Goethe Institut

At a discussion forum during an exhibition in Surabaya, East Java, I had the strong impression that the artists there had a great thirst for exchanging ideas with artists and art observers from outside Surabaya, learning from each other. I was therefore sad and shocked to learn that the Goethe Institut would be closed down.

After its cultural role had been terminated, its role now limited to functioning as an agent to develop the German language, the Goethe Institut will no longer be operating in Surabaya. In addition, the Goethe Institut in Medan has been closed down, and it was said that the Goethe Institut in Bandung, West Java will follow suit.

With German technology and industrial products increasingly gaining ground in Indonesia, Goethe, Schubert, Schopenhauer, Caspar David Friedrich, Murnau and others are continuously fading away. H.B. Yassin, Chairil Anwar and Iwan Simatupang discovered their "intellectual colleague" when reading works by Nietzsche. Other artists, such as Semsar Siahaan, greatly admired Kaethe Kollwitz's work. It would have been difficult for me to visualize myself if I had not read works written by Thomas Mann and Gruenewald.

By closing down the Goethe Institut in Surabaya, what facet would Germany occupy in Indonesia?

SATYA GRAHA

Jakarta