June 22, 2023
FEATURED, Greece, Politics
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Former US President Barack Obama and his family visited the Acropolis Museum and had an guided-tour in the Acropolis.
Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha were given a private, nighttime tour of the Acropolis and its museum on Wednesday evening.
Dressed casual and armed with a camera Obama and his family were guided to the remains of the glamurous Ancient Greece.
The guided tour of the Acropolis Museum was conducted by its general director, Nikolaos Stampolidis, who told state-run news agency amna that Obama showed a keen and informed interest in the ideals and philosophy behind the ancient citadel.
He also reportedly made a remark on the absence of the sixth Karyatids, which supported the south porch of the Erechtheion and is currently in the British Museum.
“Why don’t you ask her back?” Obama reportedly asked.
“I responded that we want the Parthenon Sculptures back, not to denude the world’s museums of their collections,” noted Stampolidis.
“We only focus on the Parthenon Sculptures,” Mr. Stampolidis replied.
“He said he knows about the Greek request for reunification of the marbles, because I guess D. Pandermalis would have told him during his visit in 2016. I told him about the late D. Pandermalis, that he is no longer with us and that he was a wise teacher and the man who took the initiative to build the Museum,” the Museum director said.
Something that Obama was informed about.
After a few relaxed days on the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea the Obamas arrived in Athens where the former president is to participate at the “SNF Nostos Conference” at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
During a discussion at SNF early Thursday afternoon, Obama said about the shipwreck tragedy south of Greece last week:
Here’s full comment from Barack Obama on migrant boat disaster in Greece. #Greece #Obama pic.twitter.com/VMEKLivszL
— Derek Gatopoulos (@dgatopoulos) June 22, 2023