The Goethe-Institute Libanon held a press conference this morning at its renovated premises in Gemmayzeh that are open to everyone who is interested in cultural encounters, learning German or discovering the current trends in German and European art, film, dance, music, and philosophy. Mani Pournaghi, director of the Goethe-Institut Libanon, stressed the importance of mutual cooperation and dialogue: "Our goal is to create a space for people from Lebanon, Germany, and Europe where they can come together, discuss different ideas and experiment with artistic expressions".
The Goethe-Institut in Lebanon
In Lebanon, the Goethe-Institut is part of a worldwide network of 159 Goethe-Institutes, which are the cultural institutes of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Goethe-Institutes focus on interactions in the linguistic and cultural field. The aim is to develop vibrant relationships and co-productions with partners - individuals and organizations working independently in the field of culture, education, teacher training, and civil society. In Beirut the Goethe-Institut has established long-standing relationships with its partners due to its long presence since 1955.
German as a foreign language in Lebanon
The Goethe-Institut offers a wide range of language courses in its state-of the art classrooms with interactive smart boards as well as online courses and official language exams. During the last year the Goethe-Institut Libanon registered over 1200 inscriptions and around 6,000 exams were taken. Moreover, the institute provides interesting workshops and trainings for German teachers as well as for those who want to teach German. Thereby, the institute works closely with several universities, schools, and educational institutions.
A forum for contemporary German culture
Beside the language programs, the Goethe-Institut offers various cultural activities in the world of art, film, music and dance in order to explore the intellectual trends and social issues that are being currently discussed globally. The cultural spheres of Germany, Lebanon and the region are linked through close cooperation with various partners. The next big event will be the German Film Week which will start on 21 September and will present the latest and most popular German films.
With long-term projects such as "Laboratory of Arts" or "Backstory", a residency program, the Goethe-Institut supports artists and filmmakers from the region and provides a platform where they can meet, interact and exchange ideas. Additionally, it helps with projects such as BibBus and Ideas Boxes to create mobile learning spaces, where children and the youth can explore their artistic talents.
An up-to-date image of Germany in Lebanon
The new Media Lounge which is located on the ground floor of the Institute presents nearly 2000 media items such as books, films, journals and news magazines that are available in German, English, French or Arabic. It thereby provides current information on developments in the arts, cultural spheres, political life and society to a wide audience. For instance, the Arabic translations of important works of German philosophers were added to the library.
The Reopening of the new institute and a "Große Party"
The Goethe-Institut starts its diverse cultural program with a public "Große Party" on 28 September starting at 8pm to celebrate its relocation. During the "Große Party" musicians from the region such as Charlie Rayne, Ary Jan Sarhan, Sara Darwish, Gurumiran and Who Killed Bruce Lee (Acoustic Set) as well as the DJs Jad Taleb and Rita will perform in the schoolyard of the Sacré-Coeur school in Gemmayzeh. To create the Berlin atmosphere in Beirut and link these two great cities, a live digital calligraffiti-performance will take place, where artists from Berlin and Beirut will meet digitally on a screen and exchange their messages.
In its new Media Lounge, starting October, the Goethe-Institut will present a photo exhibition by Johann Clausen and Alexander Graeser. In their photos, they explore the limits or limitlessness of desire. Is it possible to desire a building as much as a human body? With the limits of the general perception plays as well the virtual reality-experience which is designed by Nour Malaeb and can be explored during the opening hours of the Media Lounge.
The press conference took place under the attendance of Hindeja Farah, First Secretary and Head of Economic, Cultural, and Media Section at German Embassy Beirut.
For more information:
www.goethe.de/beirut
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