Based on a poem written in 1931 by Giorgos Seferis, the Greek song ‘Arnisi’ describes feelings of loss, longing and the search for meaning. The song was composed by Mikis Theodorakis in 1960.

The poem is about a person who, sitting on a secluded stretch of beach, has written the name of his beloved Arnisi in the sand. Through the mild sea breeze, he sees her name slowly blown away. He wonders if his passion, his love and his desire for her were right. And whether he made the right choice. He doesn’t think so and he knows life goes on ...

The translation of the title is ‘Refusal’. The song became a symbol of resistance during the military junta in Greece. Its powerful lyrics and melody have had deep cultural and emotional significance for many Greeks ever since.

My name is Tina Castro. I worked in the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation at the University of Twente until my retirement. Because of my interest in arts and culture, I have done a lot of volunteer work at the Wilminktheater and Phion, the orchestra of Gelderland and Overijssel. I have also been a volunteer at Concordia in Enschede for more than 20 years.