Insight or Perspective: What should the Associations be doing to help Modern Greek?

By Eleni Elefterias

The Greek language and the Hellenic culture and history is the heritage of all Europeans. We should be marketing it as such.

We cannot just rely on a couple of organisations nor are they the best fit for all to learn Greek. We need to market the language to all age groups and all backgrounds in the greater community.

Money needs to be spent in our universities to create and offer the best courses in the language, the literature, the culture, the history. Specialised courses could be offered for Archaelogy students and Medical students and even in the sciences and Modern Greek Philosophy.

If we can only appreciate the amazing academics, thinkers, poets, writers, philosophers, scientists and musicians in Greece today and those of Greek background in the Diaspora then we would be a force to be reckoned with. This would be the best help we can offer Greece.

By showing the world that the Greeks still have amazing capabilities similar to their ancestors. We cannot assume everyone knows what our ancestors did for Europe and the World. 

We need to translate as many Greek books into foreign languages as possible in order to show the world the wealth of thought and the wisdom of our modern thinkers. This will attract philhellenes who will then support Greece and want to learn the language so that they can enjoy the beauty of it too.  

It all starts from above, as Sir Nicholas Laurantos, who funded the Chair of Byzantine and Modern Greek studies at the University of Sydney, realised so many years ago. 

That is a first step not a solution.

Next week I will continue with Step 2 towards a solution to the continuation of Modern Greek in Sydney.

READ MORE: Insight or Perspective: Why don’t the associations help?

*Eleni Elefterias-Kostakidis is a teacher of Modern Greek and University lecturer. 

Read Eleni Elefterias’ column ‘Insight or Perspective’ in Greek, every Saturday in The Greek Herald’s print edition or get your subscription here.