PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA
INTERVIEW
FRANK BAUMANN, DIRECTOR, GOETHE-INSTITUT
It Will Be CONTINUED The Goethe-Institut in Belgrade adapted its programmes to the conditions imposed by the pandemic, preparing for the time when it will again be possible to function without the threat of the virus
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he commemorating of this year’s great jubilees – the 30th anniversary of the reunification of East and West Germany and the 50th anniversary of the establishing of the Belgrade centre of the Goethe Institute (GoetheInstitut) – has been adapted to the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that didn’t reduce the quality of the celebrations. Apart from these major anniversaries, here we also discuss the experiences of the previous seasons for this German cultural centre with its director, Frank Baumann. Unification is at the very foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany, so commemorating the anniversary of your country’s reunification will serve to remind us all of one good example and good practise. During this year, the GoetheInstitut commemorates half a century of its existence. How will you mark these jubilees? - Yes, 50 years of the Goethe-Institut in Belgrade is certainly something special; something to be proud of, to be thankful
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for and to prompt us to stop for a moment, looking both back and forward at the same time. The official reception should have taken place in June, with some high-ranking guests from Serbia and Germany. And a big fat party with some cool live music and all of our friends, clients and partners around, in a cheerful mood, down at Dorćol Platz – that was the idea. The Coronavirus pandemic destroyed everything, as you can imagine. What remains are memories of 50 years of the German culture and language in Belgrade, good years mainly, though some tough ones as well, and one of the strangest right now. But no complaints, many people paid a much higher price than cancelling a single event. For the culture scene, both the independent and the state-run, it’s a disaster. I wish someone could see some light at the end of the tunnel, but this nasty virus probably came to stay for a while longer. Regarding the commemoration of 30 years of the reunification of the two Germanys: well, to me that’s first of all a political date, a historical landmark, and as such it’s up to our
