Anti-Racist Festival
Published by deviousdiva July 3rd, 2008 in Racism.
The 13th Anti-Racist Festival will take place this weekend (4th, 5th and 6th of July) at Goudi park (entrance from Katehaki metro station).
Three days against racism, with migrant communities, anti-racist organizations, concerts and migrant music groups, discussions, dance and theatre, playground, multicultural cuisine
This is the first year, I think, that the festival will have an admission charge of 6 euros which I think is a shame. I understand the need to raise money for the event but I do think the price is high. The atmosphere has always been really good with thousands of people, great music and events. I have always enjoyed being there with my family.
This year we probably won’t go for financial reasons. Pity.
Please note: Free entrance for migrants and refugees
Thank you to Paul for the heads up. I have been following the delightful exploits of Emily and Phoebe for a while now. They have been a great source of an (almost) daily giggle.
According to Phoebe, I am “a pest in the arse”
lol
Technorati Tags: greece, athens, anti-racist, festival,
6 euro per ticket??
we definitely won’t go - I wanted to take my kid plus niece & nephew.
24 euros to visit the anti-racist festival??
have they thought this out??
If Migrants are free, what defines a migrant. If I’m from America and living in Greece am I a migrant? If so, what document do you show?
Not trying to be funny, but to me that would mean that Greeks pay and us Migrants (foreigners) are free?
Anyone?
I went to the Anti-racist festival here and it was great. Got the the chance to see loads of people. If anyone wants pictures tell them to get in contact with me. BTW the entrance fee was three euros.
Craigs last blog post..Intense argument over our sacred right to park
6 euros is only slightly more than people pay for a cup of coffee in Greece. Someone, somewhere, has to pay for things — and I really don’t feel that the price of a cup of coffee is exorbitant as an admission fee.
Xenos, man you are rich brother! 6.00 Euros for a coffee. I’ll have to take you to my little “hole in the wall” coffee place where you can get a coffee for 2 euros.
obviously, we live in completely different worlds - I pay 1 euro for my coffee at the local tyropitadiko.
anyway, the price of the coffee that You pay is not the best way to compare costs & make judgements
lol Xenos. That’s why I rarely go for coffee !
I was thinking a lot about this yesterday and about whether I should have posted the personal bit about the cost.
I understand the need to finance the event but I think 3 euros (as in Thessaloniki) is a good price and would make the same or more money because more people would go. An anti-racist festival should not be about exclusion of any kind.
@craig, are you going to post the pictures ? I’d love to link to them or send them to me and I could post them (with credit of course!) ?
that’s exactly the point, deviousdiva
an anti-rascist festival is about exclusion
and by having a 6 euro ticket, they are excluding a lot of people
there are millions of other ways to raise money
example - a bazaar, people bringing in stuff they don’t use
& then they can sell them real cheap to others that can’t afford
new stuff
two birds with one stone (god, I hate that saying - but you get the point).
I phrased that really badly didn’t I, Mary ? But you know what I meant…
I take the point about “different worlds” and the price of coffee. Actually, even though I am not exactly short of money I rarely waste it on coffee. It’s just that I notice that the many students in my area more or less live in the cafes and seem to afford not only coffees but also long evenings with far more expensive alcoholic drinks…
DD, I’ll email you some pics in a short while.
Craigs last blog post..Nikos
OK, people, I think we’re missing the point here. All festivals in Greece - whether organized by NGOs or political parties or political youths - have an entrance fee. It is a matter of supporting the cause of any festival. This particular festival hopes to raise awareness in Greek society about the problems economic and political migrants have to deal with, it hopes to draw peoples together and it hopes to offer a good time as well with music, round table discussions, photo exhibitions, happenings. It is also an opportunity to meet and greet other cultures.
Since it is being organized by an NGO it depends solely on its supporters (eg visitors) to help make the festival a success, hence the ticket. You must realize that festivals need electricity for lighting, sound equipment for the music stage and the Greek Power Company (DEH) doesn’t have a I-give-out-freebies-to-festivals policy. The Thessaloniki festival has a lower entrance fee because it is smaller in square meters and fewer demands for electricity, water, sound equipment etc.
We can go on and on about how cheap or expensive a cup of coffee is compared to the price of the festival’s entrance fee but deciding whether you should spend 6 euros for coffee is not the same as making a social statement I will go to the antiracist festival to declare my support to all foreigners living and working in Greece. There is a difference.
Flubberwinkles last blog post..Greek queues. The sibethera technique.
I completely take your point about going on about the price of coffee etc, Flubberwinkle.
However, the Anti-Racist Festival has never had an entrance charge before (and I have been to others that don’t (the Indie Free, of course, Summer in the City and the European music Festival. They have sponsors, usually beer companies etc) and they make money by selling food, drinks, CDs, crafts etc. I am guessing that the boroughs that provide the public spaces for them, donate them ? Not sure.
I do wish I had never said that I couldn’t go because that does undermine the point of having the festival. I just wanted to point out that many people really cannot afford the entrance and that is an issue to me. It has always been a consideration in any projects I have been involved in and can be a tricky one to negotiate. Sometimes, I have to be a bit careful not to be just “thinking out loud” here on this blog, so thank you for pointing that out.
You are right. People should try and go if they can. It’s important.
I will be going to all three days. We have a small booth campaigning against commercialisation of Goudi park. See http://www.parkostogoudi.org. As for the entrance fee: I Paid 15Euros for the three days. Aside from interacting with the all the passionate people supporting their causes, the music acts alone are worth 15Euros anytime.
ok, i know it’s a bit too late for that, but there is always time to set the record straight…
Kids don’t pay.
You ‘ve been misinformed. The antiracist festival ALWAYS had an entrance charge. And that’s because they don’t have sponsors, cause they don’t like them :-). Also, a big part of the money for the food goes to the immigrants that provide it. Money from other stuff (cd’s crafts, etc) goes straight to the immigrants that sell them.
Yeah, sure. But i don’t know many bazaars that can make 90.000 (the money from the entrance charge).
This means 30.000 people paying a ticket, instead of 15.000. This would also mean double capacity. And some people would still complain that they are excluded…
the budget of the festival exceeds 160.000. Even with the “expensive” 6 euro entrance charge, the festival made 2.000 profit, which is less than the money needed to restart next year. Yes, it would be great if it was for free. But it can’t be, it’s as simple as that.
Thank you panos. Great. I’m glad the festival made a profit. Well done.
Maybe misinformed but I have never paid to get into the anti-racist festival before ?
Anyway, this is one of those posts that I wish I hadn’t written. The purpose of this festival is what is important not my financial problems. Appreciate that.
why are you backing off, deviousdiva??
I think your post was necessary - just because of a few hostile responses.
I haven’t gone to all the festivals but I haven’t paid either.
First of all, my “kids” are not children. They are 16-17 years old.
I would really like to take a look at their budget & see what cost 160.000 euros????
And second, it’s not a matter of not being ABLE to have no entrance fee
(Yes, it would be great if it was for free. But it can’t be, it’s as simple as that.)
It’s their CHOICE.
(And that’s because they don’t have sponsors, cause they don’t like them :-).)
To be totally honest mary (and others here), I am just tired of the hostility on the blog, generally. Not just this post but many many others. It will pass, I’m sure. I just don’t have the energy for it right now.
Video from 13th Anti-Racist Festival
http://efhbos.wordpress.com/20.....2008video/
and
the “Soul Rebels Brass Band” in 13th Anti-Racist Festival (video)
http://efhbos.wordpress.com/20.....brassband/
Efhboss last blog post..Συνέντευξη με τον σκηνοθέτη Νίκο Περάκη
i hope you don’t have me in mind when you talk about hostility. Any disagreement is not necessarily hostile. Correct me if i’m wrong but hostility means personal attacks, flames etc. I don’t think i did any of that.
Maybe you are not the typical case of an immigrant, since you are an EU citizen, but you are black and people on the door don’t ask too many questions.
Any person under the age of 18 is considered a child. This is not me, this is international (and Greek) law. I guess this is followed by the festival too.
I totally agree with you that the budget should be published for anyone to see. It’s a matter of transparency. Besides that, the budget includes the cost of the park (yes, the government wanted money for that), food and drinks, the expenses (not fees) of musicians and others invited from abroad, technicians (electricians, sound engineers etc, unfortunately they don’t work for free), posters and publications, etc. There is a lot of volunteer work involved in the festival, but unfortunately it can’t cover everything.
(to have no sponsors)
Well, the dependency of the anti-racist festival (or social, grassroots organizations) to sponsors is a big issue to be resolved here.
Let me just rephrase the dilemma: should political parties accept money from companies? if yes, how can we be sure that they don’t pursuit the interests of the companies and not the people?
that’s all from me folks. wish you a happy holiday.
Not at all, panos. I hope you don’t read it as that. I get so many messages ” behind the scenes” that I can’t even explain. You are NOT the problem at all. Sorry if you got that impression.
Maybe ! I never thought of it like that… but I was struck by your comment !
Why am I not “typical” ?
No-one asked me anything on the door. I just know I never paid all these years.
If “typical” is something we can quantify ? Can we share here what fits and what doesn’t ?
I have no debate with the festival itself. But when money and issues exist, there is no contest. Business wins.That’s it.
I believe you have (like me) the best intentions. But we all have to be accountable. Whether it’s to the people who provide the money (who have their own interests in mind) or to answer to us who perhaps cannot afford to come to your celebration. Or people like me who are a little confused by the criteria above ?
thanx for the reply. I know that your comments on the festival are well intended. I also know that the entrance charge IS a problem. i just tried to put things into context - imagine, the authority that takes care of Goudi Park (i think it’s the MoD) asked for 12.000!
About “typical”: most people, me included, at least subconsciously understand “immigrants” as coming from poor countries. This is also because if you come from an non EU country you get a lot more bureaucracy, a lot more racism and a lot more stigma.
Once i decided to, say, prolong my stay in Britain (i was studying there). Actually, i moved to London. When i told some local he went: ” so you have migrated”. I got so surprised, i couldn’t believe that moving to London equates migrating.
I know what you mean, panos and thank you for coming back and replying !
And I really do not mean you when I talk about “hostility” on this blog. I get AT LEAST 2 replies a day that I delete (not counting spam messages in the hundreds) which are abusive and hostile.
I DO get a bit… short-tethered, but it’s not about you. I try and always say who I mean by name (if they leave one) and the rest drop into moderation or onto my banned list.
I must admit that I would not wish that my ticket money went towards the MOD. I think I pay enough already for national defense !