Mr E.Kakavelakis, Consul General of Greece to Melbourne, during his speech, paid tribute to the Peloponnesian women at the 1821 revolt against the Ottoman Empire mentioning specifically the women of Mani who “stopped the army of Ibrahim, the unbeatable” stressing that they were “alone, with no men” at that battle. He continued by saying “And back then, our women didn’t known much about the feminist movement and animal rights, they didn’t”.
The comment raised eyebrows among the women participants and left many perplexed with the sequence of Maniot women, feminist movement and animal rights.
The writer of this article received several comments from women attendees regarding the Consul General’s remark which they found “inappropriate”, “derogatory” and “misogynistic”.
Mr Kakavelakis, responding to our request for clarification on his comment said, in a written statement, that it was “misinterpreted, which is normal, as I was speaking off the cuff” at the Papaflessas event.
His statement also mentions that “the real meaning [of the comment] is that the women of that time although completely uneducated and not emancipated, unlike today’s women, stood alongside men as worthy equals and their contribution should be recognised, as they are rarely mentioned in our speeches regarding the Revolution. However, I think some understood it, because at least three or four persons, approached me afterwards and told me “thank you that someone recognises the contribution of women”.
Το χορευτικό της Ελληνικής Κοινότητας Μελβούρνης εν δράση στην χοροεσπερίδα του "Παπαφλέσσα" για την επέτειο της Επανάστασης του '21
Our program asked Mr Kakavelakis to clarify if he attended the dinner dance as a private citizen or in his capacity as the Consul General of Greece to Melbourne. He replied that “if you are implying that I am underestimating the rights of animals, the only thing I have to say is that I am at my thirty fifth consecutive year of being vegetarian”.
In a message to SBS Greek, on the condition of anonymity, a woman who attended the event and heard the consul general’s speech wrote that “The consular [sic] General as a representative of the Greek government may need to choose his words more wisely. His comments made some people and myself question his intent and left us with a feeling of defeatedness”.
Despina (surname withheld on request) was also among the attendees and told SBS Greek that “In his speech about the role of Maniatisses during the War of Independence, the Consul General said that ‘Women did not know anything about feminism and the rights of animals’. I felt these comments were unnecessary and inappropriate. They undervalued the role of women. The focus should’ve been on their bravery and the stance they took against the enemy, not their lack of knowledge on topics not relevant at that time”.
Μέλη του χορευτικού συγκροτήματος της Ελληνικής Κοινότητας Μελβούρνης με τον χοροδιδάσκαλό τους Νίκο Παπαευθυμίου στην χοροεσπερίδα του "Παπαφλέσσα", Σάββατο 25 Μαρτίου 2023.
Niki Mantziaris-Garay founder of “Heliades”, Melbourne’s most recent women’s group, said that she can’t see any link between the feminist movement and animal rights and that she doesn’t believe that the Consul General’s intention was to upset or insult women. “I don’t believe he did it on purpose” she said.
Estia Hellenic Women’s Cultural Association, one of the oldest Greek-Australian women’s group in Melbourne, had not responded by the time this article was written.
Τhe organisers of the event refused to comment on the Consul General’s remarks.
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