Editorial: A 200+1 bicentennial!

The confluence of events during the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the start of the Greek Revolution of 1821 - that great national struggle for independence, rebirth, and reconstruction - was certainly not the best. The COVID-19 pandemic limited our ability to highlight the anniversary and its message of rebirth.

Domestically, events marking the occasion were entirely symbolic as they took place amidst public health restrictions that did not permit massive attendance. The conditions did not allow the Greek people to participate in a public discussion, to contemplate the significance of the event, or to express their anxieties and expectations.

The public discussion and search for meaning was limited to small circles of intellectuals and politicians. It was not embraced by the people or enriched by their emotions, by the national impulses and culture that were decisive both during the struggle for independence and in the ensuing long journey of national rebirth.

Events were limited to gatherings via Zoom and the important but inadequate capabilities of new technologies that are less than ideal for the expression of emotion.

Moreover, the message of Greece's rebirth did not reach the entire world as one would have expected during the bicentennial of the War of Independence.

Though limited, the celebration did have an impact as it was embraced by strong countries and governments. It emotionally moved Greek diaspora communities around the world and revealed capabilities much greater than one might have expected during a global public health crisis.

Undoubtedly, under normal conditions the bicentennial would have permitted an impressive and effective wave of initiatives that could project and highlight our national...