The environmental carnival is one of the highlights of the Guan Eden project year: multi-day activities to create more environmental awareness were carried out in Baghdad, Duhok, Mosul and Sulaymaniyah in November and December 2023 together with local partners. This included performative theater, music, exhibitions, discussion groups and activities with children and families. For the environmental carnival, which is closely linked to the campaign work in the Guan Eden project, an artistic approach and encounters at eye level play a crucial role.

On December 12 at 7 pm Goethe-Institut Irak offers another film screening at Empire Cinema in the Family Mall, Erbil - this time with the award-winning feature “Sun and Concrete”, the film adaptation of the autobiographically inspired bestseller of the same name by comedian, author and podcaster Felix Lobrecht. The film was shown for the first time during the Berlinale 2023 and is about four young people in Berlin, far from the mainstream.

The screening will be in original language with English subtitles. A Q&A with the author, the director and two actors will round off the evening.

In September and October, participants of the project “Horizonte” took part in a specialized German language course at B2 level in Berlin, before heading on to a six-week internship in companies in Germany. Rahel, a scholarship holder from Iraq, interned at Evonik in Essen. The focus at “Horizonte” is on peer-to-peer exchange and the opportunity for professional networking.

During the annual PASCH conference, plans and strategies for the coming year are discussed with representatives of the Ministry of Education and the schools involved . This year's conference took place on November 30th in the presence of Consul General Klaus Streicher. Schools from Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah where German is of particular importance, were involved. 

On December 14th from 6-7:30 pm, thoughts will once again take wings, when the six to nine-year-old participants of Bulbul read stories and then implement them in an artistic activity. The upcoming event is about light and dark, fears and how to deal with them. The children will create a lantern.

In the last event of this year in cooperation with al-Mada Reading Club on December 16 at 5 pm, we will celebrate the nine-year anniversary of the literary circle with a look back and forward, music, exciting conversations and a book signing for the recently published translation by one of the members.

A literary walk in Shaqlawa on December 5 from featured two of the city's poets, Kawes Agha and Mohamad Mawlood Mam. Both are considered pioneers of modern Kurdish-language literature. The event took place in cooperation with students of Shaqlawa University from the Department of Arabic Language under the guidance of their lecturer Khayriya Saadi Karim.

In cooperation with the Sêv Gallery and the Framing Photojournalism School, Helan curates exhibitions and concerts every two weeks. This gives young artists in the region a stage and the opportunity to network.

KORAL MESOPOTAMIA is an intercultural choir ensemble that brings together singers from different regions throughout Iraq. After months of collaboration, they presented a unique concert: a fusion of Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian, Yezidi, Turkmen and Armenian songs --  for the first time in polyphonic arrangements. The ensemble is led by opera singer Faten Ahmed, with coaching by Bernhard Hofmann and Luna Silva.