An homage to Marianna Vardinoyannis

The ill tidings of Marianna Vardinoyannis’ untimely passing have caused me great sorrow. Her dignified, driven and determined figure, remaining unchanged over the many years that I have come to know her in, shall always radiate brightness in my affective memory.

I last met Ms. Vardinoyannis during the 20th High-Level Reunion organized by the Vardinoyannis Foundation and the “Nizami Ganjavi” International Centre in January of 2020. Then, we sought to highlight the impacts climate change was having on the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the Mediterranean – a noble cause, championed by an even nobler person. I was struck then, as I had been each time prior, of her tireless impetus to seek out solutions to the high-stakes issues our discussions highlighted; and the same is true of all the other times we met attending a multitude of international fora.

Over the course of our numerous interactions, the Greek Goodwill Ambassador to UNESCO, Marianna Vardinoyannis, always remained a steadfast believer in the inherent good of humanity, her ceaseless energies deployed to seek solutions by which turn her vision of a better world, centred on the protection of culture, history and the environment through shared and mutual understanding, into reality.

We were also drawn close by her research in the study of history and archaeology in the Levantine space, a primary area of scientific interest for the Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization which I lead. Beyond her numerous scholarly publications, Marianna Vardinoyannis also published a seminal volume on the social archaeology of Crete, based on her fieldwork research carried out during her doctoral studies at the University of Sheffield. “Labouring with the Challenges of Female Identity: Insights into the Minoan Society” occupies a place of honour in the library of the Levant Institute.

The Institute is committed to keeping alive the memory of Marianna Vardinoyannis, itself also captured in the pages of the two-volume work, “The Post-Pandemic World between War and Peace: A Humanist Vision for Sustainable Development”, by way of her interventions in the international conferences and high-level reunions we attended together. I fondly recall one such moment, during the 75th anniversary conference of the United Nations organized by the “Nizami Ganjavi” International Centre and the World Academy of Art & Science, where she gave a memorable address, concluding that “[we] must stress the importance of global solidarity, of international cooperation and of shared responsibility in the effort to build a better world and a brighter future – to paraphrase Kofi Annan, who once said that ‘suffering felt anywhere will affect society everywhere’”.

Her charitable and humanitarian initiatives were also worthy of admiration, undertaken as determinedly as they were discreetly. In Athens, Marianna Vardinoyannis set up a hospital for children suffering from cancer which I had the opportunity to visit every time I found myself in the city at her invitation. This hospital is home to a large number of young people who have been prematurely tested by a cruel fate, children to whom Ms. Vardinoyannis wished to do everything in her power to offer the opportunity of being able to enjoy a beautiful childhood lived under such difficult and strenuous circumstances.

Her efforts will not have been in vain, as I am confident the building blocks she helped set will now be built upon by forthcoming generations that, unfortunately, have today lost the invaluable guidance of a foundational mentor.

My thoughts and prayers go out to her bereaved family, friends and associates, who now, as I, come to mourn the loss of a staunch and tireless pillar of support for so many. May God have mercy on her soul, and may her undaunted spirit come to soar with the angels.

Emil Constantinescu

July 25th, 2023

In Memoriam Marianna Vardinoyannis, Ambasadoarea Eladei pe lângă UNESCO

In Memoriam Marianna Vardinoyannis, Ambasadoarea Eladei pe lângă UNESCO

In Memoriam Marianna Vardinoyannis, Ambasadoarea Eladei pe lângă UNESCO

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