Klaus-Dieter Lehmann on Goethe-Institut’s 60th Anniversary: “We’ve become more political”
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(Interview in German)
25 May 2011
Immigration, integration, strengthening civil societies: the Goethe-Institut’s agenda has changed a great deal in 60 years. In this interview, institute president Klaus-Dieter Lehmann looks back at an eventful history and remembers the most important table tennis match in his life.
Germany, according to Lehmann, was relative late in dealing with the issue of immigration. “It almost passed us by that mobility is actually a characteristic of the 21st century.” That has changed in the meantime and the Goethe-Institut in particular has long recognized the necessity for action. “We begin already in the country of origin and then continue our work in the destination country. ‘Immigration and integration’ is a typical social policy approach that we did not have in this form before.” It is obvious that the president of the Goethe-Institut is proud of what his institute has achieved and of how quickly and well such a large and government-affiliated organization can adapt itself to changing circumstances.
Strengthening social structures abroad is another part of the new approach, whether through advanced publisher training in nations fraught with conflicts or through workshops for cultural managers in Africa.
See an interview about the Goethe-Institut’s 60th birthday – a first encounter in New York, advertising for a new Germany, moving and grateful moments and some very special praise!
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Participants in the project Confessions: “We begin already in the country of origin and then continue our work in the destination country.” (Photo: Fareed C. Majari)
