The series of educational, cultural, and artistic activities titled ‘NKUA in the City’ was introduced by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens—following a proposal by the present author—and officially launched on March 21, 2024. The events are co-organized with the Municipality of Athens based on a Memorandum of Understanding that was mutually agreed upon as early as February 2025.
As part of this series of activities, dozens of educational, cultural, and artistic events have been organized so far, with strong participation from both the University community and the City of Athens [:NKUA in the City – NKUA Hub ].
The video was made by the Department of Digital Arts and Cinema, School of Economics and Political Sciences, NKUA
These events include:
1. Anniversary Celebrations
To date, the following events have been organized:
event to mark World Poetry Day® 21 March 2024: Poetry Marathon Ι & 21 March 2025: Poetry Marathon II
event to mark World Music Day® 21 June 2024: Concert with ‘Music Odyssey’ on the square in front of the Propylaea
event to mark World Environment Day® 5 June 2025: The Natural Environment Meets Our Folk Tradition
event to mark World Philosophy Day® 28 May 2025: 1st Festival of Philosophy: ‘Philosophy: Reason and Passion’ & 17 June 2025: Lecture by Denis Robichaud at Plato’s Academy & upcoming celebration on the 3rd Thursday of November 2025
period before Easter Sunday® 22 April 2024: ‘“Today Smells Like Springtime”: Easter with Alexandros Papadiamantis’ & 9 April 2025: Easter Concert
period before Christmas® 20 December 2024: NKUA and the City of Athens Carolling at Christmas
2. Thematic Sections
Series of events on Poetry and Literature
section titled ‘Poetry: The Negative of Silence’ (coordinated by Tzina Kalogirou)® 11 June 2024: Titos Patrikios & 13 December 2024: Tasos Germenis & 24 February 2025: Kyriakos Charalambides & 28 April 2025: Svetlana Kalezić-Radonjić–Echoes of Her: Resonances of the Female Voice – From Silence to Expression
section titled ‘Word and Knowledge in the City of the 21st Century’ (coordinated by Kirki Kefalea)® 18 June 2024: Christos Yannaras & 17 January 2025: Stelios Ramfos & 2 June 2025: Paschalis Kitromilides
3. Lectures
Series of lectures by members of the University community
Maria Efthymiou (‘Food, an Important Parameter of World History’ & ‘Private Ownership – Communal Ownership, Or How Humanity Is Measured Historically Against Itself’)® 6 November & 3 December 2024
Petros Roussos (‘Parenting in the Digital Age’)® 13 March & 3 April & 22 May 2025
Manos Stefanidis (‘Propylaea-City Hall: The Two Pillars of Our Modern Culture’)® 9 May & 6 June 2025
Two unique lectures, one by the Rector of NKUA, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, at the City Hall (18 March 2025: ‘“PROLAMVANO”. Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases’), the other by the Mayor of Athens, Dr Haris Doukas, at the Great Hall of NKUA (10 April 2025: ‘Sustainability and Social Transformation in Cities’)
4. Broadcasts
The series titled ‘Visual Explorations. Glimpses on Modern Greek Art’, curated by Art Historian Dimitris Pavlopoulos, continues successfully (to date, thirteen episodes have been released on the Pemptousia TV channel)
5. Concerts
two ‘Concerts Accessible and Friendly to People With Dementia and Their Carers’, or, in other words, ‘Listening to Music for Everyone’® 12 March & 2 May 2025: musical ensembles of the Department of Music Studies, School of Philosophy, NKUA, coordinated by the Laboratory of Music, Cognitive Sciences, and Community.
6. Special Occasions
‘1st Student Poetry Competition of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens’® 20 September 2024 – 20 January 2025 (Awards ceremony and commendations on 21 March 2025, as part of Poetry Marathon ΙΙ)
‘META-FRASEIS – Event Dedicated to the Translation Work of Maria Papadima’® 12 June 2025
The educational, cultural, and artistic events as part of the series of activities titled ‘NKUA in the City’ continue to grow!
Stay tuned by following updates through the official channels of NKUA and the City of Athens.
ACHILLEAS G. CHALDAEAKES
Member of the NKUA Administration Council
