by Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Born into a family of artists, Greek singer and actor Giorgos Kampanellis has been performing for over 35 years now. He makes a living from his art, which is his passion.
Since March of 2020, Greece's cultural and creative sectors have been shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kampanellis is now locked in survival mode just like most of his fellow artists, he told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Greece has been in its second nationwide lockdown since Nov. 7. A few days ago, the measures were extended once again through Jan. 7. On Dec. 14, retail trade restarted under very strict conditions, but the entertainment sector may not reopen until May, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said.
Kampanellis has not been off stage for such a long period even during the difficult years following the 2009 financial crisis.
"There was never a worse year than this in all these years I am in the arts sector, mainly as a singer but also as an actor," he told Xinhua.
He worked for a few days in June and July after the first lockdown ended and the country started its return to normality, but then the second wave of the pandemic hit in August. Since then, he has been struggling to stay afloat on a monthly benefit of 534 euros (647 U.S dollars) given by the Greek government to workers left jobless by the pandemic. The aid is most welcome, but hardly enough.
"This is nothing. You cannot survive, you cannot make ends meet with 534 euros per month, when your rent is 350 euros and you also have to cover living costs, social security, electricity and water supply bills, taxes," Kampanellis said.
"The worst part is the psychological effects. Art is about connecting with people. Our world is giving and taking power from the people. Our psychic status has dropped to zero," he added.
No wonder Kampanellis and his peers find it difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Artists are traditionally more vulnerable during crises than other people.
The safety net provided by the state to self-employed or seasonal workers is never a guarantee for survival, and the affected artists fear that many of them may not recover from this adversity and will be forced to seek other paths to make a living in the years to come.
"The entire sector of artists is alarmed, as well as the businessmen who own restaurants, entertainment venues, night clubs, bars and cafes. We are wondering how many of these businesses will be able to reopen after this catastrophe," Kampanellis said.
Last Tuesday, union activists representing artists in Greece gathered outside the Culture Ministry again demanding urgent aid for the sector. For now, only 16,000 of Greece's estimated 40,000 artists are eligible for unemployment benefit payments, they claimed.
"What will happen to the rest?" asked Spyros Bibilas, president of the Hellenic Actors' Union. "Our colleagues are in a critical situation. The Solidarity Fund of the Hellenic Actors' Union does its best to provide aid to people who are indeed in great need now. At the same time, we keep asking the officials to take action."
On Monday, the National Public Health Organization (EODY) announced 639 new cases within 24 hours, bringing the total confirmed infections at 125,173 since Feb. 26, when the first case was registered in Greece. Another 62 COVID-19 patients died, bringing the total of fatalities to 3,687. Enditem
