The 49th edition of the Odigits festival was organized by the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) and saw the participation of over 100,000 people. The three-day festival was held at the Antonis Tritsis Park in Athens from September 21-23 and concluded with a massive rally which the secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Dimitris Koutsoumbas addressed. Several international delegates participated in the festival, including the president of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), Aritz Rodriguez Galán, and representatives from Cuba and Palestine. Delegates from leftist youth organizations from other parts of Europe and elsewhere also participated and put up stalls in the international pavilion.
The festival hosted concerts and performances by over 300 artists on five stages over the three days. Important discussions were held on issues including solidarity against persecution, women’s rights, technology and the state, cinema of the 21st century, and the KKE’s initiative for the upcoming local and regional elections in Greece. Special events were organized to mark the 10th anniversary of the martyrdom of Greek rapper Pavlos Fyssas and the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. A solidarity stall was run by volunteers from the KNE to collect contributions for the victims of floods and wildfires that have ravaged Greece.
The Odigits festival is named after the communist publication of the KNE. Its first edition was held in September 1975 at the Zografou Stadium in eastern Athens. The Odigits magazine, which was launched in 1968, borrows its name from a poem by Greek poet Kostas Varnalis.
This year’s festival comes at a time when the Greek working class has registered significant successes but is also facing some enormous challenges. The KKE has been able to increase its parliamentary strength in the elections and popularity across the country by highlighting the anti-worker policies of the incumbent New Democracy (ND) government.
Meanwhile, the conservative government has continued to introduce pro-business legislation, as dictated by the European Union (EU), and is stepping up its involvement in NATO-led imperialist initiatives in Europe. The government led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also faced heavy criticism for its failure to protect lives and livelihoods from man-made disasters caused by austerity, like the Tempi train collision, as well as disasters like flash floods and wildfires caused by climate change.
The far-right is also making a comeback in Greek politics after a brief interval following the banning of the Golden Dawn party in 2020, which could be seen in the results of the parliamentary election. Regional and local elections are scheduled to take place in Greece on October 8, for which the KKE has launched its electoral campaign and candidate list, ‘Popular Rally’.
While addressing the political rally at the Odigts Fest on September 23, Koutsoumbas said, “all the great struggles of recent times, as well as the electoral support of the KKE, send the message that there are more and more people today looking for a way out of the problems on the road of organized struggle, on the road of questioning all anti-people governments and the existence of easy solutions ‘’from above’. The road we must walk is that of the people who save the people, with the KKE in front, of socialism.”
