So German!
Mar 2, 2017 - Goethe-Institut, German Embassy Ottawa
“A true friend” is how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau referred to Germany on his recent visit there. Germany is taking Canada’s sesquicentennial as an opportunity to celebrate the warm rapport between the two countries, with an exciting cultural program across Canada.
On July 1, 1867, the day Canada achieved confederation, the states of northern Germany were doing much the same, forming the North German Confederation, and a nation.
Today, Germany and Canada are closer than ever – not just as trading partners, members of NATO, the G7 and G20 – but in their shared values. Open to the world. Embracing diversity. Combatting global warming. Taking down rather than putting up walls. On Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent visit to Germany, he called the country “not only a close ally, but a true friend.”
Friendship between countries is a precious thing, which is why Germany is joining in Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations this year. The Goethe-Institut in Canada, the German embassy and many partner organizations have joined forces on a cultural program “Germany @ Canada 2017– Partners from Immigration to Innovation / L’Allemagne @ Canada 2017 – Partenaires: de l’immigration à l’innovation” which is running across Canada and throughout the year.
The program stretches from cabaret to cyber-feminism, interactive installations to documentary theatre, sea creatures to mountain culture, and explores themes of identity, belonging, and reaching out. Artists and partners to look forward to include megastar Ute Lemper, performance collective Rimini Protokoll, and the imagineNATIVE Film Festival.
Cultural exchange lays the groundwork for cooperation and it always has. This year, the city of Hamburg made Prime Minister Trudeau guest of honour at its 700-year-old traditional St Matthew’s Feast. Hamburg’s mayor Olaf Scholz praised Canada’s “openness, humanity and progress,” invoking Canadian legend Leonard Cohen: “There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” This year, the Goethe-Institut and the German embassy are shining the light on the German-Canadian friendship.
Program details are available at SoGerman.ca / SiAllemand.ca and goethe.de/canada.
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For more info, contact:
Naomi Buck
Goethe-Institut Toronto
100 University Ave., North Tower, Suite 201, Toronto, ON M5J 1V6
+1 416 476 1142
