The Goethe-Institut opens its doors for a full 24 hours on 5 and 6 May: The event “24H German” is filled with activities that will tickle your interest in the German language. Ranging from taster lessons to board games and exam preparation to film screenings, sports in German and karaoke, every speaker, learner, or lover of German will find something to their taste. Doors will open on 5 May at 2 PM and close on the following day.

On Fridays, literature and culture enthusiasts meet on Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad for the regular Chai Talks, a cooperation between the Al-Mada Foundation and the Goethe-Institut Iraq.
In May we will revive Iraqi stars and take a look at the future of the music landscape in Iraq.
May 5: Pasha Salima Murad. Lady of Iraqi Singing
May 12: The music of tomorrow! Conversations with young Iraqi musicians
May 26: Muhammad Mahdi Al-Jawahiri. His Poetry and His Life, with Professor Nadia Hannoui

Where?
at the Al-Mada Foundation House, Mutanabbi Street, Baghdad

Niemandsland - Music and dance performance  
With Mneme Kollektiv (Stefan Schneider, Tobias Link, Isabel Bernhard, Sarah Bernhard, Charlotte Petersen)
 
"Niemandsland" (No-man's-land) deals with the current feeling of being overwhelmed and powerless in the face of world events. Three dancers and two musicians contemplate the quivering standing of people on the edge of a change so immense that it cannot be measured. Together they dare to look into the abyss to search for beauty there.   
"Niemandsland" is adapted from the text "Uncivilisation - A Dark Mountain Manifesto" by Paul Kingsnorth and Dougald Hine.cIt is dance theatre and concert at the same time and is accompanied by a philosophical preliminary talk and a movement workshop.   
The performance is part of the Helan Project, a collaboration between the Goethe-Institut Irak, the Sêv Gallery and the Framing Photojournalism School.

Where?
Roshenberi Hall, Kirkuk Road, Erbil

Dana Muheddin (tar, composition) and Riyad Osman (vocals)
A concert based on text fragments of Ahmed Khani's ancient Kurdish poetry. Dana Muheddin took the poetry of Ahmad Khani as the starting point for his compositions, using Kurdish song forms and rhythms from Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey. Riyad Osman's singing originates from the various Kurdish dialects.

Talery Huner Hall, Sulaymaniyah

The music festival in Halabja city park, organised by the Goethe-Institut, returns this year with a programme that boasts a fusion of various Kurdish music traditions. The stars of the evening will be Mirzo Band from Shingal and Yasna, a band uniting eight young musicians from all over Iraq. These young women and men met during the Goethe-Institut Iraq’s 2022 Music Residency. Stefan Schneider and Ibrahim Keivo from Germany as well as Gani Mirzo from Spain will join in as guest musicians. The event starts at 7 PM. 

Film lovers will be in for a treat on 4 May with the screening of the German classic “Run Lola Run” by director Tom Tykwer and on 11 May with the French drama “Rouge” by director Farid Bentoumi. Part of the Franco-German film screenings of KultKino/Ciné-Club, Tykwer’s and Bentoumi’s works will be shown at the Institut Français d’Irak à Erbil in their original language versions with English subtitles. The event starts at 6:30 PM on both days. 

We look back on the joint Iftar during the month of Ramadan, where partners and colleagues of the Goethe-Institut Iraq came together in a festive atmosphere. Stimulating conversations, the exchange of ideas, and networking are always at the centre of this annual meeting.