After a five-year interruption, the traditional weeks of German culture have been revived in Ukraine on a much larger scale than ever before. Germany’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Dr. Hans-Jurgen Heimsoeth, told journalists at a recent press conference that between Sept. 1 and Nov. 7 of this year 100 events will take place in 15 cities of Ukraine.
“We want to showcase different areas of modern German culture and the people who work in them,” the German ambassador said. “At the same time, it is important for us to present issues that are of great importance for the future, such as climate changes and the environment.” These problems will be discussed at seminars that will be organized by the German Administrative Development Service.
The German ambassador explained that it took one year to prepare the weeks of German culture. In his view, such large-scale activities cannot be held in Ukraine on a yearly basis.
Commenting on the financial aspects of holding the weeks of German culture in Ukraine, Dr. Heimsoeth informed his listeners that the cost of organizing this year’s events total 550,000 euros, 200,000 of which were furnished by the German government and 150,000 by German companies that operate in Ukraine. Ukrainian businesses agreed to donate an additional 200,000 euros.
The German ambassador does not think that the recent events in the Caucasus will have any direct influence on the weeks of German culture. “We want to facilitate meetings among creative personalities from the world of art. Culture can have as much impact as politics. In holding these cultural events, we want our countries to become better acquainted with each other and to establish direct contacts between our two nations,” said the German ambassador.
The weeks of German culture will start with the opening of a German school in Kyiv, where 11 students have already registered. Dr. Heimsoeth expressed the hope that this school will become a meeting place for Germans and Ukrainians, and that the school’s diplomas will be recognized in Ukraine and the EU.
Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre Frioli, the head of Germany’s Department of Culture, Education and Minorities, has announced that during the weeks of German culture in Kyiv Andrii Zholdak, with support from Serhii Taruta and the Donbas Industrial Union, will stage Wozzek, a play by the German writer Georg Buechner. The Lesia Ukrainka Kyiv Russian Drama Theater will stage a joint Ukrainian-German play entitled Marat/De Sade, which will feature actors speaking both languages. A unique exhibition of prints from the Dresden Museum, entitled “From Venice to Dresden,” will open at the National Museum of Art.
Kyivites will have an opportunity to enjoy performances by the Leipzig Opera House and the Bundeswehr Brass Band, and to hear contemporary music from Ukraine and Germany. Donetsk will host the VDR TV channel’s big band from Cologne. A large variety of German music will be performed in other cities of Ukraine. Cinema-goers in Kyiv will not be neglected either. For one week, starting Sept. 25, they will have an opportunity to see the best German movies.
Germany’s Ambassador to Ukraine confessed that he is privy to the plans for holding the weeks of Ukrainian culture in Germany. He said that an agreement to hold an art exhibit devoted to the Ukrainian Cossacks in Dresden in 2011 has already been reached. Dr. Heimsoeth thinks that it is extremely important for Ukraine to promote itself better in Western Europe through cultural events or the successful hosting of the Euro-2012. Germany is ready to share the experience of organizing large-scale cultural activities, he added.
