Exporting German Culture
October 4, 2007
In Paris with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to attend the inauguration of the new offices, Goethe Institute Pesident Jutta Limbach on Wednesday revealed the first of the organization's post-facelift plans.
"The Goethe Institute in Paris will again become a central place to encounter German and French culture," Limback said in a statement.
In addition to the Paris institute, Limbach said GI was also examining which other offices it will reopen.
"We are considering which of the institutes that had to be shut down in the 1990s in north and Sub-Saharan Africa should now be reopened," she said, referring to closures that happened as part of an economy drive.
The GI is set to open three new offices, including one in Novosibirsk, the third largest city in Russia.
Also on the agenda is boosted cooperation with the Institut Francais. Two such projects already exist in Ramallah and Glasgow.
"Collaboration with the Institut Francais in Moscow has been on the cards for years," said Limbach.
Out of the woods
The Goethe Institute's overhaul, aimed at increasing efficiency and modernizing the non-profit organization, began in 2006.
"Goethe needs to reinvent himself in order to adapt to the changing times," said Limbach on public broadcaster WDR last October.
The reform measures have now come to a close, she said, adding that the organization had come through its period of change.
The GI has 142 offices in 81 countries, and costs some 250 million euros a year. Roughly 165 million euros of that comes from the Foreign Ministry, and cost-cutting has long been a priority.
Not a goodbye to Europe
But while more will be invested in offices in Africa and Asia, the GI's headquarters in Munich will be witnessing job cuts, with infrastructure costs both at home and abroad set to be reduced.
To many, the move makes sense. Until now, the GI has had a significantly higher profile in Europe than overseas. The GI has seven offices in Italy, for example, compared to just three in China.
But Limbach was keen to counter any impression the GI was withdrawing from Europe.
"We plan to continue our work without closing any of our offices in Europe," she said. "Our intention is to distribute our budget -- which used to have a west-European focus -- more fairly around the world."