Angelique Rockas
Angelique Rockas, South African born Greek actress singlehandedly founded Internationalist Theatre initially known as New Theatre - the first multi-racial and multi-national theatre company in the UK, producing Mother Courage by Brecht directed by Peter Stevenson, Griselda Gambaro's EL CAMPO directed by Barry Phillips and which lead to an inte...
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Angelique Rockas, South African born Greek actress singlehandedly founded Internationalist Theatre initially known as New Theatre - the first multi-racial and multi-national theatre company in the UK, producing Mother Courage by Brecht directed by Peter Stevenson, Griselda Gambaro's EL CAMPO directed by Barry Phillips and which lead to an interview with Vogue Mexico, Jean Genet's The Balcony directed by Patrick Keeley. Their multi-racial casts were something unknown in the UK at the time. Athol Fugard was a Patron. She had started a revolution. Great classical parts played include Medea at Theatro Technis, Miss Julie with her own company Internationalist Theatre-which earned the praise of being the best production of this play of the past decade, Lady Macbeth, Tatiana in Enemies by Gorky and to which Angelique invited the London cultural attaché of the then Soviet Union. They all came - a practice in glasnost pre- Gorbachev. Angelique has an Honours degree in English Literature and a major in Philospphy from Wits University, Johannesburg, was an anti-apartheid activist, studied Acting at Cape Town University. Started an MA thesis on Restoration comdedy - unfinished. She is multi-lingual: English, Greek, Afrikaans,French, and pigeon Italian. Has her own film company Contemtptus Mundi Films and has written the film script 'Ayoni and Ismeta' set in the troubled Balkans. Has made films with Peter Hyams , Nicholas Roeg,Costas Ferris in Greece , as well as the lead TV role in Idees Fixees directed by the well known Greek film director Theodoros Maragos. Turns down work all the time- they must be projects with some honour. The great Derek Jarman asked her to participate in 2 of his films that failed to find funding. She works in the UK, Greece, has a Paris and USA agent, and also has a base in Eastern Europe, where there is a burgeoning film renaissance. Show less «
I was baptised after my paternal grandmother in a Greek Orthodox Church with the name of 'Angeliki' - simple and mellifluous, and meaning he...Show more »
I was baptised after my paternal grandmother in a Greek Orthodox Church with the name of 'Angeliki' - simple and mellifluous, and meaning heavenly messenger. Show less «
The breaking of casting clichés also broke boundaries.A short Latin- looking actress like me playing classical roles such as Miss Julie , a...Show more »
The breaking of casting clichés also broke boundaries.A short Latin- looking actress like me playing classical roles such as Miss Julie , and playing them well, made casting directors uncomfortable. Show less «
My grandmother was a fearless Greek warrioress, and very protective of her land. She literally ordered some Nazi soldiers to get off one of ...Show more »
My grandmother was a fearless Greek warrioress, and very protective of her land. She literally ordered some Nazi soldiers to get off one of her fields, pointing a gun at them. Show less «
Where does one begin to express what I consider to be my Greek heritage and the awe that I feel for its magnificence?
Where does one begin to express what I consider to be my Greek heritage and the awe that I feel for its magnificence?
A great play that deals with the perennial concerns of people can come from anywhere, can be spoken with any accent, and can be played by ac...Show more »
A great play that deals with the perennial concerns of people can come from anywhere, can be spoken with any accent, and can be played by actors of any colour. Show less «
As an actress I decided that I was not going to accept being cast in token ethnic roles in film or on TV.
As an actress I decided that I was not going to accept being cast in token ethnic roles in film or on TV.
The Greek people have become exiles in their country and are alienated from their identity metaphorically speaking. They have to find their ...Show more »
The Greek people have become exiles in their country and are alienated from their identity metaphorically speaking. They have to find their way back and take control of their land. Show less «
The entry of Greece into the Eurozone also presented the Greek people with the Memphistophelian temptation of the false glamour of a western...Show more »
The entry of Greece into the Eurozone also presented the Greek people with the Memphistophelian temptation of the false glamour of a western type consumerist society-easy credit cards, bank loans. Show less «
I think that if I go to Constantinoupolis and see Agia Sophia desecrated by some exhibition of tiles or a fashion show, as I've heard has ha...Show more »
I think that if I go to Constantinoupolis and see Agia Sophia desecrated by some exhibition of tiles or a fashion show, as I've heard has happened, or see the neglected shambles of the greatest mural of Christianity- the Resurrected Christ trampling on Death - I think I will commit the illegal. Show less «
Theo Angelopoulos was a giant of World cinema. He died tragically in an accident and Greece has lost one of her magisterial sons. Zoi se mas...Show more »
Theo Angelopoulos was a giant of World cinema. He died tragically in an accident and Greece has lost one of her magisterial sons. Zoi se mas! May God keep him safely in His embrace. Show less «
When Anna Diamantopoulou was working as an MEP she was pleased to take her E120,000-euro salary with all its perks. But now she has the auda...Show more »
When Anna Diamantopoulou was working as an MEP she was pleased to take her E120,000-euro salary with all its perks. But now she has the audacity to speak of forgotten sacrifices that Greece's MPs should have made! All these so-called MPs -- who are supposed to be the servants of the people -- should reduce their 8,000 euro per month salary -- while half of Greece is starving -- to 2,500 euros per month -- and see if their majesties can survive on what constitutes five times more than what some Greek families have now been forced to live on Show less «
The foreign countries, dear Kathimerini, do not give a damn about the destruction of the fabric of Greek society, or the departure of Greece...Show more »
The foreign countries, dear Kathimerini, do not give a damn about the destruction of the fabric of Greek society, or the departure of Greece's most talented, or the outflow of the real capital from Greece caused by the austerity measures and increased taxation -- they just care about their banks -- get this into your heads. Who gives a damn about these foreign impressions? We care about Greece! Show less «
I arranged a meeting between Elia Kazan and the London based film financier Frixos Constantini of Poseidon Films at the Grand Bretagne Hotel...Show more »
I arranged a meeting between Elia Kazan and the London based film financier Frixos Constantini of Poseidon Films at the Grand Bretagne Hotel in Athens. What followed from this meeting is that Mr Constantini put Elia Kazan in touch with Martin Scorsese a personal friend of Mr Constantini and who also runs the production company Cappa films. And so it was that these two giants of US cinema met for the first time. Show less «
A photo of me standing at picket line on the WITS side of Jan Smuts avenue during one of the protests appeared in the 'Star' newspaper. The ...Show more »
A photo of me standing at picket line on the WITS side of Jan Smuts avenue during one of the protests appeared in the 'Star' newspaper. The local MP from the Nationalist Party Boksburg constituency saw it and made an ominous call to my parents 'I didn't know that your daughter was communist!' and put the phone down on them. Of course I wasn't a 'communist' but anyone who opposed the regime was automatically labeled as a communist Show less «
To continue about my Greek heritage: the gift of Orthodoxia : The call by the Christ not to be just good moral and ethical beings - which is...Show more »
To continue about my Greek heritage: the gift of Orthodoxia : The call by the Christ not to be just good moral and ethical beings - which is where the western Churches stop- but to go beyond that , to be "theanthropic" - to reflect the generosity and magnificence and beauty of the Christ. Show less «
As a little girl my mother used to take me with her to her fittings with her very expensive seamstress. I was dazzled by the beauty of the f...Show more »
As a little girl my mother used to take me with her to her fittings with her very expensive seamstress. I was dazzled by the beauty of the fabrics and the whole procedure. I still remember the feel of expensive taffeta. Show less «
I myself have experienced the volcanic existential depths of the Greek language. It was during a performance of Medea by Tzeni Karezi at the...Show more »
I myself have experienced the volcanic existential depths of the Greek language. It was during a performance of Medea by Tzeni Karezi at the Herod Atticus theatre in Athens ,when she was pleading to the callous Jason to take pity on her and she used the word ' splachniasou'. 'Pity' is too weak a word to describe the emotional and psychological depths ' splachniasou' expresses. 'Splachna 'is the part of the body where a woman carries her unborn children - the very root of ontological existence. How deep can you get! Show less «
A very tragic story which also expresses the scars and trauma that still trouble our contemporary Greek consciousness is the beheading of my...Show more »
A very tragic story which also expresses the scars and trauma that still trouble our contemporary Greek consciousness is the beheading of my Communist uncle and my mother's cousin by the Royalists during the ill-fated Civil War. Post WWII. As I have already mentioned Kalamata was mainly Royalist territory - and for what might you ask - for a kingly lineage that wasn't even Greek but imported originally from Austria, and imposed on Greece by the Great Powers. My uncle was caught, treated as a traitor and beheaded. His head was then sent in a sack to his mother, whose uncontrollably grief stricken cries could be heard all over the village for days on end. This young man had been a very amenable and lovable person and the whole village was dumbstruck with disbelief! Show less «
Part of my Greek heritage: The everyday resistance by Greece and the Greeks to the illegal invasions by Turkish planes on our airspace. What...Show more »
Part of my Greek heritage: The everyday resistance by Greece and the Greeks to the illegal invasions by Turkish planes on our airspace. What we have now is a Neo-Ottomanism led by Erdogan and Davidoglou. Show less «
Another really painful thing is the realization that the Greek rich couldn't give damn about Greece.
Another really painful thing is the realization that the Greek rich couldn't give damn about Greece.
Medea represented the unwanted and disposable 'other' in the comfortable and cozy Greek society that the feckless Jason brings her to. She i...Show more »
Medea represented the unwanted and disposable 'other' in the comfortable and cozy Greek society that the feckless Jason brings her to. She is abused and discarded. I played her as a volcanic barefooted Anna Magnani. Show less «
I invited the great Lindsay Anderson to several of my productions. When he was doing Britannia Hospital I was offered the part of a patient ...Show more »
I invited the great Lindsay Anderson to several of my productions. When he was doing Britannia Hospital I was offered the part of a patient after he had seen me in 'Tis Pity' - but the timing collided with a performance of 'El Campo' Show less «
Theatro Technis was a theatre company that practiced political theatre in its purest form! I found myself performing a Greek Cypriot peasant...Show more »
Theatro Technis was a theatre company that practiced political theatre in its purest form! I found myself performing a Greek Cypriot peasant woman driven from her land in the North of Cyprus and expressing her grief at the loss of her home in front of an audience that included refugees who had suffered the same fate but had managed to escape to London. The tears just flowed naturally. Show less «
The play chosen to incarnate this new multi-racial and multi-accented presentation of a great classic - was Jean Genets The Balcony. A proph...Show more »
The play chosen to incarnate this new multi-racial and multi-accented presentation of a great classic - was Jean Genets The Balcony. A prophetic choice, as the play is set in a Paris that is in turmoil with rioting, just as London at this point of time was being torched during the Brixton riots, an explosion of the racial tensions that had been simmering for some time as a result of the SAS laws, thwarted potentials etc etc . The Balcony explored the escape from the repressive social realities to the opiate and sexual palliatives provided by the House of Illusion. Show less «
The ground breaking production of the company, ...run.. from a bedsit in St John's Wood and required 18 hours of work a day, and the point a...Show more »
The ground breaking production of the company, ...run.. from a bedsit in St John's Wood and required 18 hours of work a day, and the point at which the cross cultural and multi-racial casting began to bite, was the production of Brecht's great anti-war play - Mother Courage. Show less «
The gift of Byzantine doxology. As the great Sir John Taverner says: 'The music of the Byzantine Church is not something better or more amaz...Show more »
The gift of Byzantine doxology. As the great Sir John Taverner says: 'The music of the Byzantine Church is not something better or more amazing than something else, but rather beyond everything else that is known, and can be known; something before all ages and unmoved is coming to birth, something new, and yet already known, but heard for the first time, to heal and transform us, with all the integrity, and with all the humility of our calling as sacred beings'. Show less «
El Campo - Internationalist Theatre's second play was written by the Argentinian playwright Griselda Gambaro , who had been hounded out of h...Show more »
El Campo - Internationalist Theatre's second play was written by the Argentinian playwright Griselda Gambaro , who had been hounded out of her native Argentina by the Junta and was now living in Spain , opened on the day That Writers International were remembering the writers banned in their own countries......The production received stunning reviews, which included an interview with the Spanish language BBC Latin American Service. People came to see it twice. This was great political theatre that crossed countries, cultural barriers and had a multi-racial cast. Show less «
Enemies by Maxim Gorky too had great social and political resonance. When I submitted the play to the director/manager of the theatre venue ...Show more »
Enemies by Maxim Gorky too had great social and political resonance. When I submitted the play to the director/manager of the theatre venue Ann Pennington she was so bowled over that she insisted that my company could not present it unless she directed it, and it was a co-production. The timing of this performance proved as prophetic as that of The Balcony. Enemies explored the simmering revolt of the suppressed exploited masses of Russian surfs against their land owning masters, and the inaction of the elites to do anything about it. In the UK the miners were fighting against exploitation, and to save their mines against closure. Show less «
[on the multi-racial casting of Mother Courage] Another instance that the establishment was riled, is the reaction of a leading casting dire...Show more »
[on the multi-racial casting of Mother Courage] Another instance that the establishment was riled, is the reaction of a leading casting director Irene Lamb in a telephone conversation with one of the cast, named Joe Figg: 'Why is she doing this?' The word spread around. I went for a TV audition and the director commented that he had heard that this tiny actress had organized a production of Mother Courage which was making waves. And I replied 'That's me'. The casting cliches had been thrown out of the window. Show less «
My honours in English literature, discovering Jacobean tragedies and greats like Beckett only increased my hunger to perform, so after gradu...Show more »
My honours in English literature, discovering Jacobean tragedies and greats like Beckett only increased my hunger to perform, so after graduation I went to Cape Town Drama School, where one of my classmates was the inimitable Reza de Wet, a liberal intellectual who punctured the cliché that Afrikaners were racists and bigots. Show less «
I arrived at as an undergraduate( Wits University) with two driving passions: a consuming interest for a politics of justice grounded in a C...Show more »
I arrived at as an undergraduate( Wits University) with two driving passions: a consuming interest for a politics of justice grounded in a Christian theology - and acting, as a 'revelation of the treasures of the human soul' not as a form of exhibitionism. Show less «
On campus there were rumblings of unrest. Sizwe Banzi was being performed on campus, Nadine Gordimer was giving talks. During that time I me...Show more »
On campus there were rumblings of unrest. Sizwe Banzi was being performed on campus, Nadine Gordimer was giving talks. During that time I met George Bizos, who nicknamed me 'l'enfant terrible' because of my desire to change the status quo. Show less «
Other companies started copying our casting policies. Previously there were black companies doing black themed plays, Indian companies doing...Show more »
Other companies started copying our casting policies. Previously there were black companies doing black themed plays, Indian companies doing Indian themed plays. Now companies moved out of this comfort zone. Show less «
In a country where racism was institutionalized by a minority Afrikaner Power elite - subtler discriminations against Caucasian immigrants o...Show more »
In a country where racism was institutionalized by a minority Afrikaner Power elite - subtler discriminations against Caucasian immigrants of other than protestant Afrikaner stock was rife. The Afrikaners discriminated against the "Rooi necks" - literally Rednecks, a derogatory term for the British who had treated them appallingly in the Colonial past. Show less «
Listening enthralled to the Greek myths about the great achievements of the Greek heroes and heroines and deciding that I too wanted to be a...Show more »
Listening enthralled to the Greek myths about the great achievements of the Greek heroes and heroines and deciding that I too wanted to be a Greek Heroine. Show less «
The smell of "yiasemi" wafting in the air of a balmy Greek summer evening.
The smell of "yiasemi" wafting in the air of a balmy Greek summer evening.
The glory of the constellations of stars viewed under the clear evening skies of the Greek countryside.
The glory of the constellations of stars viewed under the clear evening skies of the Greek countryside.
I avidly read text books on Classical Greek thought during school holidays acquainting myself with Socrates and Plato. It wasn't a surprise ...Show more »
I avidly read text books on Classical Greek thought during school holidays acquainting myself with Socrates and Plato. It wasn't a surprise then that when I went University I studied Greek Philosophy- and was moved to my soul with the beauty and depth. Show less «
Many of the Greek journalists and TV presenters also seem to share this 'progressive intellectualism' which leads Greeks to having to apolog...Show more »
Many of the Greek journalists and TV presenters also seem to share this 'progressive intellectualism' which leads Greeks to having to apologize for being Orthodox- What a load of rubbish! Show less «
Our current Greek westernized political leaders also seem to desire this too, with Papandreou always citing the Swedish model being an ideal...Show more »
Our current Greek westernized political leaders also seem to desire this too, with Papandreou always citing the Swedish model being an ideal that Greece should aspire to. What on earth is this man doing running Greece?! What does Orthodox Greece have in common with Lutheran Protestant and sterilized Sweden???? Show less «
I'd like to shame the Greek parents who have neglected to transmit to their children the gift of the Greek language.
I'd like to shame the Greek parents who have neglected to transmit to their children the gift of the Greek language.
....in contemporary Britain how many thousands of intellectuals and Professors acknowledge that our great language is the root base of most ...Show more »
....in contemporary Britain how many thousands of intellectuals and Professors acknowledge that our great language is the root base of most of the important terms used in intellectual discourse. Show less «
What did the great Shelley exclaim when he was overwhelmed with the beauty of the Greek language' Oh most excellent of languages'
What did the great Shelley exclaim when he was overwhelmed with the beauty of the Greek language' Oh most excellent of languages'
The Athanasian Creed, the dogma of Christ the Homiousios, of the same essence as the Father , the dogma of Christ - fully God and Fully Huma...Show more »
The Athanasian Creed, the dogma of Christ the Homiousios, of the same essence as the Father , the dogma of Christ - fully God and Fully Human , The dogma of the Holy Trinity - 'that Christ is the incarnation of the indivisible source of the Divine Godhead through the power of the Holy Spirit ' could only have been formulated by the Church Fathers within the linguistic structures and concepts provided by early century Greek language and thought., e.g concepts such as the God/man - a concept that which does not exist in the Hebrew and is totally foreign to Hebrew culture. Hence Shelley's assertion that the Greeks /the Hellenes 'gave us our religion '. Show less «
My inheritance of Alexandros the Great, student of the great Aristotle, uniter of all Greek tribes , creator of the Hellenistic Empire and p...Show more »
My inheritance of Alexandros the Great, student of the great Aristotle, uniter of all Greek tribes , creator of the Hellenistic Empire and promulgator of our great Greek heritage . One point that historians forget to mention is that Alexandros always sent the booty of his conquests, not to Pela, but to Athens - the capital and centre of Hellas. Show less «
My honours in English Literature, discovering Jacobean tragedies and greats like Beckett only increased my hunger to perform, so after gradu...Show more »
My honours in English Literature, discovering Jacobean tragedies and greats like Beckett only increased my hunger to perform, so after graduation I went to Cape Town Drama School, where one of my classmates was the inimitable Reza de Wet, a liberal intellectual who punctured the cliche that Afrikaners were racists and bigots. Show less «
By the time I graduated from Cape Town, I had come to the realization that there was no place for me in South Africa as it existed at that t...Show more »
By the time I graduated from Cape Town, I had come to the realization that there was no place for me in South Africa as it existed at that time, .... because I found it difficult to function as an individual in a society that considered 73 % of population as inferior, that my Greek community frowned on me as an actress.. and my beliefs for a just non-racial society had now incorporated a fight for the equality for women - an anathema to the undeveloped conservative Greek community in which I had my social being. I didn't want to spend my life apologizing for who and what I was. Show less «
In our family we only spoke Greek to our parents - not to do so would be disrespectful.
In our family we only spoke Greek to our parents - not to do so would be disrespectful.
My Miss Julie was going to explore the depths of inner turmoil that a confused upbringing had inflicted on her by being brought up as a man ...Show more »
My Miss Julie was going to explore the depths of inner turmoil that a confused upbringing had inflicted on her by being brought up as a man by her militaristic father Show less «
What did the great Shelley exclaim when he was overwhelmed with the beauty of the Greek language? "Oh most excellent of languages."
What did the great Shelley exclaim when he was overwhelmed with the beauty of the Greek language? "Oh most excellent of languages."
In contemporary Britain how many thousands of intellectuals and Professors acknowledge that our great language (Greek) is the root base of m...Show more »
In contemporary Britain how many thousands of intellectuals and Professors acknowledge that our great language (Greek) is the root base of most of the important terms used in intellectual discourse. Show less «
It is during these hot summer months that I spent with my parents and my brother Basil in Greece that I first saw the great films of Angelop...Show more »
It is during these hot summer months that I spent with my parents and my brother Basil in Greece that I first saw the great films of Angelopoulos and Koundouros; experienced the exhilaration of the beauty of our Greek island landscapes that left Byron breathless and inspired him to write his famous panegyric 'the Isles of Greece, the isles of Greece 'in his epic poem 'Childe Harold', and Luc Besson to make his film 'The Deep Blue', as he had spent quite a large part of his childhood in Greece Show less «
My beliefs for a just non-racial society had now incorporated a fight for the equality for women - an anathema to the undeveloped conservati...Show more »
My beliefs for a just non-racial society had now incorporated a fight for the equality for women - an anathema to the undeveloped conservative Greek community in which I had my social being.I didn't want to spend my life apologizing for who and what I was. Show less «
It is during these hot summer months that I spent with my parents and my brother Basil in Greece that I experienced the exhilaration of the ...Show more »
It is during these hot summer months that I spent with my parents and my brother Basil in Greece that I experienced the exhilaration of the beauty of our Greek island landscapes that left Byron breathless and inspired him to write his famous panegyric 'the Isles of Greece, the isles of Greece 'in his epic poem 'Childe Harold'. Show less «
I found it difficult that my Greek community frowned on me as an actress.
I found it difficult that my Greek community frowned on me as an actress.
Part of my Greek heritage: The call of resistance to the Nazis - when all mainland Europe had succumbed, it was only Greece - my Antigone - ...Show more »
Part of my Greek heritage: The call of resistance to the Nazis - when all mainland Europe had succumbed, it was only Greece - my Antigone - who resisted and was starved for it. Show less «
Historically default is not something alien to the Greek polity. The first Greek default in history occurred as early as 400 BC. After the 1...Show more »
Historically default is not something alien to the Greek polity. The first Greek default in history occurred as early as 400 BC. After the 1812 liberation from Ottoman slavery the government of Greece had to borrow huge sums to try and create a functioning administration on national and local levels. This debt was never defrayed. Show less «
...after WWII Greece was bankrupt. Again the county had to borrow heavily to try and stand on her feet! This debt has just been added to pas...Show more »
...after WWII Greece was bankrupt. Again the county had to borrow heavily to try and stand on her feet! This debt has just been added to past debts, and then we have the debt that each successive corrupt Greek power elite borrows in order to pay off the minions that support them. Show less «
My father in the 1940's like his other 4 brothers because of economic hardship immigrated to xenitia, South Africa, to try and earn a living...Show more »
My father in the 1940's like his other 4 brothers because of economic hardship immigrated to xenitia, South Africa, to try and earn a living as well as send money home, just as now once again in 2011 due to Greece's dire economic prospects many young Greeks are immigrating to other parts of Europe and the world for the same purpose. Show less «
As was the custom my father returned to Greece to find himself a Greek bride once he was financially independent. My mother, though coming f...Show more »
As was the custom my father returned to Greece to find himself a Greek bride once he was financially independent. My mother, though coming from a wealthy family in her own right and with no reason to leave Greece was tempted to marry this gentle Tripolitsioti out of a sense of adventure. Show less «
My school years were the ground where my political revolt against apartheid started .
My school years were the ground where my political revolt against apartheid started .
It was at my convent school, St Dominic's that I gained understanding of the full force of the evils of institutionalized racism (in South A...Show more »
It was at my convent school, St Dominic's that I gained understanding of the full force of the evils of institutionalized racism (in South Africa) imposed on 73% of the non - white population by a White Power elite, and it was here that developed my thirst for political justice. The nuns had nothing to lose by their radical beliefs- they were prepared to sacrifice their lives for a non-Marxist, non -violent Christ-centered liberation theology and fight for equality for all. Show less «
In a country where racism was institutionalized by a minority Afrikaner Power elite - subtler discriminations against Caucasian immigrants o...Show more »
In a country where racism was institutionalized by a minority Afrikaner Power elite - subtler discriminations against Caucasian immigrants of other than protestant Afrikaner stock was rife. Show less «
In apartheid South Africa ..the Afrikaners discriminated against the "Rooi necks" - literally Rednecks, a derogatory term for the British wh...Show more »
In apartheid South Africa ..the Afrikaners discriminated against the "Rooi necks" - literally Rednecks, a derogatory term for the British who had treated them appallingly in the Colonial past. And the Afrikaners and the British in turn discriminated against immigrants from Mediterranean countries - Greeks, Cypriot Greeks, Italians, Portuguese - because they considered them of lower social stock. Show less «
Also the financial success of these hard working immigrant communities riled both the Afrikaners and Brits (in apartheid South Africa ), jus...Show more »
Also the financial success of these hard working immigrant communities riled both the Afrikaners and Brits (in apartheid South Africa ), just as the financial success of Pakistani and Indian communities grates on many Caucasian citizens of the UK and Canada. Show less «
Our current Greek westernized political leaders also seem to desire this (liberal progessivism)too, with Papandreou always citing the Swedis...Show more »
Our current Greek westernized political leaders also seem to desire this (liberal progessivism)too, with Papandreou always citing the Swedish model being an ideal that Greece should aspire to. What on earth is this man doing running Greece?! What does Orthodox Greece have in common with Lutheran Protestant and sterilized Sweden? Show less «
As a child ( in South Africa) I remember having two nannies, Joanna and Fransina, who indulged me to no end .I was a spoilt and imperious li...Show more »
As a child ( in South Africa) I remember having two nannies, Joanna and Fransina, who indulged me to no end .I was a spoilt and imperious little miss. Terrible! Living in a comfortable bubble protected us from experiencing the injustices of Apartheid in a concrete way.. Show less «
My parents tried their best for us - they sent all four of us to excellent Catholic convent boarding schools, where apart from high academic...Show more »
My parents tried their best for us - they sent all four of us to excellent Catholic convent boarding schools, where apart from high academic standards we were exposed to great classical music, ballet, drama eisteddfords where I first felt the thrill of performance as an schoolgirl actress. A Greek teacher, Mrs Stefanou , who had taught at the Arsakio womens' college in Athens, came to the convent every Saturday to teach us the Greek language and literature. Show less «
... my relationship with my parents was ambiguous. Grateful for all their efforts to provide us with top notch education, but always aware o...Show more »
... my relationship with my parents was ambiguous. Grateful for all their efforts to provide us with top notch education, but always aware of their conservative political views, and their unease about my liberal political beliefs. Show less «
.. I avidly read her text books on Classical Greek thought during school holidays acquainting myself with Socrates and Plato. It wasn't a su...Show more »
.. I avidly read her text books on Classical Greek thought during school holidays acquainting myself with Socrates and Plato. It wasn't a surprise then that when I went University I studied Greek Philosophy- and was moved to my soul with the beauty and depth. Show less «
[on her parents] As good Orthodox Christians, who said their prayers and made their "metanies" at our "Iconostasio", my parents' main purpos...Show more »
[on her parents] As good Orthodox Christians, who said their prayers and made their "metanies" at our "Iconostasio", my parents' main purpose in life was to take care of their family and give to Greek charities - fighting apartheid was outside their world. Show less «
Greece is my real home so of course I go to Greece not to visit but to live as a Greek and participate in the common life. It is the land wh...Show more »
Greece is my real home so of course I go to Greece not to visit but to live as a Greek and participate in the common life. It is the land where I am going to be buried. Show less «
I arrived at Wits (University) politicized, with a hidden passion for drama - a profession frowned on by the conservative immigrant Greek co...Show more »
I arrived at Wits (University) politicized, with a hidden passion for drama - a profession frowned on by the conservative immigrant Greek community in which I grew up. Show less «
My search for justice grew out of the pain I experienced when I saw the ridicule my malformed brother elicited. I became aware of the evil t...Show more »
My search for justice grew out of the pain I experienced when I saw the ridicule my malformed brother elicited. I became aware of the evil that is prejudice, a form of injustice. My urge to redress this prejudice took a more social dimension during my years as a boarder at St Dominic's Convent, where the great Barbara Hogan matriculated a year later than me - though I only got acquainted with her at Wits. Show less «
At Wits there were rumblings of unrest. Sizwe Banzi was being performed on campus, Nadine Gordimer was giving talks. During that time I met ...Show more »
At Wits there were rumblings of unrest. Sizwe Banzi was being performed on campus, Nadine Gordimer was giving talks. During that time I met George Bizos, who nicknamed me 'l'enfant terrible' because of my desire to change the status quo. Show less «
By the time I graduated from Cape Town, I had come to the realization that there was no place for me in South Africa as it existed at that t...Show more »
By the time I graduated from Cape Town, I had come to the realization that there was no place for me in South Africa as it existed at that time, not only because I found it difficult to function as an individual in a society that considered 73% of population as inferior, that my Greek community frowned on me as an actress, but also because my beliefs for a just non-racial society had now incorporated a fight for the equality for women - an anathema to the undeveloped conservative Greek community in which I had my social being. I didn't want to spend my life apologizing for who and what I was. Show less «
Greece has been forced by the Turks, who always resort to Casus Belli if they don't get what they want, to protect herself by spending vast ...Show more »
Greece has been forced by the Turks, who always resort to Casus Belli if they don't get what they want, to protect herself by spending vast sums of her GDP on armaments! That is why the Greek taxpayer sees no social benefits for his high taxes - Greece has been in a perpetual state of war with this ugly monster to the East! Show less «
I have made a point in my career to try and make contact with the film directors whose work I admire. These have included Angelopoulos and K...Show more »
I have made a point in my career to try and make contact with the film directors whose work I admire. These have included Angelopoulos and Koundouros in Greece, Costas Gavras in France, Michelangelo Antonioni, Francesco Rossi, and Lina Wertmuller in Italy. Show less «
In my meeting with Theo Angelopoulos we discussed a role in his film about Cyprus, Green Line but it never got off the ground. Again for his...Show more »
In my meeting with Theo Angelopoulos we discussed a role in his film about Cyprus, Green Line but it never got off the ground. Again for his Ulysses Gaze he saw me - but his casting remit seems to be restricted to the demands of his co-producers - that a certain number of actors have to come from this and that country. His first question was Eisai edo tora? (are you here now -resident in Greece? ) And at the time I wasn't, so for co-production purposes I couldn't be considered eligible for the part.. And for a second time nothing happened. Show less «
Henrietta
