Press Release
The Embassies of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and the Goethe-Institut Cyprus organize for the 8th consecutive year “The Weeks of the German Language” from the 1st to the 26th of November 2024. This initiative aims to promote multilingualism in Cyprus and enhance cultural exchange between Cyprus, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. The Weeks of the German Language are organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Sport, and Youth.
Throughout this period, a program celebrating the German language and the culture of the three German-speaking countries will be presented, featuring a classical music concert, film screenings, culinary events, lectures, and much more.
A highlight of the program is the opening concert organized by the three embassies entitled “The Soul of Germanophone Music,” taking place on November 5th at 20:00 at Kastelliotissa Hall. This concert will showcase the exceptional vocal talents of soprano Mariza Anastasiades and tenor Stelios Chatziktoris, accompanied by pianist Zbynek Maruska and guitarist Dimitris Polyviou. The performance will explore the profound relationship between language and voice, featuring iconic art songs by Schumann, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Strauss, paired with poetry from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich von Schiller.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Franz Kafka, the Goethe-Institut Cyprus presents the poster exhibition “Komplett Kafka”. The exhibition will be accompanied by a dance performance by the Selas Dance Company and a book presentation by Panayiotis Thomas that delves into Kafka’s influential work, “Metamorphosis.” The Goethe-Institut will also have a prominent presence at the Limassol Book Fair, featuring a lecture by Felicia Hofmann (dtv Publishing Company) on digital marketing, family-friendly activities at the Multicultural Corner and reading by acclaimed German author Ulrike Almut Sandig. Following the fair, German language students from schools in the PASCH (Schools: Partners for the Future) network will have the opportunity to participate in poetry workshops with Ms. Sandig.
The Austrian Embassy proudly contributes to this year’s Weeks of the German Language by presenting the 2023 film “A Whole Life”, a visually stunning adaptation of Robert Seethaler’s bestselling novel. Additionally, the documentary “Kafka’s Last Journey” which explores the final days of the author will be screened in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut. Both films provide profound insights into life, legacy, and the human experience.
The Embassy of Switzerland invites you to screenings of Markus Fischer’s black comedy “Der Bestatter – Der Film” (The Undertaker) (2023) in Nicosia and Paphos. The film, which is in Swiss German, belongs to the genre of ‘hotel film’, where the protagonists are trapped in a criminal history of a suspenseful place, with surprising twists and turns. On a culinary note, the Cyprus Swiss Association is hosting its traditional bratwurst lunch in Nicosia.
To mark the 35th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the German Embassy has invited Mrs. Anna von Arnim-Rosenthal, the Director of the East Side Gallery in Berlin, to Nicosia. Mrs. von Arnim-Rosenthal will deliver a lecture, discussing borders as spaces for connection and vehicles for dialogue. She will be joined by members of Cypriot civil society who will offer a local perspective on the Wall and explore the theme of division in art. Furthermore, the German Embassy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the DAAD-Greece (German Academic Exchange Service), is organizing informative events in Nicosia, Limassol and Pafos about studying in Germany, focusing on admission requirements, university application processes, student life, living costs and accommodation options.
Lastly, the Cypriot-German Cultural Association invites curious explorers to participate in an exciting treasure hunt through Nicosia’s old city in order to record their discoveries in German and win prizes.
For further information and the full program, visit our website www.wddscyprus.com/ and our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CypWddS.
