Features, reports and interviews from around the world
The Latest at Goethe

Europe is a complex mosaic nowadays with war and crisis, cracks and cohesion. In recent years, young authors from Southeastern Europe have written texts for a theatre of the future as part of the project “New Stages South East”. In early 2023, Theater Oberhausen presented eleven of these texts at a festival. We spoke to Laura Mangels, dramatologist and artistic director of the festival at Theater Oberhausen.

Kultur Ensembles, Franco-German cultural institutes, set an example internationally with regard to strengthening European cooperation. In the autumn of 2023, a German-French duo of artists took place in the residence programme “Atelier Panormos” by the Kultur Ensemble in Palermo. We spoke to Annika Katja Boll and Renaud Mundabi Muyanunu about their experiences there.

18-year-old Alberto Gámez from Venezuela is at the start of his working life but already knows that he wants his career to take him to Germany. He told us what he likes about the working world in Germany and how the programme “Dual education mobility South America” (DAMOS) supported him on his journey to Germany.

More and more people in Sub-Saharan Africa want to learn German with African-European textbooks which are not full of cliches and are up to date from a methodology and didactic point of view. “Und jetzt WIR” makes that possible.

„Herkunft“, „Wolf“ oder „Vor dem Fest“: Nicht nur seine Bücher sind dank der Übersetzungsförderung des Goethe-Instituts zu Reisenden geworden. Auch der Autor selbst, Saša Stanišić, ist häufig in anderen Ländern zu Gast, seit seine deutschsprachigen Texte in andere Sprachen übersetzt werden. Wie diese Übersetzungen seine Arbeit als Schriftsteller bereichern, erzählt er uns im Interview.

„Je komplexer eine Sprache ist, desto mehr begeistert mich dieser Prozess“, sagt Scilla Forti über ihre Tätigkeit als literarische Übersetzerin. Als „Stammübersetzerin“ des Verlages Keller Editore übersetzt sie regelmäßig deutschsprachige Werke ins Italienische, etwa Mariana Lekys „Was man von hier aus sehen kann“. Sie verrät uns, was ihr an dieser Arbeit gefällt und welche Herausforderungen damit einhergehen.

Mit seiner Lage in der Grenzregion Trentino-Südtirol hat der italienische Verlag Keller Editore ein offenes Ohr für Sprachen jenseits der Landesgrenzen. So ist er auch in der Vermittlung deutschsprachiger Literatur sehr engagiert, bei ihm erschienen Werke von Saša Stanišić und zuletzt Shelly Kupferbergs „Isidor“. Im Interview gibt Roberto Keller Einblicke in seine Arbeit als Verleger und die Interessen seines italienischen Lesepublikums.

2024 ist ein besonderes Jahr für die Übersetzungsförderung. Das Goethe-Institut feiert zwei Jubiläen – und damit das 50-jährige sowie 20-jährige Bestehen zweier Programme, die nicht nur Übersetzungen deutschsprachiger Literatur im Ausland ermöglichen, sondern auf diese Weise auch den internationalen Kulturaustausch stärken.

Kultur und Bildung prägen das Selbstverständnis von Gesellschaften. Sie schaffen Freiräume und können den Zusammenhalt stärken und stabilisieren. Damit kommt ihnen in der internationalen Politik auch eine sicherheitspolitische Funktion zu.

Even today, 100 years after his death, Franz Kafka's impact remains undiminished. Goethe-Instituts in 36 countries are celebrating the Kafka anniversary with a wide range of events – from theatre and music to virtual spheres.

Organisations such as the Goethe-Institut must not become the ‘extended arm’ of the government, particularly in difficult political times. Tests of conviction and moral imperialism will not help to overcome crises.

Teaching materials, training courses, academic articles and dialogue with teachers of German as a foreign language and German as a second language around the world: this is what the Goethe-Institut's virtual "Deutschstunde" offers. In this interview, project managers Karin Kühnel and Juliane Kramer explain how the online portal works and what functions users can look forward to in the future. 
 

Munich, October 2023, updated on November 7, 2023.

As every year, the Goethe-Medal will be awarded in Weimar on 28 August. Carola Lentz, president of the Goethe-Institut, and Thomas Oberender, chairman of the Goethe-Medal Commission, talk in an interview about the history and change of the award, the selection of the laureates and the impact of the official medal of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The artists Jean-François Bizieau, Patricia Antón de Vez, Akiko Takahashi and Martina dal Brollo share their experiences in the context of Culture Moves Europe.

How culture gets from A to B. With "Culture Moves Europe", the European Commission is launching a major mobility project for artists and cultural workers in Europe. It is being implemented by the Goethe-Institut.

Why Germany needs relationships of trust in the world – especially in difficult times. Secretary General Johannes Ebert on foreign cultural and educational policy.

Art and culture have the capacity not only to depict our diverse society, but also to inspire us to shape it in an inclusive way.

The Goethe-Institut has been involved in the area of training and advising skilled workers from abroad since 2007. In interview, Ulrike Drißner, Director of Language Work in Southeast Asia, and Regional Director Stefan Dreyer talk about limits to capacity and transparent recruitment processes.

The “Training Partnerships in Latin America” (APAL) programme prepares school students
and alumni of PASCH schools in El Salvador and Mexico for a dual training course in
Germany. Since the beginning of 2021, the Goethe-Institut Mexico, the Federal Employment
Agency and hospitals in various German cities have been working hand-in-hand on this.
Ámbar Navarro Becerra, currently training as a radiology assistant at the University Hospital
Bonn, reports on her experiences.

On Friday 19 May 2023, the Bosnian contemporary author and Goethe Medal laureate Dževad Karahasan passed away at the age of 70.

The Tarabya Cultural Academy is a residence program for artists and aims to contribute to German-Turkish cultural exchange. Today we are talking to the artistic directors Pia Entenmann and Lena Alpozan.

Residence programs enable artists and cultural practitioners to live and work in another country for a period of time. In this way, the Goethe-Institut promotes sustainable international cultural exchange - often even beyond the residence itself.

The bangaloREsidency enables artists from Germany to get to know art and cultural spaces in Bangalore and to realise their own projects there. Visual artist Line Krom was bangaloREsident at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) from October to December 2022. In the interview, she talks about her work with dust and debris at the NCBS campus and her encounters with local artists.

Changing times, new orientation and crises: Secretary General Johannes Ebert talks about the challenges facing cultural relations and education policy in the coming year.

Contribution by Carola Lentz in Politik & Kultur 11/2022.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Goethe-Institut in Athens, Carola Lentz, President of the Goethe-Institut, pleads for a multi-voiced, future-oriented European culture of remembrance.

In Jordan, Mexico and the Philippines, fewer and fewer German courses can be held. This also has an impact on the shortage of skilled workers in Germany. What to do about it.

Study and change in the African museum landscape.

The EU programme “House of Europe” had become one of the most important funding organisations for Ukrainian culture and society. But after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it has had to reinvent itself.

According to a forecast by the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, Germany is dependent on an influx of 700,000 skilled workers every year. In this context, the Goethe-Institut prioritises pre-integration activities that cross national boundaries.

German courses at a symbolic price, an emergency aid fund or a placement offer from Ukrainian artists and cultural workers to German host institutions: On this page you will find an overview of the projects that the Goethe-Institut launched in response to the war in Ukraine.
 

The Goethe-Institut set up the first special courses for people from Ukraine in mid-March. More than 1,700 participants registered for the online German courses at A1 and A2 level within 48 hours. From mid-April, special courses with about 1,000 places will be offered again. Registration will be possible from 11 April at: www.goethe.de/ukraine. The offer is limited, courses start on 18 April. It will be supplemented by free self-study offers at www.goethe.de/meinwegnachdeutschland.
 

130 scholarship holders have had the opportunity to work in the Villa Kamogawa artists’ residence over a period of ten years. The pandemic meant that particular creativity was required to celebrate the anniversary of the residence – the final result will be presented from 28 April 2022 in the exhibition “Villa Kamogawa in Berlin”. Curator Michael Hirschbichler lived in Villa Kamogawa himself in 2019. He reports on his experiences there and gives insights into the exhibition.

A new Emergency Aid Programme supports cultural workers from Ukraine with rapid bridging aid on site and in the diaspora. The fund of almost 500,000 euros is being set up by the Goethe-Institut and the German Federal Cultural Foundation. In addition to the fund, the Goethe-Institut also offers free German courses and provides targeted information for people from Ukraine on the web portal "Mein Weg nach Deutschland".

In Germany, there is a shortage of skilled workers, especially in the field of healthcare. To fill the gaps, Vivantes Forum für Senioren GmbH in Berlin decided to look for employees abroad as well – in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut. CEO Dr René Herrmann provides insights into this process.

The Goethe-Institut is in full solidarity with the Ukrainian people and especially its partners. Secretary General Johannes Ebert said: "We are appalled by the breach of international law by the Russian government and the escalation of violence in Ukraine driven by it. We support the measures adopted by the German government and the European Commission. Our greatest attention at the moment is on our staff and partners in culture and education, to support them as much as is currently possible."

The Goethe-Institut reacts with great dismay to the Russian attack on Ukraine. Secretary General Johannes Ebert said: "We are shocked by the current situation in Ukraine. Our thoughts are with our colleagues and partners in the country and with their families. While economic sanctions against Russia are now essential, we believe that civil society exchange is more important than ever."
 

Article by Carola Lentz and Johannes Ebert in the periodical “Politik & Kultur”

Across borders. Secretary General Johannes Ebert talks about the strengthening of foreign cultural and educational policy in the coalition agreement and about the role the Goethe-Institut can play in issues such as racism, climate change and the immigration of skilled workers.
 

The coronavirus made conventional language work practically impossible. It was time to take new pathways.

(21 September 2021)
Science fiction has been dominated for decades by western influences. A discussion at the “Science Meets Journalism” conference of the Goethe-Institut in Egypt took a closer look at Arabic science fiction.

(13 September 2021)
On the occasion of the opening of the new Institute building in Riga, president of the Goethe-Institut Carola Lentz spoke about the role of European cultural policy within a complex process of foreign policy realignment.

(02 September 2021)
The Tarabya Cultural Academy aims to use the “Studio Bosporus” festival to deepen German-Turkish dialogue. It was for this purpose that artists Mona Mahall and Asli Serbest developed the “Digital Twin” media installation.

(30 August 2021)
The Goethe Medal was awarded on 28th August as an official badge of honour of the Federal Republic of Germany. A digital award ceremony was held to honour Princess Marilyn Douala Manga Bell, Toshio Hosokawa and Wen Hui for their contributions.

(27 August 2021)
In the TECHNO WORLDS exhibition, international artists and musicians present their explorations of this worldwide well-known genre. The Goethe-Institut exhibition goes on a worldwide tour, starting at art quarter budapest.

(23 August 2021)
The festival “This Is Not Lebanon” will be presenting very different artistic perspectives on the situation in the hard-hit country from August 26 to September 12 in Frankfurt. One of the curators is the performance and media artist Rabih Mroué.

(11 August 2021)
ok.danke.tschüss are "DEINE BAND". As part of this project, the band was given the opportunity to write songs for learners of German on Olli Schulz and Fynn Kliemann's houseboat.
 

(06 August 2021)
The Goethe-Institut, in cooperation with the Weizenbaum-Institut, conducted a survey on the concerns and hopes of young Europeans regarding AI. 

(02 August 2021)
The Kazakh theatre director Bolat Atabaev died on Thursday morning. In his obituary, Volker Schlöndorff reminisces about Atabaev, who was awarded the Goethe Medal in 2012.

(30 July 2021)
With his Stumbling Stones, Gunter Demnig keeps the memory of the victims of National Socialism alive. The first Stumbling Stones workshop outside Germany opens during the summer – at the Goethe-Institut in Amsterdam. In an interview, the artist explains how this came about.

(21 July 2021)
The Goethe-Institut has created another opportunity to develop the linguistic and intercultural com­pe­ten­cies of foreign skilled workers by signing a partner­ship agree­ment with the Arbeit­geber­verband Pflege (AGVP, Employers’ Association for the Care Industry) and the Bundes­arbeits­gemein­schaft Aus­ländische Pflege­kräfte (BAGAP, Federal Working Group for Foreign Care Workers).

(15 July 2021)
Artist Ayzit Bostan presented her art installation “Parasol” as part of the series “Munich Unique” by the Goethe-Institut in Paris. Guests included the German ambassador Hans-Dieter Lucas and the mayor of the 16th arrondissement, Francis Szpiner.

(05 July 2021)
The Senegalese capital Dakar is the setting for the new Goethe-Institut designed by architect Francis Kéré from Burkina Faso. It embodies architecture as a cultural, societal and climatologically evolved term.

(01 July 2021)
The “Deutschland-Express” organised by the Goethe-Institut in Moscow toured for a full six weeks as an online festival. Its purpose was to make Russian-German exchange possible during the pandemic.

(28 June 2021)
The German-Iraqi musical theatre “Egmont in Iraq” (“Egmont im Irak”), which premiered on 24 June, pays tribute to the 250th birthday of the composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The production is a co-production of the Goethe-Institut Iraq and the Iraqi Ministry of Culture. 

(24 June 2021)
Jackie Smith is awarded the Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize for her translation of Judith Schalansky's “An Inventory of Losses”. In an interview with “The Latest at Goethe” she talks about her work on “An Inventory of Losses”.

(21 June 2021)
The FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) generation is constantly worried about missing out on something. Right? The Kultursymposium Weimar has just taken place with many exciting contributions on the topic of “Generations” that absolutely nobody should have missed. 

(14 June 2021)
The Franco-German cultural institute was opened in Palermo under the name “Kultur Ensemble”, the first bilateral cultural institute based on the Aachen Treaty.

(10 June 2021)
The new issue of “das goethe” focuses on the topic of “generations”, on the occasion of the Kultursymposium Weimar.

(31 May 2021)
The series of exhibitions "Invisible Inventories is based on a research project to record Kenyan cultural objects in museums of the Western world. George Juma Ondeng' from the National Museums of Kenya talks to "The Latest at Goethe" about well-founded provenance research. 

(26 May 2021)
The exhibition series Invisible Inventories showcases the results of an international research project whose aim is to build a database of Kenyan art objects in museums in Europe and North America. We were talking to Clara Himmelheber and Frauke Gathof.

(25 May 2021)
SAID died on 15th May at the age of 73. In 2006, the Iranian-German writer received the Goethe Medal. An obituary.

(20 May 2021)
How has the coronavirus pandemic changed the political landscape and public discourse in Europe? This was the issue explored in a discussion to mark the opening of the 6th Prague Populism Conference held by the Goethe-Institut.

(18 May 2021)
In the video series #aboutbeuys by the Goethe-Institut, artists deal with the heritage of Joseph Beuys. Among them are the American artist with Senegalese and Mauritanian roots Yacine Tilala and Marzia Farhana, an artist from Bangladesh.

(12 May 2021)
To mark the centenary of the birth of Joseph Beuys, the exhibition “Beuys verstehen” (“Understanding Beuys”) will be presented by the Goethe-Institutes of Warsaw and Prague. Curators Catherine Nichols and Eugen Blume as well as the technical developer from Zaubar, Stefan Marx, discuss the significance of Beuys and take us behind the scenes of a virtual gallery.

(04 May 2021)
The first event in the series “Habibi Goethe” focused on the difficult situation in Venezuela. Artists Malu Valerio und Diana Rangel spoke about their home country.

In “Voice Versa”, a podcast by Deutschlandfunk Kultur and the Goethe-Institut, ten authors tell stories from multilingual German society. Among them are Rana Rezaei and Sara Hoshyari. “The Latest at Goethe” spoke with them about the next episode.

(23 April 2021)
The German Film Office is an initiative of German Films and the Goethe-Institut. “The Latest at Goethe” spoke with the head of the German Film Office, Sara Stevenson, shortly before the Academy Awards ceremony. 

(21 April 2021)
What do you think of when you hear “Moroccan music”? And how suitable are such classifications? “The Latest at Goethe” spoke about this with Mohcine Ramdan, who can be heard with his ensemble “JISR - Brücke” in “Contrapunkt - Dialog der Kulturen” by BR-KLASSIK and the Goethe-Institut.

(15 April 2021)
What benefits do blockchain technologies have for art and civil society? This is what the “DAOWO Sessions – Artworld Prototypes” of the Goethe-Institut dealt with. The Latest at Goethe spoke to the two curators Ruth Catlow and Penny Rafferty and the artist collective eeefff.

(12 April 2021)
11 April 2021 marked the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp. To remember the horrors of National Socialist rule, the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation, in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut, is showing the “Disappearing Wall” on Theaterplatz in Weimar. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier commemorated the victims.

(09 April 2021)
“5× Germany Around the World”. In an interview with “The Latest at Goethe”, the photographer Jörg Müller tells us how his photography project – in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut – traced the footsteps of German emigrants.

(01 April 2021)
Joseph Beuys travelled to Tokyo in 1984. “Eurasia,” the utopian unity of Europe and Asia, formed an important point of reference for his artistic work. For his centenary this year, the Goethe-Institut Tokyo is launching the project “beuys on/off”.

(24 March 2021)
In times of increasing isolation and physical distancing, the Goethe-Instituts in Europe have opened a Europe-wide dialogue on solidarity called “SoliDialogues”. One of the participants reports.

(19 March 2021)
The virtual partner residencies of the Goethe-Institut enable artistic collaboration in the digital space. They are aimed at professional solo artists and small ensembles in the field of music in Germany and abroad.

(15 March 2021)
Democracy only functions when we work together. With Tramas Democráticas, the Goethe-Institut brings actors from South America and Germany together to strengthen democratic values.

(08 March 2021)
“El siglo de las mujeres” (“The Century of Women”) by the Goethe-Instituts in South America develops strategies against patriarchal structures and violence against women. “The Latest at Goethe” spoke with Rita Segato. 

(02 March 2021)
Due to the pandemic, the 2021 Berlinale is being held as a digital industry event and a “Summer Special” with audience appeal. Among other things, the Goethe-Institut is involved with two podcasts.

(24 February 2021)
When was the last time you hugged someone? For the Goethe-Institut’s online video project “Museum of Embraces and Encounters”, artists from all over the world talk about moments of meeting and intimacy, but also of an encounter with a criminal.

In the online exhibition Take Me to the River by the Goethe-Institut and Prince Claus Fund, artists explore the consequences of climate change for indigenous peoples. The curator Maya El Khalil and her assistant Danielle Makhoul spoke about the interface of art and sustainability and the importance of indigenous perspectives in art.

(03 February 2021)
Composer Brigitta Muntendorf and dramaturge Moritz Lobeck created the audio-visual installation “Covered Culture,” commissioned by the Goethe-Institut. In an interview with “The Latest at Goethe”, they talk about the importance of Beethoven in the twenty-first century and a possible parallel to Neil Young. 

(27 January 2021)
The extermination camp at Auschwitz was liberated 76 years ago today. Secretary-general of the Goethe-Institut Johannes Ebert writes about the personal and social responsibility that arises from commemorating the victims of National Socialism.

(25 January 2021)
How can smart, digital tools for society and politics be developed in a short period of time? That was the aim of the competition called Our Digital Future – C’est ICI (Inclusion, Collaboration, Inspiration), in which the Goethe-Institut Montreal took the lead.

(21 January 2021)
Faced with the current economic situation in Spain, 13 educators from Spain were drawn to Schwäbisch Hall where they are working in the city’s day-care centres while learning German at the Goethe-Institut.

(18 January 2021)
The Metropolis Art Cinema in Beirut has already coped with a number of disasters, Covid-19 being just one of them. Director Hania Mroué nevertheless keeps finding new ways to bring international and Lebanese cinematic art to the public.

(14 January 2021)
In the podcast “The Big Ponder” initiated by the Goethe-Institut Washington, authors use personal stories to explore what connects, separates or even surprises Germany and the USA. “The Latest at Goethe” spoke with Bilal Qureshi, one of the podcast authors.

(11 January 2021)
Defending the possibilities of culture against a world that is increasingly perceived as “hellish”: Le Biennali Invisibili (The Invisible Biennials), a project commissioned by the Goethe-Zentrum Baku, is showing an online biennial inspired by Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities.

(04 January 2021)
The anti-Corona measures hit the Georgian cultural sector unprepared – including the Royal District Theatre in Tbilisi. Dramaturge Davit Gabunia reports on how the theater was able to continue.

(18 December 2020)
The pandemic has exacerbated the already precarious situation of Roma within the Serbian school system. With funds from the International Relief Fund 2020, Forum Roma was able to maintain analogue teaching for various Roma settlements.

(15 December 2020)
In December 2020, the Goethe-Institut Montreal, together with Confabulation, the (in normal years) monthly storytelling event in Montreal and Victoria, organized the first ever Fehler-Event. Author and storyteller Lukas Rowland shares with us how he experienced this evening of stories about mistakes and errors.

(11 December 2020)
The Outreach Foundation in Johannesburg does neighbourhood work in the city centre. With funds from the International Relief Fund of the Goethe-Institut, the German Federal Foreign Office and other foundations and cultural intermediary organisations, it was possible to continue an intergenerational theatre project that would not have existed in this form due to Corona.

(08 December 2020)
The coronavirus pandemic also left a mark on the year 2020 for the Goethe-Institut. In his interview with “The Latest at Goethe”, Secretary-General Johannes Ebert is optimistic about the future and speaks about the focuses the Goethe-Institut will set in 2021.

(03 December 2020)
Today, the tenth issue of das goethe has been released as a supplement to the Germany-wide subscribers’ edition of the weekly DIE ZEIT. Its focus is on climate change and its effects on the people of the Arctic.

(30 November 2020)
In preparation for her work for “Europe’s Kitchen”, the writer, dramaturge and theatre director Ivana Sajko wrote an essay as a commentary on the situation of south-eastern European cultural professionals during the pandemic.

(27 November 2020)
The Contemporary And (C&) platform, founded by Julia Grosse and Yvette Mutumba, has been offering insights into contemporary art and cultural scenes from Africa and the global diaspora for seven years. “The Latest at Goethe” spoke with them.

(24 November 2020)
Interest in the German language in the world differs according to regions and politics. Secretary-general of the Goethe-Institut Johannes Ebert was interviewed by the journal Forschung & Lehre.

(20 November 2020)
For it’s first virtual artist residency “Sudan Moves”, the Goethe-Institut Sudan invited German and Sudanese artists and collectives to explore new forms of artistic collaboration in the digital sphere.

(17 November 2020)
For “Hack Your Culture” by the Goethe-Institut, three representatives of cultural institutions in Brazil, Indonesia and Kenya met to discuss digital challenges.

(13 November 2020)
On the occasion of the official handover, The Latest at Goethe spoke with the outgoing president of the Goethe-Institut Klaus-Dieter Lehmann and his successor Carola Lentz. 

(12 November 2020)
A Goethe-Institut research project develops a self-learning computer program that does more than to detect fake submissions. “Goethe aktuell” spoke to scientist and researchers Prof. Dr. Niels Pinkwart and Leo Sylvio Rüdian who explains how the program supports teachers in their daily work tutoring German online courses.

(05 November 2020)
The biologist and philosopher Andreas Weber, a participant in the Goethe-Institut’s "Freiraum Festival", on the question of how much freedom individuals can have in a community under the dictates of the coronavirus.

(02 November 2020)
The Climate Challenge is an online hackathon announced by the Goethe-Institut in which multiple teams developed innovative digital solutions to fight climate change.

(29 October 2020)
From 30 October until 1 November 2020, the Goethe-Institut’s “Freiraum Festival” will put freedom in Europe at the centre of discussion. Join us live online!

(26 October 2020)
At the Goethe-Institut symposium “Decolonizing classical musics?” participants discussed colonial aspects of classical music.

(22 October 2020)
How skilled labour migration can succeed: The Goethe-Institut has published two analyses on the pre-integration and mobility of skilled workers from abroad.  

(21 October 2020)
The 2020 Kakehashi Literature Prize has been awarded to German author Lutz Seiler and Japanese translator Jisung Kim for the translation of the novel Kruso. In the interview, they explain how the rhythm of the work changes in Japanese. 

(19 October 2020)
What happens when, for the German EU Council Presidency, the Goethe-Institut invites artists and strangers to a table? At Europe’s Kitchen in Scotland, video installations by artist Jeannette Ehlers were the focus of the table discussions. 

(16 October 2020)
As part of the Goethe-Institut’s international post-colonialism project "Everything Passes Except the Past", a virtual debate festival will take place on 17 October. The art historian Bénédicte Savoy will open it with a key-note lecture. 

(13 October 2020)
On 8 October in Berlin, the president of the Goethe-Institut Klaus-Dieter Lehmann opened a conference series of the Goethe-Institut’s Europanetzwerk Deutsch on the topic of multilingualism.

(09 October 2020)
“Adults, do something now!” As part of the celebrations for the Day of German Unity, the Goethe-Institut Bucharest presented the Earth Speakr project in the presence of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. 

(08 October 2020)
Ruth Klüger died on Tuesday in Irvine, California, at the age of 88. In 2005, the author and literary scholar received the Goethe Medal. We remember her.

(06 October 2020)
The present debates about colonialism, racism and restitution also influence the work of the Goethe-Institut. Its Secretary-General Johannes Ebert explains how the cultural work of the Goethe-Institut has changed over the past few decades.

(02 October 2020)
On 3 October the German-Korean play “Borderline” will premiere at the Residenztheater in Munich. In an interview with “The Latest at Goethe”, Jürgen Berger talks about the differences and similarities between the German and Korean divisions.

(29 September 2020)
The project “Kulturtechniken 4.0” of the Goethe-Institut Australia investigates the interplay between Artificial Intelligence and cultural skills. In an interview, author Thomas Ramge discusses whether AI is making us forget how to write.

(24 September 2020)
Currently Manifesta 13 takes place in Marseille. The Goethe-Institut Marseille accompanies the biennial for art with residencies and exhibitions. In our interview, resident Hoda Tawakol talks about the influence of her “three mothers” on her art.

(22 September 2020)
In the online exhibition “Re-Visiting Orientalism” paintings from the 19th century meet current sceneries. For “The Latest at Goethe”, the artist Andréas Lang explains how orientalist imagery has shaped the western perspective.

(18 September 2020)
The “Couch Lessons” highlight the opportunities and risks of algorithmic decision-making systems. In a new episode, the disarmament expert Angela Kane and the political scientist P. W. Singer discussed the topic of “AI + Peace.”

(17 September 2020)
In early September, Teplitsa. Technologies for Social Good and the Goethe-Institut Moscow held an online conference on the social implications of digitisation: “Net September” dealt with the challenges and possibilities of new technologies.

(10 September 2020)
Fashion without exploitation: The fourth exchange project by Local International for students of fashion design in Germany and Bangladesh was dedicated to sustainability along supply chains. The students now present their results and responses in an online exhibition.

(04 September 2020)
How do monuments shape the commemorative culture? The project “Shaping the Past” of the Goethe-Institut, the Monument Lab and the Federal Agency for Civic Education brings together initiatives from North America and Germany.

(02 September 2020)
Two years ago the Museo Nacional in Rio de Janeiro fell victim to a major fire. “The Latest at Goethe” spoke to the director of the museum, Alexander Kellner, about the challenges he is facing now.

(27 August 2020)
On August 28, the Goethe-Institut will hold a digital ceremony to present the Goethe Medal to Zukiswa Wanner, Elvira Espejo Ayca and Ian McEwan. Watch the stream of the event with film portraits and musical performances at 11 a.m. (CET).

(17 August 2020)
GROOVE magazine and the Goethe-Institut are holding a programme for journalists around the world. Laura Aha and Kristoffer Cornils spoke with “The Latest” at Goethe about “Global GROOVE” and their dream for international music journalism.

(11 August 2020)
From 3 to 7 August, the Internationale Deutscholympiade, the largest contest for the German language, took place in the digital space for the first time. How do you organise a competition with 120 pupils from 17 time zones?
 

(04 August 2020)
Together with the Asinakuthula Collective, Athambile Masola tells the untold stories of black African women. After an edit-a-thon as part of the project “Decolonise The Internet”, she spoke with “The latest” at Goethe.

(30 July 2020)
Jackie Karuti from Kenya is the recipient of the second Henrike Grohs Art Award, an award for African artists in the visual arts founded by the Goethe-Institut and the Grohs family.

(24 July 2020)
The QuaRANTine Choir is an artistic chain reaction, a choir separated by time and space. In the podcast’s ten episodes, artists and musicians play with the idea of the rant.

(21 July 2020)
The Annual Report 2019/2020 of the Goethe-Institut is dedicated to Europe. In his editorial, Johannes Ebert, Secretary-General of the Goethe-Institut, speaks out in favour of solidarity and cultural and social networking.

(15 July 2020)
The artists Anna Heger and Sam Orchard send their avatars to various places in New Zealand and Germany for the comic series “Queer Comic Conversations”. They talk about their experiences as queer people and encounters with hatred and violence.

(9 July 2020)
Will youth unemployment rise sharply in Europe due to the coronavirus health crisis? How can the European Union prevent this? These questions were posed during the online conference “Preventing a Lost Generation 2.0” by StartNet Europe.

(6 July 2020)
In an interview with “The Latest” at Goethe, president of the Goethe-Institut Klaus-Dieter Lehmann explains how the coronavirus pandemic is changing international cultural work, how the Goethe-Institut enables encounters even in the digital space, and how it is supporting its worldwide partners.

(3 July 2020)
The digital magazine “Fehler” celebrates mistakes, errors, and happy accidents and their innovative power with perspectives from Germany, India, Canada, and the USA. Hulk, the famous monster of Marvel comics, also owes its trademark to a printing error.

(1 July 2020)
The Goethe-Institut is strengthening its European commitment for Germany’s EU Council Presidency. A few days before the start of the presidency, at the “United for a New Future” conference, cultural and creative professionals sought ways out of the crisis.

(26 June 2020)
What role does the colonial era play in the cultures of remembrance in Namibia, Germany, or India and how does that era influence the present? Urvashi Butalia, Nelago Shilongoh, Mark Terkessidis, and René Aguigah discussed this at the “Latitude” festival.

(23 June 2020)
At the “Latitude” festival, Nanjira Sambuli, Renata Ávila Pinto, Esra’a Al Shafei and Mi You searched for means for digital equality. Their discussion “Re-imagining the Internet” and many more contributions are now available in the digital festival’s media library.

(19 June 2020)
A city can be easily identified by its sights. But can it also be identified by its sound? For “Sound of X” by the Goethe-Institut Singapore, artists audio-visually captured the identities of eight cities.

(10 June 2020)
Issue 01/2020 launches the fifth year of "das goethe". Practically an anniversary issue, which, this time, is devoted entirely to Europe: Based on the project "Tell Me about Europe", in five interviews two generations talk about European lives, opinions, and ideals.

(2 June 2020)
With the play “The Mourning Citizen” Trixie Munyama deals with the horrors of the German colonial past at the festival “Latitude”. In conversation with “The Latest” at Goethe, she speaks about memory and rituals in dealing with the past.

(27 May 2020)
Mehtap Baydu is currently a resident at the Kulturakademie Tarabya in Istanbul. In an interview with “The Latest” at Goethe, she tells us how the coronavirus pandemic impacts her residency and how her fictional character “Osman” is experiencing the crisis.

(22 May 2020)
“Lorenz.io (Romeo Meetz Yulija)” with 20 actors from Ukraine and Germany celebrated its premiere online. The youth theatre project demonstrated that theatre productions can also be put on during the coronavirus pandemic.

(18 May 2020)
The homeless newspaper “Arts of the Working Class” and the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles present the special edition “Worlds Of Homelessness”. In an interview with “The Latest” at Goethe, editors María Inés Plaza Lazo and Alina Ana Kolar talk about their idea of an art magazine for everyone.

(11 May 2020)
Solidarity against the coronavirus pandemic: The graffiti artist Jasmin Siddiqui AKA Hera created the mural “Silent Heroes”. She spoke with “The Latest” at Goethe about the work’s production and the role of art in times of crisis.

(29 April 2020)
Last weekend at the Goethe-Institut’s “Hatathon Hack the Culture”, over a thousand participants developed solutions to the challenges faced by cultural workers during the coronavirus crisis. They did it all online, of course.

(24 March 2020)
Bored at home? Check out our fun and interesting free online offers which you can easily discover from the comfort of your own couch. Play, listen, read, test your knowledge – happy exploring!
 

(23 March 2020)
Train your language skills on your own couch: Learn German at home with our various digital tips, interactive exercieses and games.

(16 March 2020)
As part of the nationwide closure of educational institutions, the Goethe-Institut is ending all classroom courses in Germany with immediate effect. All German courses now underway will be offered as online courses from 18 March to 19 April or later.

(12 March 2020)
Clear design, easy orientation, new functions – after its relaunch, the website of the “Schools: Partners for the Future (PASCH)” initiative boasts a completely new look and a mobile version.

(03 March 2020)
Programmes for linguistic, regional and intercultural preparation for people who want to come to Germany will be further expanded abroad. This demand is also supported by a study by the Goethe-Institut, which for the first time examined the needs of migrant workers in the pre-integration phase.

(29 February 2020)
It all started with an Apollo 11 moon rock. But the natural scientist Klaus-Dieter Lehmann was instead drawn into the world of culture. It’s still holding on to the president of the Goethe-Institut.

(24 February 2020)
The artist Natascha Sadr Haghighian is known for assuming different identities. At the Venice Biennale she worked for the German Pavilion and now presented her work at the festival "Movement (1920-2020)".

(18 February 2020)
Eleven German lecturers from Eastern Europe were trained as media experts at the invitation of the Goethe-Institut and the BR Media Literacy Projects. For The Latest at Goethe, the Ukrainian participant Julia Taips describes her expectations of the project at the Munich broadcasting centre.

(04 February 2020)
On 28 and 29 January, a conference at the interface of culture, law and industry took place at the Brussels creative hub La Vallée. The event was organised by the EU project Creative FLIP and the European Commission. More than 230 stakeholders and decision-makers from the public and private sectors from all over Europe as well as actors from the cultural and creative industries took part.

(31 January 2020)
As of 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom of Great Britain is no longer part of the European Union. The Goethe-Institut, which has been committed to German-British cultural dialogue for over sixty years, is responding by working even more closely with British and European partners.

(28 January 2020)
At the semi-annual meeting of the Deutscher Bühnenverein (German Theatre Association), around 60 directors of German theatres and orchestras reconsidered the question of where and how they should position themselves in times of political upheaval. The Goethe-Institut Tokyo also took up the topic and discussed it as part of its series “theater anders denken – a new look at theatre”.

(21 January 2020)
What are the dangers of machine translation? And what does its future hold? At the “Night of Science”, researchers, professors and translators discussed the topic of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Translation and Cultural Diversity at the Goethe-Institut Finland.

(16 January 2020)
The new edition of “das goethe” with the theme “Digital Civil Society” will be issued on 16 January. On The Latest at Goethe, journalist Ina Holev explains how colonisation continues in the digital space.

(13 January 2020)
How can cultural institutions do justice to the diverse worlds of experience of people in a globalised world? From 16 January, the Friendly Confrontations festival by the Münchner Kammerspiele and the Goethe-Institut will investigate this question. The kick-off event will be held at the head office of the Goethe-Institut.

(03 January 2020) 
“AfriCourage” is the first music festival from sub-Saharan Africa to be broadcast live by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). In December 2019, artists including Baaba Maal, Smockey and the Ensemble Modern joined Gambian stars on stage at the event in Banjul co-organised by the Goethe-Institut.