Fifth Issue

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offered a platform of heroic and historic shadow plays, starting from ‘Alexander the Great and the accursed snake’. “Karagiozis has no paternity. It was a creation of people of Ottoman Empire and each people transforms, according to the tradition and to its customs, the characters of each national shadow theatre. Art belongs to the people and is not feta-cheese or baclava in order to have an origin-brand name. Turks have Karagioz and Greeks have Karagiozis’’ said an active puppeteer of Shadow Theatre recently in Athens. Through the improvisation of the Karagiozis puppeteers, the criticism of events was touching the spectators, speaking the same language with them, in a role of the contemporary Mass Media, as far as the communication with the average man is concerned. With the Karagiozis puppeteers on the back side and the spectators on the front of a translucent canvas –‘transmitter’ and ‘receiver’ of every day little social messages – the Shadow Theatre assimilated all the political-social vibrations through the improvisation, the same exactly work of contemporary Mass Media. Κaragiozis influenced many spiritual people in Greece to create a new-hellenic ‘commedia del’arte’ in the theatre, ‘strong’ but ‘fresh’ literary works in novels or poetry, exceptional paintings, unique choreographies, classic or pop musical themes. Furthermore, there is a legend - connecting China to Greece - that a Greek merchant, originated from the island of Hydra, George Mavrommatis, arrived in Turkey from China with many figures of the Chinese Shadow Theatre. He settled in Constantinople (today Istanbul) and gave his name, in turkish, to the shadow figures. ( Mavrommatis means ‘black eyes’ in greek, that is, ‘kara goz’ in turkish). China’s Shadow Theatre, originated in the Han Dynasty ( 206 BC-AD 220) and introduced in Europe( les ‘Ombres Chinoises’ ) by the French 5
people, is known for the style and the technique, besides the delicate and very aesthetic quality of figures. It combines various arts like painting, engraving, music, mimicry, all tied in a new expression. China, from the whole Asia area, was turned early to performances of the every day life and not inspired from religious or worship subjects, exactly the same happening in Greece. Premier Wen Jiabao encouraged this Chinese cultural heritage to further develop its ‘unique skills’, with the shadow theatre to take the top slot (2007) in the awards of Chinese Ministry of Culture. * * * * ‘... My dear friend Karagiozis, we both spent many hours together when I was a child. I still have in my ears the voice of the public crier (‘akousate, akousate!...’ / ‘hear ye, Karagiozis is here!...’) to announce his arrival to my hometown. It was a festivity for all children. We were the generation of Karagiozis and not the TV or Video generation. For every child could understand Karagiozis’ philosophy. And, Karagiozis was giving everything to everyone who could understand him. This little marionette and fictional character of Greek traditional folklore still remains the ‘eternal image of a Greek’. Isn’t it the same today? Even today the Greek isn’t undergoing much suffering? Karagiozis is an inextricable part of our culture. That’s why my little son has a whole collection from the Greek Shadow Theatre decorating his room and he spends hours playing with. It’s the same magic of diachronic Karagiozis’ world. My little shadow figures on canvas, Karagiozis, Hatziavatis, Barba-Yorgos, Sior Dionysios, Morfonios, Stavrakas, Velligegas, all my favorite heroes of my childhood, p l e a s e, come tonight to my dreams, transfer me back to that age, fill me up with Karagiozis’s good spirit and his inexhaustible optimism, make me feel again like a child !’ Christos G. Failadis Press & Communication Counsellor The above preface about Karagiozis is heavely based on the scientific works of my close friend Dr. Karerina Mystakidou, Professor in the Department of Mass Media at the University of Thessaloniki, to whom I am thankful for her assistance. Karagiozis, Hatziavatis, Barba-Yorgos, painted by 6-years old George-Angelos Failadis 6
Page 2 and 3: Ο Κ α ρ α γ κ ι ό ζ η ς
Page 4 and 5: Name : K a r a g i o z i s - Nation
Page 8 and 9: Between Shadow and Light Between sh
Page 10 and 11: elated to the worship of flat figur
Page 12 and 13: In the 11 th century, due to decree
Page 14 and 15: from the beginning of the 16 th cen
Page 16 and 17: of Islamic society, clearly tended
Page 18 and 19: From Karagoz to Karagiozis - From t
Page 20 and 21: Past and present, individual and gr
Page 22 and 23: dramatic tradition with a cast of c
Page 24 and 25: The play begins with the assertion
Page 26 and 27: The characters of the Greek Shadow
Page 28 and 29: His tricks and jokes concerning his
Page 30 and 31: “Elli needs killing with a double
Page 32 and 33: The Karagiozis players “Do you kn
Page 34 and 35: Having the intention to highlight K
Page 36 and 37: to the audience of traditional thea
Page 38 and 39: After World War II, a major change
Page 40 and 41: The Shadow Theatre in China The Sha
Page 42 and 43: unique position in the conception a
Page 44 and 45: Hangzhou and Shanxi province, where
Page 46 and 47: References Loring M. Danforth, “T

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