Some tens boats, forty participants, two harbours, Kalamata, in the South of Greece, Darna, on the Mediterranean coast of Libya, a stopover, Crete…these were the conditions united for the first edition of the Maritime routes of the olive tree. The focus was on encouraging people to discover new things and places, and more precisely create a Greek-Libyan dialogue regarding the creation of shipping links between these two banks.

This initiative was financed by Messinia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is supported by the Routes of the Olive Tree Foundation. The initiative is a symbol of North-South developments within the Mediterranean and the human and cultural values which accompany each journey, meeting and any new undertaking concerning the long-term development of coastal olive growing regions.

The boats left Kalamata on 28th June, during the traditional Fete de la Sardine in the Messinian port. After a journey lasting days, the team was warmly welcomed in the port at Darna by town representatives, members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a delegate from the ministry of Commerce, Finance and Investment, who visited especially for this event.

Following this meeting, the plan to create a direct shipping route between Greece (Kalamata) and Libya (Darna) has been reinforced by the support of the Minister of Commerce, Finance and Investment, Mr Ali al Saouin. The presidents of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Messinia (Kalamata) and Darna agree it is necessary to establish a committee in charge of studying the viability of the shipping route. The prefect for the region of Darna said advancing the plan is like “a new page for better relations between the two banks of the Mediterranean, a seahe underlined, that should bring us together and not tear us apart. Symbolically, a place for Greek-Libyan friendship, planted with five olive trees, was opened near the port. This event was closed with the signature of a protocol for collaboration between the two towns concerned, aiming to encourage and tighten relations and exchanges between Greece and Libya, an initative commended by the national Hennenic press on return to Greece.

Following the success met by the cultural routes carried out by the Routes of the Olive Tree Foundation over the last eight years across Mediterranean countries, a new form of discovery is being highlighted with the shipping routes of the Olive tree, no longer by motorbike but this time by boat!

Since the first route was opened in 1999, kilometres of Mediterranean olive growing lands have been crossed, allowing the Foundation to enrich and develop and inventory of tangible and non-tangible heritage of the olive tree and beyond, creating an intercultural Euro-Mediterranean dialogue.

Strengthened by this experience, new ways of thinking have been drawn from in creating this new programme of routes which leads the Routes of the Olive Tree along the Mediterranean coast in the footsteps of the olive tree and the circulation of commercial ships which have long exchanged products of the olive tree, thus contributing to the prosperity of major port towns.

The foundation has profited from this pilot-edition by allowing its president, Georges Karabatos to offer the town of Darna the opportunity to join the network of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation for the routes of the olive tree. This will support the project to create shipping links between Kalamata and Darna as well as the meetings organised on this subject. It is also vital for the organisation of the Celebrations of the Olive Tree in ports around the Mediterranean.
These celebrations will be organised for each new edition of the Shipping routes of the Olive Tree, as a further chance to spend a few days “dressing the Mediterranean in the colours of the olive tree”. Each event will be made up of various cultural demonstrations (exhibitions, video screenings, competitions, etc) and a journey of gastronomic discovery through the food of the Mediterranean and its regional characteristics. Mr Ali al Saouin, Minister, has shown himself to be in favour of promoting and sharing the development of tangible and intangible heritage of the olive tree. As proof of his commitment, he agreed to be part of the Foundation’s committee and in thanks gave a speech on the historic and cultural value of this ancient tree and the necessity of an initiative such as that of the Foundation which encourages dialogue and exchanges in the Mediterranean.

The journey then went on a few more days along the Cretan coast to discover another land internationally recognised for its olive production, later finishing in Kalamata port on the 7th July 2007. At each “port of call”, cultural and gastronomic demonstrations were organised as a taster of the Celebrations of the Olive Tree.