Kalamata Unfold Festival
5 & 6 September 2026
Kalamata Unfold Festival is a two-day artistic event taking place in the Historic Center and the Central Market of Kalamata, focusing on cultural exchange between European artists and the local community of Kalamata. The festival’s activities will take place on September 5th and 6th, centered around the themes of collective memory, solidarity, and human connection.
The festival will host artists from Serbia and Portugal aiming to develop a cultural dialogue with Kalamata’s local community. As part of the festival, artistic interventions will take place in public spaces, including music and visual art performances, as well as short film screenings in collaboration with Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival and the Center of Creative Documentary in Kalamata.
Katarina Rankovic, a musician and performer from Serbia, becomes part of the Kalamata Central Market for a day. Through oral storytelling and song, she cultivates bonds that transcend differences in language and culture. Her dress also functions as a “social basket” for people to exchange products and thoughts. Zabya Abo Aljadayel from Portugal (originally from Syria) and Katarina Rankovich from Serbia join forces with musicians from Kalamata for a concert dedicated to the environment, peace, and solidarity. The musicians will present traditional Greek and Eastern songs, as well as Portuguese Fado, adapted with Greek, English, Portuguese, and Arabic lyrics.
The European project Unfold treats public space as a shared cultural asset, where art is not limited to an institutional role but is integrated into everyday life. Public space serves as a living platform where different voices are not only heard but actively shape the narratives and experiences developed within it. In Greece, the UNFOLD project takes place in autumn 2026 across three stops: Kalamata, Kozani, and Athens.
UNFOLD is co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the organizations Klara i Rosa (Serbia), Iminente (Portugal), and Balkans Beyond Borders (Greece).
Participants:
Katarina Rankovic
Zabya Abo Aljadayel
Anatoliko Karavani ft. Nikolaos Palaiologos
Gogo Batsikoura: saz, percussion, vocals
Dimitris Soureas: percussion
Eleni Pertselaki: violin, vocals
Sotiria Pappa: kanun
Joined by Nikolas Palaiologos on the oud.
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