Highlights of the main events of the 50th KNE- "Odigitis" Festival - The speeches of the G.S. of the CC of the KKE and the Secretary of the CC of KNE

Tens of thousands of people took part in the events of the 50^th Festival of the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) and its journal “Odigitis”, which once again took place all over Greece. The events culminated in Athens, in the “Tritsis” park, located in the working-class western districts of the Greek capital, with the slogan: “We are making history, we are changing the world.Our future is socialism”.
For 4 days, from 18 to 21 September, 400 artists presented an amazing cultural spectacle on 4 main stages.

Many discussions took place during the festival, such as the one on the way out of the capitalist system of exploitation, crises and wars, highlighting the political proposal of the KKE, i.e. socialism–communism.

43 delegations of communist and anti-imperialist youth organizations were hosted in the “International City”, where the thousands of visitors had the opportunity to meet and speak with them and three discussions were held. The first discussion was centred on the struggle against the imperialist war and Greece’s involvement in it, the second one on solidarity with the people of Palestine, where representatives of Palestinian organizations took the floor, and the third one on solidarity with Cuba, where, apart from the KKE, the Cuban ambassador, Aramis Fuente Hernández, and Suniel Sosa Cordero, representative of the Union of Young Communists of Cuba (UJC) took part.

On other stages of the festival, there were also discussions about the labour and trade union struggle in different countries, about women’s inequality through education and gender theories, about the timely character of the revolution, about artificial intelligence in art, about sport, etc., in which thousands of young visitors of the festival took part.

Thousands were the young communists who set up the festival, who worked voluntarily to provide food, cleaning and security for the festival, as has been the case for the past 50 years.

The mass political rally at the 50th Festival of KNE–Odigitis began with a short video dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Festival, followed by the greeting of the Secretary of the CC of KNE,Thodoris Kotsandis:

Dear friends,
Dear comrades,
Today, the Antonis Tritsis Park is filled with joy, excitement and pride! Today, we celebrate the 50 th
anniversary of the Festival of KNE-‘Odigitis’!
Since the distant September of 1975, the seed of the Festival sprouted, blossomed and withstood the storm of the counter-revolution. It resisted the siren voices of submission. It grew stronger and became a tree that “keeps sprouting leaves and branches”, embracing the whole city of Athens, and the whole of Greece.

Every year, the month of September is associated with the Festival of KNE.
Our Festival has proved to be resilient, uncompromising and ground-breaking, because it is imbued with the vanguard ideas and ideals of the KKE, with the struggles and dreams of the youth for a different life, with the vision of a world without the exploitation of man by man.

Our Festival is making history, because the ‘children of KNE – just like our poet Y. Ritsos wrote – come from far away, they are heading far away […]; they have taken the great vow to Freedom, Love, Beauty and Justice to bring unforgettable and peaceful days with their tractors, statues, flags, poems, to bring the dawn of a joyful world’. Every year at the Festival, we renew this vow to change the world.
Our future is socialism! On behalf of the Central Council of KNE, we would like to warmly welcome all generations of KNE members among us. Each and every one of them has contributed to making our Festival the greatest political and cultural tradition in the country!
Today, in the warm embrace of the Festival, they become members of KNE once again, with the sparks of youthful rebelliousness in their eyes, determined to follow the path of overthrowing capitalism alongside the KKE, because this is where the heart of the struggle for a better life beats.
They are now joined by the members and friends of KNE who have contributed to the success of the 50th Festival. Amongst them are hundreds of young comrades who took the wonderful decision to fight in an organised way through the ranks of KNE, responding t1 Lyrics from the 1976 song ‘The Tree’ by F. Ladis and M. Loizos dedicated to the Attica Party Organisation of the KKE.o the recruitment rally proclaimed by the Central Council during the 49 th Congress of KNE.

Dear friends and comrades,
It is with great pleasure that we welcome to the Festival the delegations of 44 Communist and Anti-imperialist Youth Organisations from all over the world, which have gathered in the International City this year under the slogan ‘Proletarians of all countries, unite’, the largest participation of foreign delegations in recent years.

Young communists from Ukraine and Russia, from Palestine and Israel, from every corner of the world are fighting together against imperialist wars and capitalist barbarism. The struggle and the solidarity of the peoples knows no borders! Here, from Greece, we raise the Palestinian flag, we shout ‘Freedom for Palestine’. We are fighting to stop the barbaric occupation and genocide carried out by the terrorist state of Israel with the allies of the USA, NATO, the EU, with the support of the Greek government and other bourgeois parties.

Our Festival is also honoured by the presence of trade union leaders such as the leadership of the World Federation of Trade Unions, Suzan Tayseer Salam, President of the Palestinian Trade Union Federation in Jerusalem, and Chris Smalls, founder of the Amazon Labor Union.
We draw strength from the struggles of the working class around the world! From the glorious mobilisations of workers, school and university students, and farmers in our country, which have smashed the anti-popular policies and proved that the organised people are the only real opponent to the all-out attack on our rights by the capital, the EU, the government and other parties.
The titanic struggle of the workers of the LARCO ferronickel factory has a special place for us; it’s a life lesson for young people, a source of inspiration for our festival. As a small token, the CC of KNE would like to announce that part of the proceeds of the Festival will be used to financially support the dismissed workers of LARCO. So that they can continue their just struggle. So that together we can see the day when the working class will set fire to the factory chimney and run all the industries for its own benefit.

Dear friends and comrades,
The Festival has been rightly described as a glimpse, as a microcosm of the bright future of humanity, of the socialist society we will construct. But the festival itself is more than that. It’s a pure reflection of KNE itself.
It’s not the Festival “of” KNE… In reality, it is KNE itself that passes on to its Festival all the elements of its action and its way of functioning. It adorns it with the values and ideals that have been nurtured within it and handed down to countless generations of young communists.
The foundations of the Festival are the foundations of our Organisation. That’s why they are so strong and have stood the test of time. KNE and its Festival have been built on comradeship, solidarity, voluntary work and compassion for others. They have been forged by discipline and organisation, collective and planned work that overcomes every obstacle. They have been forged by the belief in the just cause of the working class and the people. This is not only how the festival is built, but also how each member and cadre of KNE works in their area of responsibility.
This allows each member of KNE to be a vanguard militant, to stand out and be recognised as such by the youth, to organise and be at the forefront of their struggles, to fight with their heads held high against addiction and against all drugs, to love knowledge and progressive art, to be the promoters of communist ideas, who fight for better days for the people and the youth, but at the same time do not stop to imagine the society of tomorrow, which will be free from the exploitation and injustice of the rotten capitalist world, do not stop fighting for the revolutionary change of the world, socialism-communism.

Our Festival is growing and getting younger. Even as the years go by, its vitality, strength, and revolutionary drive remain intact and grow from year to year, shaping the Festival as we know it.
Our Festival is celebrating its 50 th anniversary! And it’s customary at celebrations to make a wish. But what would be the most ideal wish for the Festival of KNE? What would be in keeping with the path it has taken and the future that lies ahead? What wish would be in line with the messages it sends out and the ideas it represents?

The best wish for the Festival of KNE is that it continues to lead the way, supporting struggles and culture and giving hope to the younger generations.
To grow and always have the same freshness, the same enthusiasm, and the same youthful passion.

For us to organise Festivals and be sure that the time will come when our Festival won’t be a microcosm of a future joyful society, but a small red state within the socialist society we will then build.

A wish, an expectation, a longing, a desire.

The greatest promise comes from our daily struggle against the exploiters. The most utterly amazing
Festivals await us in socialism.

After the speech of Dimitris Koutsoumbas, the “Internationale” was played.

1st day

2nd Day

3rd Day

4th Day