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ABOUT US
The interdisciplinary project Actions for History, Memory and Culture aims to highlight diverse aspects of historical, social, and material memory. Launched in 2021 as a self-funded initiative, it continues to operate independently to this day.
Its thematic areas include the promotion of collective historical memory, the social interpretation of sites of dark memory, and public engagement with the legacies of the First and Second World Wars and the Holocaust. It also focuses on fostering intercultural coexistence and respect for religious diversity, through intergenerational approaches and open collaborations.
EXHIBITIONS | TRIBUTES | PRESENTATIONS
The project organizes exhibitions, workshops, educational programs, conferences, and visits to historical sites — all with an emphasis on intergenerational participation. It collaborates with local and regional government bodies, academic and educational institutions, as well as memory, research, and cultural organizations in Greece and abroad.
Among its most significant initiatives are the photo exhibition “Spaces of Memory, Places of Martyrdom” and the educational program “Encountering Memory in Place”, which have so far involved approximately 1,500 students, enhancing awareness and promoting an intergenerational approach to historical memory.
To date, the project has collaborated — among others — with the Ministry of Interio (Sector of Macedonia and Thrace), the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace; Democritus University of Thrace; Muzeum Treblinka; the municipalities of Distomo, Drama, Doxato, Grevena, Kavala, Komotini, Lamia, and Xanthi; the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; the Department of Architecture at Democritus University of Thrace; the Foundation of Thracian Art and Tradition; Europe Direct Eastern Macedonia and Thrace; the Cultural Development Center of Thrace; the “Xanthi, Polis Oneiron” Music School Festival; the Museum of the Victims of Nazism in Distomo; the Association of Friends of the Museum of the National Resistance and Contemporary History of Roumeli; PASTALI NPO for industrial and productive heritage; secondary education directorates; and school communities.
SCIENTIFIC AND CREATIVE TEAM
ACTIONS FOR HISTORY, MEMORY AND CULTURE -mnemonikon.gr
NIKOS KOSMIDIS
Nikos Kosmidis is a PhD candidate in the Department of Architecture at the Polytechnic School of Democritus University of Thrace, under the supervision of Professor Giannis Kolokotronis. His doctoral research focuses on the study of the aesthetic, theological, and political dimensions of memory site management. He completed undergraduate studies in European Culture and postgraduate studies in Orthodox Theology (HOU). He has participated in international missions, committees, and events organized by ecumenical organizations, and has also worked at the World Council of Churches in Geneva. He served as General Secretary of the Center for Ecumenical, Missionary, and Environmental Studies (CEMES). Since September 2023, he has been in charge of Communication and Public Relations at the Foundation of Thracian Art and Tradition, founded by the late Virginia Tsouderou (1924-2018). For his contribution to the preservation of historical memory, he was awarded the “Meritorious for the Treblinka Museum” medal by the Treblinka Museum in Poland. His photographs have been presented in solo exhibitions: “Oikoumene in Dialogue: Places and Peoples” and “Spaces of Memory, Places of Martyrdom”. His illustrations have been used by the Conference of European Churches and the Delphi Network. He is also a member of the Secretariat of the committee formed by the Municipality of Xanthi to petition the Hellenic Ministry of Interior for the recognition of Ano Karyofyto as a martyred community.
MARIA PETRA
Maria Petra is an industrial archaeologist and museologist. She studied History-Archaeology (specializing in archaeology) at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and completed postgraduate studies at the Department of Cultural Technology and Communication at the University of the Aegean, with a thesis titled: “A Tobacco Warehouse in Xanthi and the Memories of the Degtzides.” She specializes in the study, documentation, preservation, and adaptive reuse of industrial and productive heritage. She is a member of the Greek and international sections of TICCIH, the Actions for History, Memory and Culture program, and a collaborator of IKKIK and the NPO VIDA. Founder and president of PASTALI NPO, she manages the listed pre-industrial site PASTALI in Xanthi. She creates documentaries (Memories of the Degtzides) and organizes cultural, educational, and scientific activities. PASTALI is evolving into a Research, Education, and Hospitality Station for issues related to industrial heritage and memory. In 2024, PASTALI NPO organized FAEROP, the first nationwide festival for productive and industrial heritage, under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and TICCIH Greece. PASTALI NPO undertakes comprehensive studies on the management of industrial heritage.
THEODOROS SARAFIDIS
Theodoros Sarafidis holds a PhD in Psychology from Panteion University, specializing in Web Sociology, and a postgraduate degree in Organizational and Economic Psychology. He has participated as a researcher in sociological and socio-psychological studies. For nearly two decades, he has taught in secondary education, applying participatory and horizontal methods in the management and organization of learning groups. His teaching focuses on creating inclusive, democratic, and sustainable connections between students and their environment. Moving between cybernetics, the social sciences, and critical pedagogy, he has been involved in school programs on the Holocaust, racism, and environmental education. Since 2024, he has been conducting postdoctoral research in the Department of Social Anthropology at Panteion University. His research explores the development of "artificial intelligence" systems based on "warm data", designed to be democratically governed and to move beyond the panoptic control of "Big Data". This inquiry draws inspiration from the memory of Cybersyn, a pioneering project in 1970s Chile that aimed to enable real-time, networked communication between citizens and the government. As a citizen of the 21st century—crossing the threshold from the "century of extremes" into a post-human world—he approaches memory as a continuous field of struggle, where the calendar, not the clock, becomes the true measure of progress.
Stefanos Kosmidis
Stefanos Kosmidis studied Marketing, Commerce, and Advertising at the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki. He works professionally with a focus on creative development and communication. He specializes in strategic planning and the development of ideas for promotional and marketing campaigns, while also overseeing the design and implementation of targeted communication actions. He has been actively involved in cultural initiatives and educational programs and contributes consistently to the organizational structure of the Actions for History, Memory, and Culture program. He has participated in the program’s missions both in Greece and abroad, where he was also responsible for the photographic documentation of various activities. Within the program, he serves as Development and Communication Advisor.
Yiannis Fanidis
Giannis Fanidis is a second-generation photographer based in Xanthi. He works in the field of audiovisual creation and digital production, with experience spanning photography, videography, editing, and the artistic direction of complex projects. In parallel, he has taught photography in private education settings. His production team has undertaken projects for institutions and organizations such as the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), the Hellenic Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage, TEDx of the Democritus University of Thrace, and the Thracian Art and Tradition Foundation. With consistency and sensitivity, he captures significant events, activities, and narratives related to culture, the human–nature relationship, and intercultural coexistence.
FILIPPOS TSEMPERIS
Filippos Tsemperis is a professional photographer (B.A.) based in Thessaloniki and holds a degree in Psychology (B.Sc.). He has also completed specialized training at the Stereosis School of Photography. His studies in psychology have profoundly influenced his approach to artistic photography, enriching his understanding of human emotion and perception. Beyond artistic photography, he has expanded his professional activity into advertising photography and video production. His work has been presented in exhibitions in Greece and abroad, including at the Tate Modern Museum in London. He is the creator and host of the Photofrequency Podcast, dedicated to photography and the arts, exploring the intersection between image-making, creativity, and contemporary culture.
Initiative dedicated to the study and public engagement with historical memory, with a focus on places, communities and intercultural dialogue.
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Recent Posts
- 83 Years since the Lingiades Massacre by Nazi Occupation Forces
- Ravensbrück – Chortiatis – Ano Karyofyto: Three Communities of Memory in Dialogue
- Sacred Sites, Memory and Collective Identities: The Second Session of the 2nd International Conference of the International Observatory on Religious Fundamentalism