Greek ambassador Ekaterina Dimakis
Greek ambassador Ekaterina Dimakis believes in creating understanding and tolerance by building bridges through culture.
Photo: JL Wallace
Greek ambassador Ekaterina Dimakis
Bringing Hellenic culture to the heart of the Glebe
By Jessie-Lee Wallace
The Greek word “philoxenia” means, roughly, “friend to a stranger.” According to Greek ambassador Ekaterina Dimakis, it is a core Greek value and one that she shares with every guest who visits her residence close to the Rideau Canal.
“I’m living in the Glebe,” Ambassador Dimakis explains with enthusiasm. “It’s the heart of the city, the most beautiful part of the city. We have Bank Street, which is a fantastic street with everything on it, absolutely everything. It’s the park, the Tulip Festival, the lake, the canal. We just go down and we skate in the winter.”
A seasoned diplomat with nearly 35 years of service, Dimakis arrived in Ottawa about a year and a half ago, but her diplomatic journey began far from Canada’s shores.
She was born in Corinth, Greece, a place she describes as “paradise on earth” for its ideal climate – “everything grows there, literally everything.” She studied law and political science in Athens before joining the Greek diplomatic corps.
Her extensive career has taken her to Norway, Australia, Austria, Germany, the United States and now Canada.
When asked what distinguishes Canadians from citizens of other nations, the ambassador doesn’t hesitate: “Canadians are so friendly, happy and open. They’re great. And I find working with them very easy and constructive.”
Dimakis arrived at a fortuitous moment in Greek-Canadian relations. Just months after her appointment, the Greek prime minister made an official visit to Canada during the national day of Greece, with stops in Montreal and Toronto, culminating in high-level talks that she describes as “fantastic to start off with such a high-level and motivating atmosphere.”
Beyond formal diplomatic relations, the ambassador takes pride in Ottawa’s Greek community, which she characterizes as “very vibrant, organized, energetic, with great, hard-working people.” The annual Greek Festival in August, “one of the biggest in the country,” she says, is “a great success credited to the Greek community in Ottawa.”
The ambassador is grateful for her career but acknowledges that she has seen an erosion in diplomacy and that it is often less valued during this current geopolitical moment. Yet she still believes in the power of sharing culture.
“Culture builds bridges when everything else is either not successful or truly not taken care of,” she explains. “Culture is more than creating a good atmosphere; it is creating understanding; it is creating tolerance.”
While many associate Greek culture primarily with its ancient heritage, the ambassador is passionate about showcasing contemporary Greek arts. This cultural exchange extends to her culinary arts as well. An accomplished cook, the ambassador revealed to the Glebe Report that she has plans to establish cooking workshops at the residence soon.
“Many of my colleagues have requested that from me because they’ve tried my recipes and they’re all impressed. I try to organize workshops here, cooking, and so that’s also a nice way to present Mediterranean cuisine, Greek cuisine, which is the best of the Mediterranean cuisine.”
Dimakis is part of what she describes as “a wonderful group of women ambassadors” in Ottawa. She believes women bring “a different perspective” to leadership and are “easier to open doors and create good atmosphere and maybe solve problems when and where they exist.”
Looking toward global challenges, climate change ranks highest among her concerns.
“For me, personally, the biggest challenge is climate change, which is, I’m afraid, out of control,” she says, noting that Greece has experienced “mega fires” and tremendous floods of unprecedented magnitude in recent years. Events once described as occurring once in a millennium now happen once a year.
Recently, the ambassador organized an important event that shared a dark chapter of the Holocaust in Greece, a part of Second World War history.
“I knew when I talked to people, not many people knew what happened to Greece in the Second World War, and specifically what happened to the Jews in Greece during that time. I wanted to shine a light on that lesser known but important history,” she explains.
Through her genuine embrace of local community life, Ambassador Ekaterina Dimakis embodies Greek hospitality as she continues to champion diplomacy, education and connection in small everyday gestures and on a more global scale.
On a more personal note, when asked about her proudest achievement, she said: “My children are the best achievement of my life. “
Jessie-Lee Wallace is a writer, non-profit leader and volunteer who believes in the strength of local community. She lives in the Glebe Annex and writes frequently for the Glebe Report.