11. Juni 2018
Opening of the new Goethe-Institut in Yangon

Welcoming address by the president of Goethe-Institute Prof. Dr. h.c. Klaus-Dieter Lehmann

Salutation,

It was almost exactly 60 years ago that a Goethe-Institut was first opened in Myanmar. It was the first one in south-east Asia – even before Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta. But after General Ne Win came to power in 1962 the scope for a cultural dialogue became so restricted that this early centre suspended its services after only three years.

Half a century later the situation changed under the reform government of President Thein Sein. As the country opened up a fresh opportunity presented itself and there was a renewed interest in a creative exchange with the rest of the world. Our proposal for negotiations on a cultural agreement between Myanmar and Germany met with spontaneous acceptance. There was hardly an agreement of this kind that had been concluded in such a short time. The way was then clear for our organisation to return to Myanmar. And not only that: in the course of the negotiations the Minister of Culture at that time, U Aye Myint Kyu offered us this very special building as the future location for the German cultural institute in Yangon.

Most people are aware that this old villa played a crucial role for a short period in the history of Myanmar. In 1945 General Aung San declared that this former private residence of wealthy business people was to be the office of the independence movement AFPFL. The villa's generously proportioned salons which we are about to open were the scene in the subsequent months of the decisive discussions and conferences where the demands for presentation to the colonial power were formulated and the basic outlines of a constitution for an independent Myanmar were drawn up. This 100-year-old house is thus nothing less than a national monument. That this extraordinary building was offered to the Goethe-Institut by the Myanmar Ministry of Culture therefore is a quite special honour, for which we cannot thank you enough. We are profoundly aware of the responsibility this unique offer places on us. In the construction project it was not only a matter of creating a cultural centre, but also of redesigning a major element of this country's cultural and political heritage. The German Foreign Ministry has acknowledged this special mission and has invested a considerable amount in the renovation of the historical villa and the new buildings around it. What has emerged – and I can testify to this as the long-standing President of the Goethe-Institut – is one of the most beautiful cultural centres we have in the world.

The result is an inviting and aesthetically delightful location and for this we have to thank the outstanding designs by the team of Berlin architects, the excellent work by the Yangon construction companies and their teams of engineers and craftsmen, and finally the generosity of the German Foreign Ministry. The construction of the new Goethe-Institut in Yangon was one of the largest projects devoted to international cultural policy in the past few years. Please allow me at this point to express my sincere gratitude and great appreciation to all those who have been involved in and have sponsored this project, both in Myanmar and in Germany.

In a city like Yangon this house has the potential of becoming a unique place of cultural learning and creative exchange, one where Burmese, German and European artists can meet and draw inspiration from one another.

"A magic dwells in each beginning" – said Hermann Hesse. In a fairy story the magic also mostly involves free wishes: my wishes for this house are:

- that the Goethe-Institut in Yangon will become a firm part of the cultural life of the city,

- that it will become a truly open house with an international orientation and which specifically also gives our European partners a platform for their programmes,

- that soon hundreds of people of all ages, and in particular young people, will go in and out, learn our country's language, prepare to study in Germany and gain first-hand information about what is happening in Germany and Europe,

- that the representatives of the civil society will meet here and conduct the urgent debates about the major questions of the country in a censorship-free environment

- and that in this way young people will become sensitive to the values of tolerance and living together peacefully in society.

The magic of this house should not be a mystery, but should, with its wide-open doors, be accessible and available to all those who are culturally interested. If there is anything which joins us together directly regardless of all our differences then it is culture in all its diversity. That is what the Goethe-Institut stands for throughout the world and now in a particularly forceful and enchanting way in Myanmar.

I would like to conclude with a Burmese saying concerning culture: "Culture is a golden bowl, that nobody can steal." With our cooperation we want to fill this bowl.

I would like to thank you all for coming to celebrate this new beginning with us and I wish you a pleasant and enjoyable evening.

The spoken word shall prevail