Those with the means must do more for society
The director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Andreas Dracopoulos, talks to Kathimerini about its work and the challenges that lie ahead
Andreas Dracopoulos is the president of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), a man known for his resolve, his unorthodox ideas – often with an anti-systemic ring – and his incredible energy. The nephew of Stavros Niarchos, he took over the helm at the foundation that was founded following the death of the shipowner and benefactor in 1996 and has been incredibly successful in managing the trust and its activities ever since. The SNF had made worldwide donations worth 3 billion dollars since 1996, more than half of which have gone toward initiatives and activities in Greece.
Dracopoulos avoids interviews and likes to keep a low profile when going about his business in public in Athens. Summer evenings often find him at the
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) or its adjoining park on Athens’ southern coast, where he enjoys attending many of its myriad events in order to keep a finger on the public pulse.
In this interview with Kathimerini, he talks about the foundation’s evolution, the challenges of carrying out certain major projects and the future. He also points to ways that Greece could change for the better and the improvement of its image from its handling of the coronavirus crisis. Lastly, he stresses the need for people with the means to do more to help society.
believes in public-private partnerships as the way forward for Greece, pointing to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center as an incredibly successful example of this. ‘No one can rest on their laurels and no one should expect to be on the receiving end only,’ he says.
There is no doubt anymore – for me at least – that people were gripped by fear, a fear of death. The worst thing was that we knew nothing about the virus, and this had far-reaching consequences. But I think that the problems we’re facing are not about the coronavirus; the virus was simply the catalyst that brought existing problems to the surface. It exposed us on a global scale. It exposed the weaknesses of the system, all the inequalities and, above all else – and I think this is something that will linger – it destroyed our sense of trust, in everything and everyone, even institutions such as, for example, the World Health Organization.
This is partly the fault of such organizations that say one thing one moment and another the next, of the political expediency attached to almost every issue and on the polarization seen on almost every issue – within the first few seconds of any conversation you are labeled as being on one side or another. We have lost the desire for a healthy platform where everyone can talk, analyze and accept – as doctors themselves have already accepted, even if some don’t want to admit it – that there’s a lot we don’t know. There’s so much about this virus that we don’t know. New evidence and studies keep coming out and it’s awful that people will accept or reject these finding depending on who is publishing them, when we should be learning from, listening to and looking at every side. Do genetics play a role? Does it only affect people with a certain blood type? The lesson for me was that we’re in for an even bigger bashing unless we change our ways. It is an opportunity to change, as societies too, to rebuild our institutions, and to push aside polarization. This was there before but it has grown into a cancer. At this rate, we’ll soon only be able to have a conversation with people who agree with us.
After a couple of glasses of wine, yes, this is something we could agree on, in the philosophical sense. But let’s not exaggerate. It is a wake-up call, a reminder that we need to adapt as a society and rebuild a way of life. But I’m afraid that this will be quickly forgotten, as it was with the attack on the twin towers on September 11, 2001. I was in New York at the time and I remember how for months afterwards there was so much talk about how the downtown area would never be same again and how life would change. And things did change in terms of security and in how we lived in such an environment, but this was soon forgotten.
I think the good-case scenario now is that [the coronavirus crisis] acts as a wake-up call to focus on the health sector. It is time for a discussion about the role of the public sector and the role of the private sector. And I staunchly believe – and say so all the time – that we need cooperation between the two sides. Neither governments, nor states, nor the private sector are capable of dealing with major problems on their own anymore.
‘Neither governments, nor states, nor the private sector are capable of dealing with major problems on their own anymore’
Objectively, I would say yes. Greece responded quickly, the citizens followed the guidelines of the doctors and I think this improved the country’s image. On the other hand, we must remember that this is a time when things are forgotten fast. Everything we have accomplished can be lost if, for example, something bad happens on one of the islands this summer. If we’re not careful and we don’t abide by some of the basic rules and we start having outbreaks on the islands as well, the situation will be reversed. It’s not as if we have created something we can look upon in years to come. It’s a constant effort. So, the answer is: “yes, but.” And the “but” means that we need to keep acting seriously and responsibly towards ourselves and others.