SHELTERS: The Case of Ms. S.

Mrs. Styliani, an 85-year-old woman from the village of Katafygi, recounts her life story from her apartment in the city, where she relocated nearly seventy years ago. She recalls the songs of her homeland, the people of her village, the stories passed down by her parents and grandmothers, as well as their food traditions and customs. This is a final, vivid recollection of her youth as she experienced it in the small village of the Pieria Mountains, a place rich in history and cultural heritage.

Combining music and puppet theatre, the performance explores the role and responsibility of human beings as carriers of culture, emphasizing the importance of remaining culturally active through any form of migration or displacement—whether voluntary or forced, within or beyond the borders of one’s homeland.

The work highlights the cultural richness that emerges from the interaction and blending of different traditions, as exemplified by the history of Katafygi, this small village in the Kozani region. Through Mrs. Styliani’s story, the performance reflects on memory, identity, and the enduring human capacity to preserve and transmit cultural heritage across generations and places.