German cultural festival to be held

JAKARTA (JP): Encapsulating the essence of German culture, the Goethe-Institute, the German Embassy, Germany's office for academic exchange and the telecommunication company, Siemens, are holding a 15-day festival of German culture in Jakarta, starting today.

German ambassador to Indonesia, Dr. Heinrich Seemann, said in a statement yesterday that the festival zeroed in on eclectic subjects originating from both Germany and Indonesia.

Seemann said the subjects varied from a seminar on Islam dan Barat, to Asian and European experts focusing discussions on the law, to Erika Mayer's sculpture exhibition.

He said the festival will also present film screenings of Garin Nugroho's award-winning Surat untuk Bidadari and Dagmar Hirtz's Moondance (to be shown at Erasmus Huis) as well as Hans- Christiane Schmid's Nach 5 in Urwald (at Gedung Film Baru).

There will be contemporary and traditional German music, including German pianist Michael Leuschner's piano recital at the Jakarta Art Building, as well as other musical events taking place at different locations in Jakarta, he said.

Interesting facets of the festival include promotion of 17 English cost-free study-programs for foreign students, and a joint session discussion on future translations of language and literature, he said. (02)