17 venues, 17 ideas
Street football, a roof-top art exhibition and heated debates. The Long Night of Ideas organised by the Federal Foreign Office invites visitors to 17 extraordinary cultural venues.
Germany. Interactive games, models of ancient artefacts brought to life by 3D glasses and moving poems written by young refugees. With 17 ideas at 17 different venues in Berlin the Federal Foreign Office and its partners are inviting everyone on May 12 2017 to discover the many facets of the Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy (FCEP).
On May 4 2017 the Federal Foreign Office presented the programme for the second Long Night of Ideas, which has been expanded as a result of the event's success in 2016. “The Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy is an essential component, pillar and a pioneering plant of foreign policy,” according to the Federal Foreign Office. “Where understanding hardly seems possible because political differences are ideologically charged, it can help us understand differences and similarities.” As the “third pillar” alongside political and economic relations of German foreign policy, the Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy creates a pre-political environment and initiates discussions and processes, thus facilitating political understanding. The Long Night of Ideas introduces the opportunities, actors and full extent of the Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy in Germany.
Flight and migration in education
The event programme has been scheduled to allow people to visit several different venues, meaning visitors will be able to enjoy a wide variety of events and activities. For instance, the Central Agency for Schools Abroad is working with the House of World Cultures and the Poetry Project to offer people the chance to learn about new approaches in future-orientated education. Poetry readings, video installations and an interactive exhibition will enable participants to experience flight and migration in the context of schools and education. An interactive workshop organised by the Maxim Gorki Theater aims to encourage people to discuss the duty of culture and theatre in times of social upheaval. Those wanting to virtually explore ancient cities should grab a pair of 3D glasses and head to the event organised by the German Archaeological Institute.
On the roof of the Federal Foreign Office the artist in residence Said Baalbaki will be presenting some of his work. In the Game Science Center in Berlin gamers will be able to test out video games from Germany, Indonesia and Brazil and explore the digitalisation aspect of the Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy.
Extra points for fair play
The question as to what politics and culture can and must do in the current times when nationalism and populism are on the rise will be the topic at a discussion organised by the Federal Foreign Office in cooperation with the Tagesspiegel newspaper at a venue of particular significance – the building site of the new Humboldt Forum, a meeting point for people to come together for lively exchange in the heart of Berlin. The author Carolin Emcke, winner of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 2016, Martin Roth, president-elect of the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, renowned art historian Bénédicte Savoy and Tagesspiegel editor-in-chief Stephan-Andreas Casdorff will be discussing “The new disorder – what politics and culture must do”.
At the Museum for Islamic Art and the Museum of the Ancient Near East tours will be provided by Syrian and Iraqi refugees who have trained to become museum guides for Arabic-speaking refugees through “Projekt Multaka” (Arabic for meeting place). The exchange of different cultural and historical experiences during the tour is, in many cases, just as meaningful as the tour itself. During the Long Night of Ideas tours will be offered in English and German.
Through its programme “football3” the Street Football World initiative has developed a type of street football which is now being played in social projects around the globe. Those interested can try it out at the Long Night of Ideas in Berlin. The game is played without a referee, which means extra points are awarded for fair play.
You can follow the events live from May 12 on facebook where deutschland.de will be reporting throughout the Long Night of Ideas: www.facebook.com/deutschland.de
