Athens's diverse cultures meet on the same wavelength

It may be located in the Technopolis cultural complex, at the heart of Athens's trendy Gazi neighborhood, but there is a pregnant silence in the dimly lit basement studio of Athena 9.84 radio station. Then at 4 p.m. this small underground space fills with melodies, words and flavors from around the world. The journey begins and listeners are taken on a journey to other cultures, customs and traditions.

“Athens, Our City” is a live one-hour radio show hosted by journalist Eleftheria Pantziou from Monday to Thursday on Athina 984, the City of Athens radio station. The show is a guide to multicultural events taking place in the Greek capital.

“For me the most important part of the show is that Greeks and immigrants get to know each others' nationalities as well as cultures when socializing. That is what makes the show so special,” says Pantziou.

Last year the Interior Ministry said there were nearly 550,000 migrants living in Greece with residence permits. It is estimated that there are several hundred thousand foreigners in the country without papers. As immigration becomes an increasingly divisive issue, especially due to the rise of the far right in Greece, “Athens, Our City” aims to foster greater understanding between migrants and Greeks, as well as between the residents of numerous nationalities living in the capital.

The show launched in September last year and has drawn inspiration from the work done by Athina 984's foreign-language service Athens International Radio (AIR) 104.4, which has been broadcasting since 2004, keeping the city's foreign communities informed about current affairs and cultural events.

“Having Athens International Radio's programs as examples, Athina 984's management came up...