Starting Oct 11, ‘German Weeks’ to offer something for everyone

German Consul General in Karachi, Rainer Schmiedchen, and the director of the Goethe-Institut, Karachi, Stefan Winkler, at a joint press conference held at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday afternoon announced the schedule of activities of both organisations for the period from October 11 to December 31 this year.

Designated as the ‘German Weeks 2017’, the period envisages a vast range of diverse cultural and educational activity.

The period begins with an academic lecture, ‘The Reformation and its effects on the culture and politics of Europe’, by Professor Gury Schneider-Ludorff at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA) on October 11 at 5pm. On October 13, there will be a music workshop and concert, ‘Raggabund’. This is a German urban and dancehall formation; on October 19 there will be a German spelling competition and October 22 will be the grand finale of the national competition.  

The Goethe-Institut is supporting the KB17, the first biennale in Karachi under the theme, ‘Witness’, curated by Amin Gulgee. The public opening for the event would be on October 22 and it will run till November 5. 

The other events are as follows:

October 23-27: Film festival, starting with the film, ‘Conni and Co.’

All through November: A series of documentaries.

November 11: Second German Consulate-General football cup.

November 17: Concert, ‘We work in Space’, by Ashraf Khan and Viktor Marek.

November 21: Jazz concert.

November 23: Lecture by Dr Wasim Frembgen titled, ‘The Charisma of the Qalandar: aesthetics of devotion in the cult of Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’.

November 24: Sufi night with Kashif Zafar and a sufi fusion Qawwali ensemble.

November 28: Book launch of ‘Pakistan Now’, a book by a German photographer that showcases Pakistan’s scenic splendour.

Nov 30: Dinner jointly hosted by the German Consulate-General and M/S Dewan Motors to showcase the latest BMW 5 Series.

December 7: CVT networking event at the German Consulate-General.

December 7: Annual chamber meeting of the German-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI).

December 16-17: 60th anniversary of the Goethe-Institut in Pakistan.

Speaking at the presser, CG Schmiedchen said, “Cultural exchange is an important part of the public diplomacy of Germany. It is a means to engage people in a positive way.” 

He further stated that this year’s German Weeks offered a great line up for people from all walks of life.

Goethe-Institut Director Stefan Winkler said the institute would be presenting events like the best of documentaries, jazz/fusion concerts, exhibitions, the third German spelling bee contest for
Pasch schools, a music workshop/concert, and an open day for students interested in higher education and language teaching in Germany.

The large line-up of activities, with important personalities form Germany coming over for the events, belies all the propaganda about Pakistan being a security risk country, for had that been the case we could not have had such a profusion of activities with visiting German scholars and artistes.