"Little Paris of Athens" opens windows to the world, its director Strofalis tells ANA-MPA

The festival, which is organised for third consecutive year, will run from October 8 to October 18 with the view to showcasing the "underprivileged" neighbourhoods of central Athens through theatre, music, dance, painting, artistic and educational programs, games, lectures and "rendez vous social."

This area has streets with French names, Strofalis noted. "In the past, a part of a society was quite bourgeois, that could easily create the conditions that we call social "elevator", he added. "The historical identity of the area is revealed through the names of the streets, that always mean something (Hugo, Chateaubriand, Beranger, Mayer, Maison, Moliere etc)" he underlined.

Therefore the idea of this festival was born, "allowing to host cultural activities and educational programs for schools. A serious institutional intervention, which over the years will deliver results. The festival is rooted in the local community, not only during the ten days, but also because the people has witnessed its preparation since early September, as they can participate in groups voluntarily while learning things," Strofalis stressed.