A foggy lawyer of tear gas is pierced by an oncoming tank. Students cling to the gates of the polytechnic, pleading to the imposing hoard of soldiers below, "We are your brothers! We are your brothers!" The gates fall, mangled and crushed beneath the merciless tread of tank wheels. Gun shots ring through the dead of night. By 3:20 am, there is no one left inside. All that remains, a twenty two year old Norwegian tourist, shot in the chest. A five and a half year old boy, while crossing the street with his mother at the intersection of Tritis Orinis Taxiarxias St and Papagou Ave in Zografou, shot in the head. Twenty two others, most of them barely through a quarter of their lives, gone. It's been almost forty three years since the students of Athens Polytechnic led an uprising against the then military junta's regime. A fight for the survival of democracy in the country that invented it, restored and won, but at a great cost.
It reminds me of how so often, the youth of this country carry the greatest burden, suffer the most, and are called upon in times of crisis to lead Greece out of the darkness. Today, amidst an era of austerity, economic downturn, and crippling unemployment rates, the frustrations of Greek youth is palpable. We have all seen rocks colliding with riot shields, fire bombs illuminating the streets. Violent anarchy fuelling a fight against the "establishment", in reality a front for complacency, hopelessness, and an identity crisis decades in the making. It's backwards and it's futile. It's lazy. But with so much uncertainty clogging the arteries of Greek youth today paired with an overwhelming distrust of the powers that be...what else is there? How else will their voice be heard?
Over many years, I have come to befriend a fellow Canadian-Greek named John Karkalatos who, in 1999, left Toronto and a stable job to rediscover his Greek roots in a village two hours southwest of Athens called "Kiveri". For the past sixteen years, John has run a youth basketball camp every summer which he uses as a means to teach kids ideals such as teamwork, conflict resolution, and self-worth.
"The way things are, sometimes you start believing that you don't deserve better. But on this basketball court in our village, these kids have created a society where they've convinced themselves that they do deserve better, that they are enough, that there is hope."
-John Karkalatos
I find no tear gas, no remanence of molotov cocktails strewn about the neighbourhood. But I do smell a revolution. From ages three to twenty three, John has created a peaceful utopia for kids of all ages to successfully co-exist with one another at an interpersonal level. He teaches them how to work cooperatively in unison towards a common goal and that in times of crisis, to first look in the mirror before placing blame. In a country with a notoriously bad record of civil war and unrest, that is pure anarchy in itself. What's more, many of those who have taken part in John's camp have gone on to overachieve and become leaders in athletics, academics, and in the work force. It's working.
From August 10th to the 22nd of this year, I will be producing and directing a feature documentary on the identity of Greek youth today. The story of John's camp, known as "Kiveri Basket", is at the forefront of this conversation. It's on his basketball court that the narrative of Greece can change forever. "It's their court," I can hear him correcting me now, and that's all the difference.
"Many of these kids are coming from different parts of Greece and feel like refugees in their own country. They are in search of somewhere where they can be happy, accepted, and know that they are worth it. This is the only way Greece will change for the better. Through a sense of community."
-John Karkalatos
Until all Greek citizens feel they have the right to that same sense of ownership and responsibility, the country will struggle to evolve. The slogan of the camp reads, "Here the World Changes". It is up to them, as a community of like-minded individuals, to create their world for the better, no one else.
I will be blogging constantly throughout the making of this film, sharing stories and insights I come across along the way. You can also follow us behind-the-scenes through my Facebook, Twitter, and also Kiveri Basket's Facebook page.