ATHENS – Six women, successful in their respective fields, presented the Greek version of Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming, on December 17 at the Athens Concert Hall.
Mareva Grabowski Mitsotakis, co-founder and Managing Partner of clothing line Zeus+Dione; Olga Kefalogianni – MP and Minister; Peggy Antonakou Managing Director of Microsoft Hellas; Katerina Gagaki Communications Officer; Fofi Tsemelli, DJ – journalist, founder of “HER Project;” and Katerina Panagopoulou, STAR Channel journalist and Athens Voice, who also coordinated the event, talked about the book that has become a bestseller since the very first days of its release.
The journalist, Katerina Panagopoulou, referring to Michelle Obama said, “The history of this woman shows that with constant effort, patience, perseverance, devotion, and above all education, one can go forward. Even if she was born in a cramped apartment on Chicago’s South Side, like Michelle Obama.”
Panagopoulou also referred to her own journey, the opportunities and the obstacles that she faced as a woman. “Everyone has a separate history, with victories, defeats, let’s keep it because it is what we have,” the journalist noted, pointing out Michelle Obama’s phrase: “By sharing my History, I hope to help create space for other voices. So many of us, we go through life, with our Stories hidden, feeling shame or fear when our Truth does not entirely fit into an established ideal.”
Mrs. Mitsotakis referred to Michelle Obama’s three basic principles, which she also shares, urging that “this book be read by all, by women and men, because it is an important book. Because women who have a dream for themselves and their family can identify with the book. ”
“I identify in many ways with the principles Michelle Obama presents in her book. She had principles, she had a proper family. It’s very important what your parents, your family, passes down to you. A word that can define this woman is the word humility. Michelle Obama is a normal person, who chose how to build her course, what essence she will give out to the world. Looking at my own experience, I saw what my mother taught me: to be humble, not to be conceited. The second thing I consider important, which I took from my parents, but especially from my grandfather, is the hard work. Because nothing is done without hard work. And I say this to my children every day. Things may be different, conditions are different for everyone, but hard work is a requirement. A prerequisite to set a goal, to work, to look at the target and not to look at anything that bothers you. Because there will surely be things that will bother you. As Michelle Obama says, there are things that annoy you, from your own people, and from other people like bullying, but she showed herself focused on her goal.
“So too – my mother taught me – I am committed to my goal. And most important is education. Because education is something that no one can take from you! Riches can be lost overnight. Power, too. One day they flatter you and the other they do not know you. This is the truth, whether we like it or not. But no one can take away your education. It is yours and you have it from beginning to end. The third I would like to say is about how Michelle Obama raised her children. The most important thing is my children, I cannot live without them,” said Mrs. Mitsotakis.
Closing the event, MP and former Minister Olga Kefalogianni said she identified with Michel Obama in describing her father’s loss while she urged everyone “to study, get to know and understand a fascinating woman like Michelle Obama,” noting that “many pieces of her life touch all women. Although it is a long way from the U.S., many of the problems are common. That’s why Michelle Obama is a positive example for all women regardless of color and ethnicity. An example of loyalty, insistence on morality, contributing to society. As Michelle confronted the difficulties and came out victorious, all of us, each in our own field, ought to confront our prejudices, fears, and self-imposed limitations in order to increase our self-esteem and fight the small and big fights that we have before us.”
Finally, Kefalogianni concluded her speech with a sentence from the former First Lady of the United States, “To finally win our lives, we do not have the luxury of sitting with our arms crossed and waiting for the change to come.”
The book is published in Greece by Athens Bookstore Publications and is available in all bookstores.
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Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Pete Souza
