“Understanding beyond political differences”: 75 years of the Goethe Institute with Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Three quarters of a century Goethe Institute: Today with 154 branches in 100 countries and an annual budget of 447 million euros Goethe a globally unique network, which is not necessarily noticed in this country – it is in the nature of things – but even more so in difficult places where authoritarian forces rule. In recent years, the institute has increasingly taken care of skilled workers abroad with its language and welcome courses. Your journey to Germany will be made easier.

Safe spaces for culture

A politician who can be called a friend of the Goethe Institute is Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. At the birthday party in the Berlin Festival House, he gave a speech that came from the heart. With cultural work abroad, Steinmeier wants to “strengthen European partnerships, deepen existing partnerships and win new partners around the world”. He sees the work of the Goethe Institute as an “offer of understanding beyond political differences and economic interests, on the basis of common humanity”. The world needs free and at the same time protected spaces for art and culture.

Steinmeier knows the intermediary organization, as it is called in political parlance, from his time as foreign minister. The Goethe Institute is part of the Federal Foreign Office. At the time, Steinmeier was strongly committed to foreign cultural policy, in the tradition of Willy Brandt. There were also predecessors and successors who had little to do with the Goethe Institute.

Johann Wadephul, the current head of the Foreign Office, said on the anniversary: ​​”Through cultural cooperation and the promotion of the German language, the Goethe-Institut has won minds and hearts for Germany around the world. Such resilient networks are essential for Germany’s international relations. Strengthening them contributes to security and prosperity in our country.”

How to deal with war and crises?

So all peace, joy, birthday cake? Certainly not. Goethe General Secretary Johannes Ebert says that the spaces of freedom are becoming narrower in many places and illiberal actions are increasing. Ebert is now giving up his position in the summer and going to the institute in Athens, the oldest Goethe branch abroad, opened in 1952. Ebert was previously head of the institute in Moscow, Kiev and Cairo. Gitte Zschoch will now become the institute’s first general secretary; she comes from the Institute for Foreign Relations (ifa).

How to deal with disruption and restrictions, war and crises? Gesche Joost, President of the Goethe Institute, offered two terms in her speech that should help. She speaks of radical kindness and critical hope. One could also say: cultural work is non-violent resistance. Goethe works with the French institutes abroad, while the USA under Trump is cutting off international cooperation in many places.

There are many moving, personal stories that have been written over 75 years. Shelly Kupferberg, who moderated the ceremony in the Festival Hall, says that her parents met at the then new Goethe Institute in Tel Aviv. Maria Kalesnikava’s story is encouraging: When there was still a Goethe Institute in Minsk, Belarus, she came into contact with German culture and music and with European values. This was followed by studying music in Stuttgart. The civil rights activist was imprisoned in Belarus for five years. She has been free since the end of last year.

Jagoda Marinić spoke about the “other Germany” in her contribution on the birthday stage. What is meant is Germany as it presented itself after the Second World War with the Goethe Institute. Democratic, as a free culture. “We have to know what we have,” she says. What is at stake when enemies of democracy grab power. This Germany, says the writer and podcaster, must be defended.