In Focus
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Jewish American Artist Mindy Weisel Engages North German Audiences in a Dialogue on Arts and Tolerance
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Mindy Weisel with Dr. Andreas
Brämer from the Institute for
the History of the German Jews
(on the left) and Manfred Strack
from the Amerikazentrum |
October 26-27, 2009. The U.S. Consulate General and the German-American Institute Kennedy Infozentrum in Kiel presented Mindy Weisel, the daughter of Auschwitz survivors who has been able to transform and transcend a legacy of loss into hope and spirituality through art. Ms. Weisel introduced her life, her art and struggles in an animated and very personal presentation called "Art as Autobiography: The Survival of Beauty." In Hamburg, the Institute for the History of the German Jews and the Amerikazentrum partnered with the Consulate, and Pol/Econ Officer Karen Bel welcomed around 40 guests to the event. On the morning of October 28, Ms. Weisel visited the Bergen-Belsen memorial site in Lower Saxony, where she was born in a displaced persons camp in 1947. In Kiel, she addressed 38 guests of the Kennedy Infozentrum, the American Studies Department of the University of Kiel and the Jewish Community Kiel at a special memorial and educational site and former bunker called "Mahnmal Kilian." The program in Kiel concluded with a dinner hosted by the Jewish Community Kiel.
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News From the Consulate |
The U.S. and Asia – Expert Round Table in Hamburg
October 23, 2009. Robert Dujarric, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Japanese Studies at Temple University's Japan campus, addressed a group of 16 scholars and Ph.D. students about U.S.-Asia relations at the Institute for Asian Studies in Hamburg, part of the German Institute of Global and Areas Studies (GIGA). It is Germany's largest non-university research institute that deals solely with the Asia-Pacific region and conducts research on political, economic and social affairs in contemporary Asia. Dr. Dirk Nabers, head of the GIGA research program on "Power, Norms and Governance in International Relations" chaired the round table. In his presentation, Dujarric covered a wide array of topics, including U.S. policy options with regard to North Korea's weapons of mass destruction and a possible unification with South Korea; the U.S.-Japanese alliance; Japan's need to promote women in the workplace and to reform immigration policies; and U.S.-Chinese relations.
Award-Winning U.S. Children's Book Author Captivates Youth in Northern Germany
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Margret Peterson Haddix in
Wismar |
October 19 to 21, 2009. On October 19-21, the Public Affairs Section organized a reading tour with Margaret Peterson Haddix, who has written more than 20 books for kids and teenagers, and who is best known in Germany for her seven-book series "The Shadow Children." The series deals with third children in a society that only allows two children; the third children initially have to hide but eventually band together and risk their lives bring about change. Haddix attended the Frankfurt Book Fair to introduce her new science fiction series "The Missing." Haddix read at a high school in Bremen on October 19, at public libraries in Schwerin and Wismar that are both America@yourlibrary partners, and at the Literature House in Rostock on October 21. All in all, more than 400 high school students –190 in Bremen and Schwerin, more than 100 in Wismar and 40 in Rostock - had an opportunity to hear a native speaker read and to meet with a U.S. author. She engaged her audience in an animated question and answer period on her work and the art of writing, life in the U.S. and American teenagers. The series was part of Post’s youth outreach and was designed to familiarize younger audiences with American literature and language, and in the case of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, also to encourage them to regularly visit our America@yourlibrary partners to check out more U.S.-related books, CDs and films.
CDU Youth Group Briefed on U.S. German Relations
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Karen Bel (r.) and members
of Junge Union Eimsbuettel |
October 21, 2009. Political-Economic Officer Karen Bel delivered a presentation on the state of U.S.-German relations to a group of 26 members of the Hamburg CDU youth organization Junge Union (JU) at the consulate. The speech covered cooperation in relation to Afghanistan, Iraq, international terrorism, and climate change. In her discussion, Bel answered many diverse questions, ranging from security policy issues to the future of the U.S. Consulate in Hamburg.
The Future of Information Professionals Lecture in Hamburg
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| Janice Lachance |
October 20, 2009. Janice Lachance, CEO of the Special Libraries Association (SLA), spoke about the "Current Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Libraries and Information Centers and the Future of the Information Profession" at the State and University Library in Hamburg. Lachance engaged the audience of more than 30 heads of academic and corporate libraries in a lively discussion on key functions of information professionals and the importance of professional development and international networks. During a working lunch, the director of the parliamentary library, Dr. Wellems, and deputy director of the State and University library Lang had the opportunity to discuss further cooperation with SLA. The program helped strengthen Post’s ties to leading library professionals in Northern Germany and promoted the benefits of transatlantic cooperation in the field.
American Saxophone in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Workshop and Concerts
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Todd Oxford at the City
Library in Stralsund (Photo:
City Library Stralsund) |
October 18-20, 2009. From October 18-20, Todd Oxford U.S. saxophonist and member of the faculty of the Texas State University in San Marcos, took part in a Consulate-supported program in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Oxford gave a concert at the College for Music and Theater in Rostock October 18, held a saxophone workshop at the College on October 19, and ended his visit with a concert attended by a crowd of students, teachers and general public at our America@yourlibrary partner, the City Library in Stralsund on October 20. All three cultural and educational programs on U.S. culture were enthusiastically received.
The Best International Breakdance Crews Compete in the 20th "Battle of the Year" in Braunschweig
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Workshop with Roxrite
(Photo: Conan Whitehouse) |
October 17, 2009. More than 9,000 young Hip Hop fans from Germany and all around the world gathered to watch the world finals of the "Battle of the Year (BOTY)" competition. Eighteen crews that had won their national contests, including crews from the U.S., South Africa, Russia, Brazil, Israel, Korea, France, and Japan, came to Braunschweig to compete in the prestigious BOTY. The U.S. Consulate Hamburg supported the participation of one of the judges of the finals, Roxrite (Omar O. Delgado Macias) from the San Francisco-based crew "Renegades." During the week before the finals, the BOTY organizers and the City of Braunschweig offered master classes and workshops that Roxrite took part in, offering a "Beginner B-Boy" workshop. The BOTY demonstrated the universal appeal of U.S. Hip Hop culture that has become part of a global youth culture, bringing together youth from all around the world, and as in the case of the BOTY, having them compete peacefully, promoting mutual understanding.
For previous programs and events please click here.
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