On  Tuesday, March 5th, 1957, in Athens, all newspapers were filled with articles referring to the following unbelievable news:

“Grigoris Afxentiou was killed yesterday after fighting heroically by himself, for ten whole hours, against strong British forces in the Troodos region, in a cave near the monastery Machairas in Cyprus {...} It is said that a shepherd gave the information to the British soldiers that Afxentiou was hiding in a cave, among bushes. Afxentiou, found himself suddenly surrounded by the British forces who commanded him to surrender {...} But all they received was the proud response "Molon Lave". {…} As the battle thus continued for 10 hours, the British forces used among others, lacrymatory bombs. As they were facing the unique courage of Afxentiou and after using all types of weapons, the British soldiers threw into the cave petrol bombs. Huge flames covered the cave and enshrouded the  body of the heroic patriot. The battle came to an end at 2:00 at night. His body was found charred. Afxentiou was 29 years old.”

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This work draws its inspiration from the monologue "Farewell" by Yannis Ritsos, written in March 1957 on the heroic death of the Cypriot revolutionary Gregory Afxentiou. His sacrifice resonated with all those who dared to dream of freedom and justice. In this poetic meditation, Ritsos reveals the silent battle fought within the soul of Afxentiou - a man who, envisioning a brighter world, chose to surrender his life, transcending his primal desire for survival.

The choreography is infused with the rich, rhythmic language of Afro-Brazilian dance, where movement pulses with urgency and repetition. The audience is encouraged to move beyond observation, to immerse themselves in this pulsating landscape and experience how a shared rhythm weaves the essence of our lives, transforming into a force capable of breaking boundaries.

The work explores how fear, doubt and anger weigh us down, leaving us fragmented, far from our true selves. In the Yoruba language, ‘ómnira’ means liberation. Ritsos’ "Farewell" turns this concept into a journey of self-discovery - an awakening to freedom. For Afxentiou the cave may have been a stone prison, but his spirit remained boundless and indomitable, a shining symbol of resilience.