Archive of Selected Past Events
- Translation:
- Deutsche Version
May 7: Afghanistan: “Writing a check is not enough”
Leo Michel
In a roundtable with German journalists, Leo Michel, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University, underscored that, in the case of Afghanistan “writing a check is not enough.” Mr. Michel predicted that Afghanistan will be the #1 topic at the upcoming NATO Summit in Chicago on May 20-21. The situation in Afghanistan is better than commonly reported in the media, he said. At the summit in Chicago, NATO will decide on the future steps of the transition plan. Mr. Michel said that both a small long-term military presence on the ground and a strong civilian aid component will be important to safeguard the gains made so far. The second focus at the summit will be on capabilities and on “smart defense” in particular. He outlined that NATO’s reliance on the U.S. military was demonstrated in the NATO operation in Libya and he expressed hope that Europe will coordinate more among itself to ensure that capabilities are sufficient and well-used among NATO countries.
- Video interview
- Webchat May 10
May 5: T.C. Boyle reading from “When the Killing's Done”
T.C. Boyle with sign interpreter (more photos)
T.C. Boyle presented his new book “When the Killing is Done” (“Wenn das Schlachten vorbei ist” - Hanser Verlag München) to a crowd of 300 Boyle fans at the Volksbuehne with the assistance of two sign language interpreters and literary critic Martin Schulz, Frankfurter Rundschau, who moderated the discussion. Readers of the Frankfurter Rundschau and Berliner Zeitung got to submit questions beforehand which T.C. Boyle answered with his usual wit, humor and sense of irony. A splendid evening!
Axel Wandtke read from the German translation.
More information at www.tcboyle.com/.
- Der Buchtrailer zu "Wenn das Schlachten vorbei ist"
- Time (Hamburg,
Berlin, ...)
May 2-6: XXVII. Black International Cinema Berlin 2012
Black International Cinema Berlin is an intercultural and interdisciplinary festival, presenting the contributions of international filmmakers, artists and engaged people with diverse cultural, ethnic, socio-economic und religious backgrounds. The festival focuses on presenting works from the African Diaspora as well as contributions dealing with intercultural themes and perspectives. Black International Cinema Berlin offers a forum for the intellectual and artistic exchange and seeks to provide an oasis of inspiration and information to contribute towards a peaceful and respectful living together in our multi-faceted society. The film program will be accompanied by discussions, performances, seminars and musical presentations.
May 3: “Conquering the Stars: The Lines of Force for a Life of an Astronaut and NASA Administrator”
Charles F. Bolden, Jr.
(Photo via Twitter)
On May 3, 2012 NASA administrator Charles F. Bolden visited Berlin and gave an inspiring talk at the Technische Universität Berlin. The audience raved about the event, with one student saying, “I can’t believe I get to ask you a question. This is so cool!” A capacity crowd of 1,200 students, professors, and guests listened to personal stories about Bolden’s life, his work as an astronaut, and what it is like in space. He talked about the end of the space shuttle program as well as ongoing NASA projects. He told everyone to watch for the landing of the ‘Curiosity’ rover vehicle on Mars in August 2012.Bolden’s lifelong career took him from South Carolina to the lower orbit of earth. He described very vividly that this dream is possible for everyone, if you work hard enough and are not afraid of failure.Bolden stressed the need for more students studying science, math, and engineering. He explained that although NASA retired the space shuttle, the United States has not abandoned our mission to send humans to space. In response to a question from a ten-year-old in the audience, Bolden said President Obama has made a commitment to put humans on the planet Mars by the year 2030. The boy told Bolden he will grow up, study hard at the TU, and be one of the crew on that mission. We look forward to his reports from space!Follow the Mars rover mission on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity(source: NASA website)
April 22: Earth Day
http://www.earthday.org/
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis, patron saint of ecology.
April 17: “Windows on America” group returns
Ambassador Murphy and journalists met with recently returned participants of the "Windows on America" program from the Bildungswerk in Kreuzberg GmbH in Berlin and discussed their trip to Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, Ohio, and New York City. The 10 trainees and their trainer were very enthusiastic about their experiences in the United States. They were especially impressed by their stay with American host families in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the trainees received insight into the daily life of an American family.
The program in the U.S. included a variety of activities such as meetings at the Department of State and Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, discussions with immigrant American entrepreneurs, visits to the Cincinnati State and Technical Community College, volunteering at the Freestore food Bank, job shadowing at different U.S. companies, and touring Washington, D.C. and New York City. The project was organized in the United States by Cultural Vistas.
“America and its people were welcoming and interested in us, which was something I had not expected,” said one trainee. This trip has been made possible by generous financial support of the Windows on America e.V.
April 16: New York storyteller Aman Ali
New York storyteller Aman Ali will perform “30 Mosques in 30 Days: Tales from an American Ramadan Roadtrip” in English at the Babylon; Opening act “i,slam” (a Muslim poetry slam) will be in German.
- invitation flyer (pdf)
- High resolution photo of Aman Ali
- Your feedback via Facebook
- More Informationen on Aman Ali:
- Also:
April 16: Webchat "Empowering Civil Society in Afghanistan"
Women in Band-e-Amir cook on a fuel-efficient stove
Monday, April 16, 2012, 17:00 -18:00 CEST
at http://conx.state.gov/germany
Four Afghan leaders will discuss civil society successes and needs for the future in Afghanistan. Through their own courageous stories,
they will provide first-hand examples of their work to promote human rights and support the most marginalized groups of the Afghan public.
Ms. Freshta Karimi, Director of the Da Qanoon Ghushtonky, an organization to protect the rights of women and children
Mr. Mirwais Rahimzai, MD, MBA, Country Director, Center for Human Services/University Research Co. LLC
Ms. Razia Arooj, National Program Officer in the education unit of UNESCO’s Afghanistan office
Mr. Sadiq Mohibi, Advisor to the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and the Disabled
April 16: “Fifty Years of Progress in Ten Years”
Four young Afghan civil society leaders visited Germany, on a U.S. Embassy sponsored tour, and met with officials, foreign policy experts and journalists to talk about their own successes and experiences in their daily work and life in Afghanistan. A heartfelt thank-you was extended to the German government and German people for their support to Afghanistan. Medical Doctor Mirwais Rahimzai summarized his work as “50 years progress in 10 years” because the public health situation in Afghanistan has improved so dramatically. For example, the mortality rate of women giving birth has decreased tremendously and the number of midwives has increased ten times. The group called for a long term commitment of the international community after 2014, an investment in the new generation in Afghanistan, a better justice system, non-politicization of the Afghan civil service and an intensified dialogue of the international community with Pakistan on its role in the peace process in Afghanistan.
April 12-14: Pictoplasma Festival 2012, a festival of contemporary character design and art, taking place at various venues in Berlin
April 12-14: Pictoplasma Festival 2012, a festival of contemporary character design and art, taking place at various venues in Berlin
April 12: Ambassador Murphy Greets Indiana Football Team
Indiana state girls soccer team in Embassy rotunda
Ambassador Murphy welcomed the Indiana state girls soccer team to the U.S. Embassy. The girls are in Berlin for a tournament against teams from all over Germany. For all, this was their first time in Germany and they are combining football with sight-seeing and the consumption of Ritter chocolate bars.
April 3: street soccer tournament
The street soccer tournament at the Mühlendorf High School in Teltow was aimed at preventing racism and promoting anti-radicalism in Teltow and Berlin schools and was directed towards grades 7-10. The students who participated in the tournament chose to spend mornings at the school during the beginning of their Easter break to confront these issues in their communities. Many of the students who participated in the tournament come from difficult family backgrounds and are already victims and/or offenders, with histories of violence at home. The United States Embassy contributed funding to this project because of its interest in the areas of anti-radicalism, anti-extremism, and combating racism among German youth.
March 31: The U.S. Embassy Berlin to participate in Earth Hour 2012 at 8.30 p.m.
Earth Hour is a voluntary symbolic action of households, businesses and government to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness of the need to take action on climate change. The event dates back to 2007, when it started as a single-city initiative in Sydney, Australia, and has grown into a global initiative. Earth Hour 2010 made history as the world’s largest voluntary action, with people, business and governments in 128 cities taking part.
March 27: Ambassador Murphy hosts Seder
Rabbi Janie Grackin
Ambassador Murphy hosted a Seder for 42 people on March 27, including Muslim, Christian, and Jewish clergy, government and NGO officials, educators, business leaders, and the media. The Seder was led by Rabbi Janie Grackin, a master storyteller, who drew the guests into the Exodus story of Moses freeing the Jews who had been enslaved by the Pharaoh. The Embassy holds interfaith events for major Muslim and Jewish holidays, always inviting people of different faiths. The Passover Seder is a good opportunity to discuss issues of freedom and slavery.
March 27: Ambassador and Mrs. Murphy visit former McNair chapel
At the invitation of the congregation, Ambassador Murphy and his wife Tammy visited the chapel of the Evangelical Free Congregation at the former McNair Barracks in Berlin-Lichterfelde. The U.S. military originally built the chapel for the use of the Berlin Brigade, and the Evangelical Free Congregation purchased the building in 2007. Pastor Daniel Flechsig, church elder Klaus Hofsommer, Carl-Ewald Löwen and Bolko Arlitt welcomed the Ambassador and his wife and gave them a historical presentation of the church as well as its congregation in Lichterfelde and shared memories of the period from 1945-1994 when U.S. Berlin Brigade soldiers were stationed at the barracks. Ambassador Murphy thanked the pastor and members of the congregation for welcoming visiting Americans who from time to time drop by to visit “their” church. He also thanked representatives of the “Initiativkreis Berlin e.V. - McNair Museum” who were present, highlighting that the work of over 200,000 Berliners, who worked alongside Allied soldiers as civilian employees, and the relationsships they formed with American soldiers and their families also represent a special chapter of the German-American partnership that is part of the story of Berlin.
March 25: USArtBerlin as a Guest of NGBK
Annette Rupp, Valerie Smith, Kathy Rae Huffman, Diana McCarty
Cultural Exchanges in Art: Patterns, Trends, Value, and Limitations
A round-table discussion and lecture/presentation from three cultural facilitators (In English)
- Annette Rupp, Executive Director of Villa Aurora Forum Berlin and formerly Director of the Goethe Institute, Los Angeles. The Villa Aurora invites German and international artists based in Germany to engage in artistic work and cultural exchange in the Villa Aurora Los Angeles.
- Valerie Smith, Director of Exhibition, Film, New Media, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin. She has initiated a series of exhibitions at HKW, entitled "Labor Berlin", for local and international curators and artists who have no official representation.
- Kathy Rae Huffman, Independent curator, writer, and lecturer. Formerly Visual Arts Director at Cornerhouse, Manchester (UK), and recently lead curator of “Exchange and Evolution: Worldwide Video Long Beach, 1974-1999” at the Long Beach Museum of Art, as part of the Getty Research initiative Pacific Standard Time.
- Moderated by: Diana McCarty, editor at Reboot.Fm, a free artists radio in Berlin. Her work revolves around art, politics, theory and technology.
These established Berlin-based cultural organizers have instigated exchanges, exhibitions and programs internationally, and will discuss their roles giving an institutional voice to ongoing cultural workers. Each speaker will overview and highlight programs they have organized, and will critically examine the patterns, trends, possibilities, limitations, and value of international cultural/ artistic exchange.
The current NGBK exhibition "In Other Words/ The black market of translations - negotiating contemporary cultures" can be viewed in the galleries on the ground level after the Lecture until 7PM
This is a special USArtBerlin OPEN event and we invite you and your colleagues! Please feel free to forward this invitation. Feedback may be sent to lecture@usartberlin.org. NO RSVP is required but let us know if you may attend.
