Media report: Greek-American brothers launch platform dedicated to Eastern Mediterranean

Inspired by their family’s Greek roots and their love for the region, two Greek-American brothers are looking to explore the modern legacy of what connects the Eastern Mediterranean with their new storytelling platform, called Levendeia.

“The Eastern Mediterranean is fascinating,” says Mark Mathews, a Columbia University Middle Eastern Studies Major and co-founder of the site with his brother Sean. “It faces a host of challenges, but it is also ripe with energy and creativity.”

“The idea behind Levendeia,” he explains, “is to look for the things that unite countries in the region, their distinct Mediterranean essence and bring that to life through storytelling.”

The brothers say the name of the platform, Levendeia, is intended to showcase the interconnectedness of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Originally an Italian word, “levantino or levanti,” was used by Venetian sailors to describe people, and particularly sailors, of the East during early Ottoman times. The word eventually took on a negative connotation in Italian to describe brigands and raiders of the sea.

But in the East, an entirely new meaning arose. In Greece, Turkey, and the Arab world, the word actually came to be associated with gallant bravery. The Ottoman Navy called their sailors Levends (pronounced Lewend in Arabic).

In Arabic, the word continues to be used as a first name, and in Turkey, in addition to the upscale neighborhood of Levent in Istanbul, the word can describe “a strapping and good-looking young man.”

Throughout Greece, the word has maintained its positive connotation, and in addition to variations of it being used as a last name, such as Leventis, it may be used to describe those with valor and a passion for living life in full.