out messages of freedom and peace.
Now comes the climax: 150 luminous, variously colored balloons will rise majestically from the Acropolis while a Xenakis work for percussion is piped in from the surrounding hills, followed by a tintinnabulation of church bells, cannons, rockets and a massive display of fireworks. The celebration will close with a few moments of darkness and silence (a thing which DEI will accomplish to perfection).
According to the press release, the French have suggested that food and drink be then distributed free to the populace in Bastille Day spirit. But as they are picking up the tab, this may be a bit risky since it is clear that millions of Europeans are not going to miss the celebration of the century.
Other cities have certainly tried. There was the Crystal Palace. The Trocadero and the Tour Eiffel still stand. There are the Tivoli Gardens and the Circus Maximus, Disneyland West and Disneyland East, but put the Parthenon and peace, pigeons and PASOK together, and Athens once again comes out the winner.
