He is originally from Greece, he adores Mikis Theodorakis, Vangelis Papathanassiou and Iannis Xenakis. He listens to Epirus music and “travels” with its sounds, while listening to a butcher, Zeybek or Kalamatian, his soul “leads” his feet to the dance. This is Pablo Vourliotis who was born in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay to a father with Greek roots and a Paraguayan mother. Ever since he was six years old he was introduced to the wonderful world of music, which he serves faithfully, today as he is conductor of the Mburukuja Philharmonic Orchestra. At the same time, he is the president of the Greek community in this distant country of Latin America and is doing everything possible to keep alive the “flame” of Hellenism.
«I was born in Ciudad del Este, the capital of Alto Paraná Province, on September 1, 1989. My grandparents came to Paraguay in the 1950s. They were originally from Al Mansurah, Egypt, but came here from Izmir and Cyprus. . My father was born in 1958 in Paraguay“, Says speaking to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency, Mr. Vourliotis, explaining how his family threw an” anchor “in this distant place.
As his grandfather, who fought in World War II, explains, it was Uruguay, but he eventually chose Paraguay as there he found better job opportunities.
Pablo Vourliotis learned to love Greece, its language and culture, but also its unique, as he says, cuisine since he was a child. When he first sat down at the piano, he made sure that his “journey” in music would have references to his Greek roots as well.
«At home we learned some basic Greek expressions as my mother is Paraguayan and did not know the language. But we grew up listening to my father and my uncles speak to each other in Greek and so we learned the language too“, He underlines, explaining that until today his family follows customs and traditions, while Greek cuisine remains his favorite.
“Greek music is an inexhaustible source of historical and cultural wealth”
His first contact with music was with the piano, but he quickly realized that the clarinet was his favorite instrument – and not by chance… “I started learning the piano when I was 6 years old, then I met the clarinet and realized that it was my favorite instrument as I knew that it is a very important instrument for Greek music as well “, he says to APE-MPE. He then went on to study music, most notably the Contemporary Music Department at the Catholic University of Chile, under the guidance of conductor Zsolt Nagy, director of the Paris Conservatory.
Greek music was always present in his life, as it was an integral part of family gatherings.. There he was introduced to the continental sounds, the butcher, the Kalamatian and the Zeybek dance, while later he discovered the great Greek composers, but also the contemporary Greek music, from which he distinguishes Antonis Remos, Anna Vissi and Elena Paparizou.
What always impresses him, as he says, is the great love of Paraguayan musicians for Greece and vice versa. “Great Paraguayan musicians, such as Luis Alberto del Paraná and Alberto de Luque have traveled to Greece many times, while George Dalaras has also recorded Paraguayan music.”
“For me Greece means life and hope”
He “carries” Greece in his heart but has not yet been able to make the big trip, since his plans for 2020 were interrupted by the violent appearance of the coronavirus, which turned life around the world. “My dream is to be able to conduct an orchestra and / or a band in Greece. “Greece means life and hope for me”, he says characteristically.
“I am proud of the fact that I come from a nation full of strength, intelligence and beauty in every way”, he underlines on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Greek revolution notes that the phrase “Freedom or Death” echoes the feeling of Greeks and their descendants in Paraguay, despite the fact that they are thousands of kilometers away from Greece.
He is proud that both he and the rest of the Greeks in the country are celebrating this very important anniversary and, in fact, as he mentions, he is organizing a gala concert with his orchestra for those who are interested to watch it live, while its online broadcast is planned in order to to be accessible to Greeks in Greece and wherever land. In fact, for this purpose he collaborates closely with the active president of the cultural association “Nostos” from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Christina Tsardikou, for whose work in terms of the dissemination of the Greek language and culture is expressed with great warm words.
A new community with few members but a lot of passion
It was only in 2015 when the Hellenic Community of Paraguay was founded, an association of Greeks and their descendants in this Latin American country, whose president is Mr. Vourliotis. “Since that year we have been developing various activities, such as language and dance classes and mainly meetings, in order to meet those we are already in contact with or to reunite some of its members, as in the case of my father’s generation,” he says.
The registered Greeks are only 30, as he says, but there are about 500 descendants for that and his goal as president of the Community is, as he emphasizes, “so that all of them can become part of the Greek cultural wealth and our children can learn the Greek language from an early age “.
In closing, he refers to the common characteristics between Greeks and Paraguayans, emphasizing: “If I had to choose, I would say that it is the solidarity and happiness of the people (even in the midst of adversity”.
Photo source: Athenian News Agency
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