A warm welcome to our 21. 00 this time from weimar for a special edition devoted to the good to medal every year since 955. 00 germanys go to institute on those luminaries whove made outstanding contributions to International Cultural exchange well the theme of this years awards is the burden and benefits of contradiction which simply put is in treating us to avoid black and white thinking and to engage in the kind of debate that encourages a more profound reflection well its certainly evocative of the work of the 1st of our 3 go to medal recipients british author ian mckeown and because he. Currently sitting out the pandemic at his residence in the cotswolds west of london we conducted this interview with him over skype. Mckeown has a keen eye for detail little escapes him hes interested in every aspect of the Human Experience the murky depths of our souls our political debates the latest developments in science his insatiable curiosity as reflected in his nomination as a. Highly engaged with whats happening in the world and sometimes its pulling me out of this private space to get involved whether its great cities or Climate Change and it is a struggle for me because im not naturally an activist. But i think i have a strong moral sense and its a push and pull between wanting to see in the solar tree in world a lot down world of the novel in his in his writing and this invasion we. Make humans 1st book 1st love last rites appeared in 1975 hes published 20 novels and collections of short stories so far many of which have been adapted for the screen. But tone meant was critically acclaimed both as a novel and a film a sweeping tale of the trail guilt and love. The children act from 2014 was also made into a film a High Court Judge has to make a life or death decision a teenage boy refuses a life saving blood transfusion on religious grounds once again mckeown proved to be a con a sewer of the Human Experience unafraid to ask the Big Questions novels of forms of investigation we are what condition is. What its like to be human what its like to be human now this stage in history and noble. Increasingly exploratory and what the impact is all new technologies on private lives as well as social existence something he explores in his latest novel in machines like me published in 2019 he tells the story of an android and asks are robots perhaps better than humans. Only months later he published the cockroach up biting satire about pregnant mckeown imagines an insect transformed into the british Prime Minister its the most overtly political novel hes ever written mckeown is a vocal and passionate remainer describing brags it as the most pointless masochistic ambition ever dreamed up in the history of these islands we lost that battle we were outmaneuvered we were divided among ourselves in many ways. And we dont just have to hope that. We can get away with that it works out. You know were now in a paradox of hoping that bricks it somehow works. In and theres nothing else we can. Make you and has garnered numerous awards in the course of his career but the good to metal has a special significance to him he partly grew up in germany france kafka he says was his introduction to literature and his introduction to music he has a huge following here and confesses he has a strong sentimental attachment to germany i was in berlin for the fall of the wall. In 89 november it meant more to me than 80 geopolitical Public Events in my life than than to be there in berlin in those 4 or 5 days and that is also a country very very. To be honored in the name of gutter is a privilege indeed. Sometimes we talk about what information we should send. An unmanned space ship that was going to leave our solar system we sent. We had to send a representative in humanity and i think gertrude would come pretty close to the top of my list because his interests were not only in literature and drama. He had a cock in the nature of life. Public administration and politics and music. He says the era of the great polymaths is over. But if theres a thinker today who comes close. Its in mcewen. Well normally in mcewen would have been here in weimar on august 28th go to birthday to accept his go to medal in person and as is the custom he would have received it from klaus to tell a man the president of the good to institute at a festive gala event complete with music and an enthusiastic audience but of course because of the covert 1000. 00 pandemic none of that was possible and the event has had to be taken on line ill happily the Good Institute was able to team up with dr vela as media partner for a streamed event but laureates and guests alike will of course have to forgo their visit to weimar a city that like no other embodies the spirit of german enlightenment. Weimar interring and wrote european cultural history in the late 18th century giving rise to what today is known as a by mark classicism a center of intellectual life weimar was a hotbed of creativity the little dutchy and eastern germany attracted the greatest writers thinkers musicians and scientists. Of the era. One of the most prominent personalities of the time johan both from foreign goods made weimar his home he and his work thrived here. He lived in this house for 50 years until his death and 1830 to. Be noble helpful and good was his credo humanity and tolerance his Guiding Principles summed up in the concept of moral beauty the towns greatest minds all shared this deeply humanist approach. Good as closest friend and collaborator was also interested in philosophy and the Natural Sciences for 20 years they exchanged ideas and inspired one another by mars open atmosphere produced world literature. Believed people should interact with the Natural World appreciating it with all their senses so its hardly surprising that he chose to work and relax in the middle of a landscape park by the river in. Here he pursued his passion for botany and wrote poetry inspired by nature. Just a few 100 meters away is the duchess on a amalia library named after its main patron it houses materials from around the world which are accessible to everyone. For 35 years good to himself was head librarian there under his direction its collection grew to 80000 books and keeping with weimar classicism mission to educate the general public. Alike johan 5 confident good to himself Medal Winners are really lentulus seekers of knowledge and conveyors of culture over the years Many International personalities have been on it including the likes of iranian filmmaker and artist shooting nasha nigerian british photographer. Or spanish writer or again simply. Our next laureate is the 1st ever african woman to win the gerson medal and a literary powerhouse whose work transcends borders well beyond her home continent south African Writer and publisher to kiss her well or not only has a way with words she doesnt mince them either. That. One of the pins that really gets my goat is when i get referred to as a black africa moment greater than i am like how. Why must i have what you call it was what i did i want to be a good writer. So kids were aware is a woman unafraid to speak her mind born in zambia and now based in kenya the south african novelist and Childrens School writer is also a journalist and publisher in response to the covert 19 lockdown she also founded and curated a pan african online literature festival that brings together new and established voices probably pick multitalented and with seemingly Inexhaustible Energy how does she juggle many interests. With very little sleep. I think if you love something always make time for. Her writing almost always has a political subtext. Her debut novel the madams was published in 2006 its the story of 3 well marked middle class women in post apartheid south africa torn between career and family traditional and modern female roles. I am essentially prall. Who very pro are for ken im very pro women and i think this generally comes out in my books whats the 3 all have in common its about identity. Im writing for readers but more importantly im writing for people oh reading is boring they are ive got a book for you finish once i finish one page and told me thats boring. Old writer with the message. Is eager to reach Young Readers and also to support emerging writers. I dont want my generation to be the last generation of writers you know i always to myself to be able to hold on. To generation of writers and give them a voice and give them the platform giving people a voice when i was writing often features slaying and dialect that reflects africas diversity and imbues her stories with life my readers should be able to understand the context you know if they dont get the context then it means i have failed its not that the language has failed i have failed as a writer. Frankfurt book fair 2900. 00. When i took part in a talk hosted by the gritty institute. Of feminist a citizen of the world shes a regular guest on International Literary events. I think im an itinerant by nature in a way i have always been an outsider looking in if you were but i also get very insiders perspective. So kids were where is the 1st africanamerican woman to win the get a medal making her a role model for many. When youre an artist you want to be just speaking to one people it means a lot where it can resonate with somebody in berlin or with somebody in munich with somebody in brazil but above all she wants to resonate as an African Writer they need to be heard more but maybe we need. More voices that are more visible a lot of african countries quick to 60 years from colonialism still growing we are still. Well its a relatively small city but weimar is a heavyweight in terms of its cultural and artistic legacy with both classical and modernist traditions as the birthplace of the Bauhaus School just over a century ago it was the starting point for one of the 20th centurys most influential currents in modern design in architecture the museum here behind me recalls that early powerhouse period and the Creative Force that was ultimately shot down by the nazis well now 75 years post world war 2 weimar is an International Cultural magnate. Very well known university in our town and when i came here just i was looking at the universe where is the universe. That was 2 years ago farzana whos from tehran wanted to pursue her path and try out different art forms she opted for weimar and for a masters in public art and new artistic strategies. Ringback and when i came here i made a bundle for artists here from all over the war as our program is international all the time we share. Some of our project we need. Each other and actually this is one thing that i hadnt experienced before because when i was in iran most of my work was. Given. The nature archivist currently showing a selection of her cartoons which are her very personal interpretation of the works of a controversial german philosopher nature. She read him as a teenager but did not know at the time that he had spent the last years of his life here at the villa so public which was renovated at the beginning of the 20th century by the belgian architect ali fonda found. Whenever i cross some streets here sometime the meaning of time for me has changed that sometimes im in the past or i am in the prisons because there are many history its part of different parts of the city you can look at valley as a musician from mozambique he has lived in via mar for almost 3 years. Hes currently doing a ph d. At the university of music where he also teaches what is in these traditional instruments. These. Is the future is all is there life is past present and future of woman of. Human kind thats what is the instrument and i believe its its our mission also to. Keep it alive he also likes to make his own instruments saying that its amazing how universal and versatile they are and that they easily fit in with jazz or western Classical Music if you play music people will very quickly the musicians with kids and go people can communicate music only when we are very far from understanding each other linguistically. He says that he loves the fact that by maher is music creativity inspiration and that hes also impressed by how visionary both good and schiller work. Is also aware of the citys less glorious past not that far away as the former concentration camp. Tried to do things that also happened. To keep this consciousness of what can happen amongst humans and. It gives me more power to use music to address these issues to really see. Music music wix opals it does this kind of hate through you know hate to discrimination music works or pulls it off is. The Capital International is a popular Meeting Point correct fijis m. O. Calls the jordanian architect rui to algebra all the volunteers here translating an interpreter for those who dont speak german and these days also giving out information related to the call that 19 pandemic distrusted me i want to understand the personality of the refugees how they live here in germany but all over the world too it helps me for my research. As i pursue my academic career i want to continue working on migration refugees and refugee camps. Before just get there just down here. My depression was to. Bali as doing a ph d. At Powerhouse University where she has a Research Assistant post. Shes particularly interested in how refugee camps are designed and managed. For. This month just that i like this city and i like the people i feel good here ive been living here for 2 years and via is like home now. What. She says she likes the fact that its small but beautiful and she especially enjoys its multicultural atmosphere. Demonstrated here by a klezmer concert thats part of the good issue summer festival. Of the. When you think of the bauhaus you most probably think of architecture and design but one of the most productive and successful bauhaus workshops was actually the weaving workshop where they experimented with both industrial methods and with Traditional Craft techniques from indigenous communities and weaving is just one of the arts that helped our 3rd good to medal laureate. Ica of bolivia to make her mark and to broaden the scope of accepted indigenous art and. Artist poet essayist musician and weaver she fought hard to succeed in a world that traditionally sidelines women and indigenous cultures. Let. Every designers ation is complete in its way has its own language its own forms of artistic expression textiles wood cutting ceramics its not always painting pictures on canvas. When she was 6 her mother taught her how to weave. But she wanted more. This determination led her to leave her family and she financed her Higher Education herself. The 1st time she saw baroque art she was in a church she was instantly to. See in the thick of the. What did these paintings mean who had them put there why are they so important that the priest explained this art to me its importance and he also told me i could train as an artist myself. My curiosity was sparked. I went on to study art and that. Was the 1st to where indigenous dress in the academy of the world up in a sauna. That i hated because that. Spanker was a voracious reader she devoured texts on anthropology medicine archaeology and linguistics researching indigenous languages but she was especially interested and textile are. Our colors traditionally made using which plants which techniques. She traveled throughout the andes gathering expertise on ancient crabs in the course of researching a book on weaving she discovered that the bauhaus movements textile workshop was inspired in part by and the in weaving technique. Boy. With that came as a surprise. Id like to focus on exchange between bolivia and germany in my future work fragments of our textiles had made their way to germany and served as a source of inspiration. Id like to pay tribute to how believing in textile art influenced modernism. Building artistic and creative bridges as very much the focus of her work. This versatile artist has also collaborated with the musician all about all montenegro they use traditional songs and instruments with jazz elements and contemporary urban sounds. In 2013 she was appointed to the National Museum of it and folklore in the pots a highlight of her career as expected she gave it an extensive review using modern presentations to display traditional art from various south american countries. Educational programs for children and young adults have been an enterable part of the museums approach along with conferences and outreach workshops thanks to admit us. The museum is widely seen as one of the most important Cultural Centers in bolivia shes traveled the world as a tireless and by. Part. Is that whenever i return to bolivia i see the problems that the ruling class is claiming to its power and barricading itself. Its a complex issue. That came as a shock earlier this year when it was announced she would be giving up her position after president evo morales resigned and 2019 many in bolivia fear that the interim government will ship the country to the right. I believe that at the moment art is one of the best tools of resistance but its also a target pheidias band of street artists band its difficult right now. She may now be an artist of International Stature but her Indigenous Roots remain key to her identity. And with that congratulations to all 3 winners of the go to medal for 2020 you can find the Digital Stream version of the Award Ceremony on our website at e. W. Dot com slash culture where theres lots more information about the laureates and the go to metal itself not to mention music well thats it for our arts 21. 00 special coming to you from historic weimar and because her once uttered the words enjoy it when you can and endure when you must i think ill take him at his word and see a little bit more of this wonderful city all the best to you and. Africa in gonna. Businesses out in which are fighting off a plane. The nations rivers have been invaded by water hyacinth and its threatening the countrys ecological balance. Now the plants are being harvested to produce data because the. People that. Come for god. 30. Dollars. Thousands of people come to sweep every. Berry pickers. From thailand. Theyre hoping to make big bucks. But theyre forced to accept piecework dubious contracts. Dream job. For ripostes. In 60 minutes 2. 00. Im not laughing at the germans well i guess sometimes i am but i said nothing with the. Dont think think into german culture shock. You dont seem to get this drama they are leaked us if all that who they know i might go join me to meet the captivity of both. Robbed of their soul thats what it people experiences when their heritage is taken from them countless cultural artifacts were brutally stolen from africa by colonialists country carted off to europe. What should be done with the stolen north from africa. Stolen soul starts september 7th on t. W. Frank food. International gateway to the best connection self in road and rail. Located in the heart of europe connected to the whole world. Experience outstanding shopping and dining offers and try our services. Be our guest at Frankfurt Airport city managed by from a bought. A book that the. Gut. This is to give you news lod from berlin cope with questions in the Capitol Police stop a demonstration against germanys coronavirus traditions making multiple to rest thousands of protesters remain on the streets of berlin to voice their anger against the governments handling of the pandemic also coming up. Black cats star chuck to expose him to stop the age of 43 after a long chance well hear about the oxers life that likes. Never say never could fire new