Prometheus in Athens

NAME: ANDREAS KOURKOULAS

AGE: 56

PLACE OF RESIDENCE: LYCAVITTOS – CENTRE OF ATHENS

BIRTHPLACE: ATHENS

ORIGIN: KERKYRA AND PATRA

ON THE NIGHT OF THE PREMIERE HE WILL DRIVE WITH HIS MOTORBIKE FROM HIS HOME AT THE LYCAVITTOS RING ROAD TO ANAGNOSTOPOULOU STREET, TOWARDS KOLONAKI SQUARE, TO VASSILISSIS SOFIAS AVENUE. HE WILL THEN DRIVE IN FRONT OF THE GREEK PARLIAMENT BUILDING AT SYNTAGMA SQUARE TOWARDS AMALIAS AVENUE AND FINALLY REACH MAKRYGIANNI STREET, WHICH LEADS UP TO THE HERODION THEATRE.

 

Andreas is an architect and Architecture Professor at the National Technical University (Polytechneio) of Athens.
As a student, he developed political activity against the military Junta, which once ruled the country. During the first days of the struggle any form of violence was justified, but later, the idea of a group revolutionary movement was preferred instead of individual violent activities. The main reason for that change was a series of “failed“ actions, where several young people lost their lives causing agitation to the democratic circles.


At the moment, from a teachers’ perspective, Andreas faces political violence in different forms in the Greek university. He has rejected any violent way of political action and he characterises these violent political activities as a dead-end situation. “I have the feeling that these groups play around with old, long gone ‘games’ that our generation has already rejected as useless ways of action. Instead I would expect proposals that can contribute positive towards a modern, fair and creative society."

Though he hasn't read Prometheus Bound recently, he considers the play as “a milestone for humanity”. He identifies himself mostly with Okeanos, because, in several cases, he has played the role of the mediator trying to achieve a compromise.