Your Excellency, Your Eminence,esteemed guests, my name is Kyriaki Mitsou. I am honoured to stand before you today as both the Representative of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture in the United Kingdom and as the emissary of Mayor Spiros Diamantopoulos and the cherished citizens of the Sacred Town of Messolonghi.
Before I embark on the solemn duty of conveying Mayor Diamantopulos's message to you, I must also speak for myself, as a daughter of Messolonghi. There, beneath the branches of an ancient olive tree, I vividly recall being captivated by the tales told by my great-grandparents about our ancestors who fought for the freedom of Messolonghi - tales of fortitude in the face of adversity, of human dignity in the darkest of nights, and of an indomitable spirit that held fast to the flames of freedom and faith.
Today, as I stand in this glorious hall, I am humbled by the opportunity to pay homage to Lord Byron, a towering figure whose name is etched into the very heart of Messolonghi itself. His words amplified our cries of injustice, his presence ignited the flames of Hellenic pride, and from his death sprung the rebirth of the Greek nation.
Let us now hear the words of Mayor Diamantopulos as we embark on this sacred journey of remembrance and reflection:
Your Excellency, Right Honourable Ministers, Your Eminence, Lord Byron, Master of Trinity College, vice-Chancellor, esteemed delegates,
As you gather at Trinity College, Cambridge to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the passing of your eminent alumnus Lord Byron, so we too in the Sacred Town of Messolonghi honour the man who stood steadfastly by our side during our darkest hours.
Today, we pay our respects to his memory by laying a wreath at his statue in the Garden of Heroes in Messolonghi, while similar wreaths adorn his likeness in the Wren Library. And as the United Kingdom is honoured in Messolonghi through the presence of your Ambassador, the Ambassador of Greece stands with you in Cambridge.
In this moment, the constraints of our physical separation vanish, and our unity transcends distance and time. It is a unity forged in the pursuit of the noble cause that Lord Byron championed - the cause of freedom, and the relentless fight against all forms of oppression. It is a cause that embodies the very essence of Hellenism, which he served with unwavering devotion.
Today, we stand together to honour a national hero of Greece for his invaluable contribution to our freedom.
With the warmest regards,
The Mayor of the Sacred Town of Messolonghi, Spyros Diamantopoulos
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