Vana Verouti

Where light was born

I met Vana Verouti about 22 years ago on Mykonos through common friends. Our first excursion was to the sacred island of Delos, where we spent a whole day engaged in existential discussion. We spoke about antiquity, the mysticism of Nepal and Varanasi, and we tried to sum up many lives in one stroll.

If you haven’t yet been to Delos, you may be interested to know that the island is a UNESCO world heritage site of special cultural significance. A visit to the island is a good way to get a taste of the glory of ancient Greek civilization. Nowhere else will you find such an extensive, island archaeological site of such enormous importance, dotted with the monuments remains dating to the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods. As I was walking with Vana among the columns and mauve flowers, she told me about her first karmic meeting with Mikis Theodorakis.

She had encountered him in an airport departure lounge while waiting for a flight to New York which had been delayed. He sat beside her and asked here where she was going with the guitar and whether she sang. She replied that she did indeed sing, that she was recording an album and then in- vited him to come to the studio to hear her. That was how Vana came to perform on Mikis’ album The Faces of the Sun. They went on to do two concerts in Athens before going on a tour of the Balkans, East Berlin, It- aly and Sardinia. Passing next to statues and temples, we reached the an- cient theater of Delos. There I asked her something concerning the much- talked-about Berlin Wall concert. “Fortunately, it fell a few months after the concert in Rosa Luxemburg Platz,” she said, before adding “What an experience that was! The audience was thirsty for the joy of music. The square was packed and everyone was applauding. I will never forget the situation prevailing in that city. No color stood out, no smiles, no one even made eye contact with us. People were walking about bowed and glum. The big surprise came when, in honor of Mikis, some government officials invited us to a dinner at the communist party headquarters. As we made our way there, we walked along depressing alleys before finally reaching the entrance. I was dumfounded by the opulence. I became very angry. I remembered the hungry, desperate people I had just seen on the streets, the empty shelves in the handful of stores and I immediately lost my appetite. ‘What I am seeing is unjust,’ I whispered to Mikis, ‘I’m not going to eat anything.’ He nodded, without replying. I was filled with joy when I learned that those people finally rose up and tore down that wall of shame. Sometimes, rebellion  is not only necessary, but a sacred duty, regardless of the injustice it seeks to redress.”

How relevant these things remain today. Particularly since that day, we were on the sacred island where people’s “vibes” change, allowing them to think more creatively and with a more open mind. Every person has the right to the freedom they deserve! What could be truer?

Bio 

Vana Verouti 
Writer, singer, designer, traveller.

Vana Verouti was born in Greece but was raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
She learned to play classical guitar at the age of 12 and since then she has composed both the music and the lyrics of most of her songs.

At the age of 17 she made her first appearance in Rome where she was chosen to sing and record Italian versions of the compositions of leading Greek composers such as Mikis Theodorakis, Xarchacos and Hadjidakis.

Following this, she recorded a single with Vangelis Papathanasiou the Italian version of I Want To Live, called Ed Ora Si. Vangelis offered Vana the leading female vocals in his new album, Heaven and Hell which was recorded in his studio in London and to also perform along his side in the Albert Hall.

Vana’s interest shifted towards the New Wave scene and moved to Monmouth, in South Wales, to play with local musicians and record an album and a single with them.
She performed her work with her band in Birmingham and Athens.

Following this, she once again crossed paths with Mikis Theodorakis and consequently sang in his new album, “The Faces of the Sun.”

Many performances followed, both in Greece and in Europe abroad and they toured many European countries together, after which she sang two songs by Mikroutsikos, in a play of a Greek ancient comedy by Aristophanis directed by George Messalas.

Vana’s attention then moved towards Ethnic music.
She composed a new album gathering there her innermost feelings.
“The voice Within” is the work that, as she says, expresses and touches her the most.

She has written two books called “The Breath of the Gods” which has been translated into three languages and “Bardo” which has been translated into English.