The Latest at Goethe

The time has come: The Goethe-Institut in Angola has now officially begun its work. After the signing of a cultural agreement by the governments of Angola and Germany in February 2009, we can now begin to bring the text of the agreement to life. For the opening of the institute, state secretary Peter Ammon and Klaus-Dieter Lehmann, the president of the Goethe-Institut, travelled especially to southern Africa. By Stefan Hüsgen

Of course, there is not yet a Goethe-Institut building as we might wish and that the Angolans would find suitable, not to mention staff and ample funding. Yet, the Goethe-Institut stands for its programmes, its content and not predominantly for a building. So, some of the Angolans and I, too, think: finally!

Angola is very aligned to Brazil and Portugal, which is understandable. 500 years of close relations with Portugal and the neighbours across the ocean speak for themselves. Not even the fight for independence and the seemingly endless civil war could change that. Portuguese was maintained as the official language of the independent nation. But more than 60 percent of the population is under 25 and very curious.

„Impressions from Angola“

Now Goethe is in Angola. Following Germany's withdrawal from Angola after reunification we've come back. The Angolan government views the return with reserved pleasure. As an Angolan artist told me, "We don't need you, but it's nice to have you here." That's something to build on.

The last ten months have been a marathon for me personally. I lost about 30 pounds, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I "resided" in a nine square metre room for seven months, for one because it was not possible to rent a hotel room for such a long period and secondly because there was no hotel room for me. Yet, this is how we learn. The real estate market in Luanda reflected my hotel dilemma. A halfway adequate house or flat costs between 20,000 and 45,000 US dollars – per month.

Forgotten paradise

The foreigners in Luanda battle one another fiercely for the few acceptable properties. Sometimes I am reminded of my days as a student in Munich, where I also couldn’t find a flat due to my limited budget. The reasons are simple: the supply is next to nothing and there are oil companies in particular that accept and pay any price unscrupulously, making it as good as impossible for those with funds from a public budget. It took until last November before I could finally sign a lease.

I wasn't the first to move into the house; all sorts of disagreeable creatures had already taken up residence. In return the roof was leaky, which can be fatal during tropical showers. The existing generator must have given up the ghost years ago and after a few days the sump also overflowed. When I contacted the landlady, who had already pocketed the first year's rent, I was told to be happy to have a house at all. If I wanted to renovate it, I should go right ahead – at my cost.

And so, after the search for a house, the second odyssey began: how do you renovate a house in Luanda? In a nutshell, I finished the work last week so that we were able to open the house as the nucleus of the Goethe-Institut Angola with 95 percent functionality.

Angola is as fascinating as it is shattering. The history of the past 500 years is very stirring, while the suffering of the past 30 years is just as indescribable as the suffering in colonial times; the slavery. Nonetheless the people are so incredibly peaceful and friendly, at least outside of Luanda. Nature here is unique. If Angola had a better infrastructure it could easily compete with South Africa and Namibia for tourism. Endless beaches, primeval forests, rivers and lakes; a true paradise – and still known only to a few. Besides those lured here by oil and diamonds, hardly anyone has found their way to Angola.

Under the influence with Willy

I am no Africa romanticist, nor am I boundlessly optimistic about many countries in the region, but Angola is going to be a force to reckon with in coming years. The new Goethe-Institut Angola will accompany the developments in all areas. If we are able to interest the people in Germany for Angola then the new Goethe-Institut would live up to its mission. That is what we are working towards.

Networking is everything in Luanda. It is not a question of who you are or how much money you have, but of who you know and who likes you.

I was lucky enough to meet wonderful people from my very first day here who are interested in the work of the Goethe-Institut and are curious about Germany. At the same time, the "officials" found the idea of having a German cultural institute in Angola quite charming. We also received support from older Angolans who lived and studied in Germany (West and East).

I have met Angolans who acted in the theatre in Germany and today work in the office of the state president, I met artists who already travelled with world with Goethe, professors who studied under Adorno and can tell marvellous stories about him and others who got drunk with Willy Brandt while he explained to them that he could not support the socialist MPLA since West Germany was a country occupied by the USA and was therefore not permitted to make friends with Moscow-loyal Angolans.

Now, the Goethe-Institut Angola has opened its doors and the next step is to begin our work. The first months were often difficult, but I did not expect otherwise. The results are already something to see and the sense of achievement grows daily. Most recently the "Trienal Luanda 2010", one of the most important cultural events in southern Africa, has declared the Goethe-Institut its partner of choice.