Angelos Kitsos facts for kids

Angelos Kitsos (Greek: Άγγελος Κίτσος; 1934 – 6 August 2008) was a very important Greek person. He was the president of the Rizarios Foundation. This foundation helps people and projects in Greece.

Angelos Kitsos was from Monodendri, a village in Zagori. He was also a member of councils for other foundations. These included the Foundation for the Restoration of Greeks from Albania (I.A.O.A.) and the Foundation of Research of the Ionian and Adriatic space. He was a key figure for the Epirus region and Western Greece.

Angelos Kitsos was a lawyer. But he also wrote scripts for many documentaries. He even wrote several books.

Early Life and Education

Angelos Kitsos was born in Corfu, Greece. His father, Athanasios Kitsos, was also a lawyer.

Angelos went to the famous Kaplaneios School for primary school until 1945. After that, he attended the equally famous Zosimaia School in Ioannina. His classmate, Christos Makris, remembered Angelos as a very smart student. While others read simpler books, Angelos was already reading works by famous authors like Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Hemingway. Later, Angelos studied law at the Law School of Athens.

His Career Journey

In 1960, Angelos Kitsos started working at the National Foundation. By 1961, he was in charge of the Community Development Program. This program helped local communities grow.

In 1971, he became a lifelong member of the Council of the Rizarios Foundation. Then, in 1974, he became the Director of Cultural Programmes at the National Foundation. He focused on local development projects in areas like Thessaloniki, Chalcidice, and Eurytania.

Working with Others for Development

Angelos Kitsos worked with many different groups to help communities. He cooperated with the American Agricultural School and the United Nations. He also worked with Greek government ministries, like the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Education.

The state radio station, E.R.A., often used Angelos's huge music collection. By the 1970s, he had over 9,000 music discs!

Angelos also helped build important centers. With the "Stavros S. Niarchos" foundation and the University of Athens, he helped create the Social Hospice, the International Centre of Culture and Tradition, and the Unit of Natural Medicine.

He also worked with filmmakers to produce documentaries. These films were made for the National Foundation. He also helped build student housing, like the 1st Student Hospice and the Pupil Hospice of Tsepelovo.

At the Foundation for Restoration of Greeks from Albania, he helped build a training center in Pogoniani. This project was even called a "major lesson of diplomacy in the Balkans" by the Wall Street Journal.

Work at the Rizarios Foundation

Angelos Kitsos was very involved in developing the Rizarios Foundation's resources. He wanted to use them to benefit the Epirus region. He was a key negotiator with the government in 1979. He helped arrange an important land exchange in Athens and Ioannina.

As president of the foundation, Kitsos started many building projects. These included the Rizarios Handcraft Centre, the Rizarios Exhibition Centre, and the Open-Air Theatre and Sports Stadium of Monodendri. The Handcraft Centre is even planned to be named after him.

He also worked with the Latsis Group and the "Stavros S.Niarchos" foundation. Together, they brought many rare exhibitions to Monodendri. Some of these exhibitions were opened by the President of the Hellenic Republic himself.

His Creative Works

Angelos Kitsos created many films, documentaries, and books.

Films and Documentaries

• The greatest power (Η πιο μεγάλη δύναμη) (Won an award at the Thessaloniki Festival in 1962)
• The first step (Το πρώτο βήμα) (Won an award at the Thessaloniki Festival in 1963)
• The agricultural housekeeping (Το αγροτικό νοικοκυριό)
• Green gold (Πράσινο χρυσάφι)
• Organisation and management of agricultural exploits (Οργάνωση και διαχείριση γεωργικών εκμεταλλεύσεων)

Books and Publications

• Programme of Tourist Development of Thessaloniki (1961)
• Tourism and Social Development (1971)
• Communication and Discussion
• Meaning, significance and evolution of the educational cinema - The educational documentary in Greece
• Popular training and Communal Development
• The meaning of compromise in Communal Development and the peaceful resolution of issues
• Programme of local development in post-war Greece
• The Greek contribution in the new perspective of Albania

Exhibitions He Organized

• Images of Greece 1903-1930 by Fred Boissonas
• Russia 100 years
• The villages of Zagori
• Life of Zagorisians 1860-1960
• Ioannina 1860-1960
• Greece 1896-1906
• Greece of the hard work 1900-1960, Collection of Nikos Politis
• The Architecture of Central Zagori
• A Greek Portfolio by Constantine Manos
• Following the accidental by Willy Ronis