Giannis Diakogiannis
dies
20 December 2006
Greek flag at half-mast at Symi Municipality
Giannis Diakoyiannis, a leading Greek journalist and "a child of Symi" died on Saturday 16 December. He was given a non-religious funeral at the second cemetery of Athens yesterday. Giannis Diakogiannis was a Symi-lover, the instigator and founder of the Symi Festival and the Symi Municipal Music School, and the son of Symiot Lefteris Diakogiannis, the author of the much-acclaimed book "The unsubdued of Symi - the British occupation of the Dodekanese" ("Οι ανοιπότακτοι της Σύμης - Βρετανική κατοχή στα Δωδεκάνησα") ["ανοιπότακτοι" is a difficult word to translate, but means those who resist occupation].
According to his wishes, his will was read in public during his funeral. Giannis Diakogiannis owned no property at all and one of his very few valuable posession, his piano, he left to the Symi Municipal Music School. He also requested that the money from the sale of his father's book would be given for the highlight and promotion of the "anti-colonial, anti-imperialist, socialist struggle of EMPA, the National Front for the Freedom of the Dodekanese" who fought the two-year British occupation of Symi after the war.
The coffin with the body of Giannis Diakogiannis was covered with the bay-wreath sent by the President of the Greek Republic, Karolos Papoulias. Present at his funeral were the former President of the Greek Republic, Konstantinos Stefanopoulos, the leader of the opposition PASOK socialist party Giorgos Papandreou, the president of the Greek Parliament Anna Benaki-Psarouda, the secretary of the rulling New Democracy party Lefteris Zagoritis, the Secretary General of the Greek Communist Party (the third parliamentary party) Aleka Papariga, the president of the left-wing Synaspismos party and others.
The Municipality of Symi issued the following press release:
The border island of Symi mourns the loss of its beloved child, the distinguished and combative journalist Giannis Diakogiannis. Son of Lefteris Diakogiannis, Giannis was not born on Symi, but he loved Symi and gave Symi everything he could. He was the instigator and founder of two of the most important cultural events on Symi, the Symi Festival and the Symi Municipal Music School. He mobilised a plethora of people in culture, art and politics to realise his vision for a modern Symi worthy of its historical, social and cultural past and his belief that places other than the capital can be at the centre of events and not at the margins. We will always remember him with love as a of model of ethos and selfless giving.
The Symi council convened an extraordinary meeting after the death of Giannis Diakogiannis and released the following resolution:
At the sad announcement of the death of our beloved compatriot, instigator and founder of the Symi Festival and the Symi Municipality Music School, distinguished journalist Giannis Diakogiannis, the council of Symi had an extraordinary meeting on Sunday 17 December 2006 and decided:
1. To express its deepest sadness for the premature loss of one of our island's worthy children.
2. To place the flag at half-mast at the Municipality of Symi.
3. To hold a special ceremony at St John's Cathedral.
4. To lay a wreath on his coffin and for a committee of councilors to be present during his funeral.
5. To dispose a sum of money to the Symi Municiplaity Music School.
6. To dedicate the 13th Symi Festival to his memory.
1. To express its deepest sadness for the premature loss of one of our island's worthy children.
2. To place the flag at half-mast at the Municipality of Symi.
3. To hold a special ceremony at St John's Cathedral.
4. To lay a wreath on his coffin and for a committee of councilors to be present during his funeral.
5. To dispose a sum of money to the Symi Municiplaity Music School.
6. To dedicate the 13th Symi Festival to his memory.
On 13 April 2005, TA NEA newspaper published a pre-publication article about Lefteris Diakogiannis's book (in Greek). From that, I quote what Lefteris Diakogiannis (a member of EMPA) said:
I was with the Greek Air Force in the Middle East until the end of WW2. We came back to Athens, and after a while, at the beginning of '46 they let us return to the Dodekanese. But, surprised, we saw that instead of the Greek flag waving on our islands, it was the British one! It needed more fights, not just on the diplomatic level, but in the streets too. We fougt from within the secret organisation EMPA against the plans of the British occupation. We couldn't stand having a different group of foreigners replacing the fascists and the Nazis.
...
We suffered a lot. At the end, the union of the Dodekanese with Greece was achieved and the initial plans of the British for autonomy and surrendering some of our islands to Turkey did not succeed... The British flag was lowered from its mast in Rhodes on 31st March 1947 and the Greek one went up in its place. Fortunately! Our islands did not have the same 'luck' as our tragic Cyprus.
The President of the Greek Parliament, Mrs Anna Benaki-Psarouda has announced to the Mayor of Symi today that the Greek Parliament will support financially the cultural performances dedicated to the memory of Giannis Diakogiannis during next year's Symi Festival.
Exctract from his will written on the 23rd of March 2006 read during his funeral on Monday 19 December 2006.
I travelled, I loved, they loved me, I fought, I collided. I was lucky!
Farewell
Giannis Diakoggianis
A few hours before dying, he asked his friends to mark his departure with a "demotic" song "Gianni mou to mantili sou". Exactly as it happened. Goodbye Gianni...
Exctract from his will written on the 23rd of March 2006 read during his funeral on Monday 19 December 2006.
I travelled, I loved, they loved me, I fought, I collided. I was lucky!
Farewell
Giannis Diakoggianis
A few hours before dying, he asked his friends to mark his departure with a "demotic" song "Gianni mou to mantili sou". Exactly as it happened. Goodbye Gianni...