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Silk culture in Greece and prospects for internati

Time:2017-10-30 Source:世界丝绸网

 

Mrs. Sophia Staikou, Chairman of the Piraeus Bank Cultural Foundation

 

Dear Mr Chairman,  

Dear Distinguished Delegates,

 

Firstly, I would like to thank the International Silk Union for giving us the opportunity to participate in this great event.

 I would also like to congratulate you on the excellent organization and the warm hospitality that both myself and my delegation are enjoying.

I represent the Piraeus Bank Cultural Foundation; of which I am the Chairman.

Since it is our first acquaintance with the ISU and its activities, please allow me to briefly present the Foundation which has been in operation for the past fifteen years.

 

The Foundation’s basic goals are:

- To record and showcase Greece's cultural heritage and identity

- To preserve the traditional industrial technology and production history of Greece and

- To link Culture with the Environment and sustainable development.

 

A critical element of the Foundation’s action program, is the operation of a network of nine (9) thematic Museums across Greece. The Museums showcase the production history of the country as this relates to the exploitation of natural resources and the use of pre-industrial technology.

 

They are related to Silk (Soufli – Northeast Greece), Marble Craft (Tinos- southern Aegean Sea), Mastic (Chios- northern Aegean Sea), industrial olive oil production (Lesvos –northern Aegean Sea), Water Power (Dimitsana - Peloponnese), olive and greek olive oil (Sparta – Peloponnese), Rooftile and Brickworks (Volos – Thessaly, Central Greece), Silversmithing (Ioannina –Epirus, Northwest Greece) and the Environment (Stymfalia –Peloponnese)

 

We take pride in a structured multi-annual strategy which has managed for the Museums to:  

 

(a) become outward looking, build more partnerships and welcome more people as active participants,

(b) take the role of interpretation and local cultural centers for the place and the community they belong to,

(c) contribute to local distinctiveness and thus support local development plans,

(d) transform so as instead of being just buildings and collections ,they act as custodians of the historical and cultural values of the landscape and promoters of sustainable development and

(e) have a positive social impact and support local communities in becoming more resilient.

 

It is worth mentioning that despite the recent crisis in Greece, the Foundation’s Museums enjoyed a significant increase in the annual number of visitors (+ 45% from 2013 to 2016), a fact which demonstrates the catalytic role of culture for social cohesion and regional development.

 

Finally, the Museums reflect a solid public – private partnership, whereas the Foundation’s operation is fully and exclusively subsidized by Piraeus Bank, No 1 Bank in Greece.  

 

Referring to a wider perspective, the Foundation’s goals and action program are fully aligned with the cultural policy of the European Union, which recognizes the potential of culture for preserving the European identity on the one hand and enhancing social cohesion on the other.

 

It is due to this strong and well established belief, that the European Union has been supporting culture related projects at a pan European level, with emphasis given to local cultures, tangible and intangible cultural heritage and quite recently to cultural entrepreneurship in the field of Cultural and Creative Industries.

 

Furthermore the European Union along with the European Parliament, have decided to designate 2018 as the European Year of Cultural Heritage.  The Foundation is already fully aligned with the statutory objectives of this historic decision and is already preparing a number of events and celebrations

 

At this point, I am going to focus on the Silk Museum in northeast Greece.

 

In late August 2017, the Foundation had the honor to receive H.E. Mr. Zou Xiaoli, Ambassador of China in Greece, to the Silk Museum in Soufli, a small town in northern Greece with long lasting sericultural activity.  It was a visit of great interest, demonstrating at the same time the long lasting ties between our countries.

 

Sericultural activities have a long tradition in Greece, with raw cocoon production and silk processing being familiar activities for hundreds of years.

 

Soufli in particular became part of the silk road in Byzantine times, as silk became the town’s main source of income up until the 1980s, when production dropped significantly due to the invention of synthetic silk, automated production and competitive silk produced abroad.

 

Nevertheless, silk production in Soufli is being revived lately  through the facilitating provisions of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, whereas it should be mentioned that fashion designers from both Greece and the world rediscover its fine quality and unique texture.

 

As far as the the Silk Museum in Soufli is concerned, it is the only accredited in its kind in Greece, operates since 1990 and presents the history of sericulture in the wider geographic area. It also informs its visitors of the history of silk both worldwide and through the centuries, with specific reference given to the history of sericulture in China.  

 

In particular, the purpose of the permanent exhibition of the Museum is to show the pre-industrial techniques by which silkworms were bred (sericulture) and silk was woven. It also deals with the socio-economic significance of these activities for Soufli and the surrounding area.

 

To this end, the Museum contributed significantly to the preservation of sericulture in the area, even at periods of decline in productivity. This was accomplished by showcasing local traditions and exposing the new generation to local history as this relates to silk and sericulture. A significant amount of interested entities and individuals to sericulture was thus preserved, an affluent  legacy for the area and the local society.

 

The Foundation’s contribution is not limited in past efforts for the perseverance of culture associated with silk and its productions; it is also reflected on the recent efforts for the re-enhancement of sericulture in northern Greece. They demonstrate the strong impact of culture to regional development.  

 

In view of this, the prospect of bringing our countries together through silk, either by means of its cultural or economic dimension, is an example of an amicable and mutually beneficial cooperation.

It also showcases the potential of the “One Belt, One Road” transnational development and commercial initiative towards a multipolar world and cultural diversity, in view of open regional cooperation.

 

The Silk Road of the distant past succeeded because it merged civilizations and cultures, it supported cultural exchanges and brought people “closer”, not in terms of the geographical distance but in terms of a common understanding.

 

To this end and to our perception, the revival of the Silk Road through the “One Belt, One Road” initiative strongly depends on people as well as on constructing bridges between cultures and traditions.

 

I am here in the historic city of Hangzhou to contribute to the construction of such a bridge between our countries, through the cooperation of the Silk Museums in Hangzhou and Soufli. Our effort is to create a bridge of culture, a vehicle for establishing a common understanding between our people, a means to let others know that silk and sericulture have the potential to become a solid and cohesive element of the new Silk Road.

 

I am also here because I strongly believe that through the ISU and the Belt and Road Forum, an open and balanced regional cooperation can be created and will no doubt, produce benefits for all by being culturally diverse and thus inclusive.

 

This solid basis of cooperation encourages countries to carry out broader and more in-depth regional collaboration of high standards and support the extraversion of their markets.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

As a Cultural Foundation, we do not have the capacity to establish commercial – silk related – cooperations. We do, however, have the strong willingness and the ability to promote the progress of international silk culture, education and scientific research.

 

Thank you very much once again for your invitation, Mr Chairman, and you, Ladies and Gentlemen, for your kind attention.