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 ars 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 hes currently sitting out the pandemic at his residence in the cotswolds west of london we conduct. To 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 debate the latest developments in science his insatiable curiosity as reflected in his novels an essay. 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 its 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 ng agent. 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 a tone meant to was critically acclaimed both as a novel and a film a sweeping tale of betrayal 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 or 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 novels are also increasingly exploratory of 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 end and asks are robots perhaps better than humans. Only months later he published the cockroach up biting satire about breaks it mcewen imagines an insect transformed into the british Prime Minister its the most overtly political novel hes ever written mckeown as 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 now just have to hope that. We can get away with that it works out i mean. You know were now in a paradox of hoping that brics it somehow works. In theres nothing else we can. Make you and it has garnered numerous awards in the course of his career but the good time metal has a special significance to him he partly grew up in germany france kafka he says was his introduction to literature and bought 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 new member it meant more to me than 80 geopolitical Public Events in my life the 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 believe our solar system we sent. We had to send a representative with 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 in writing a cock in the nature of. Public Administration 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. But normally in mcewen would have been here in weimar on august 28th go to birthday to accept his get a 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 9000. 00 pandemic none of that was possible and the event has had to be taken on line ill happily the go to institute was able to team up with dart savella as media partner for a streamed event but laureates and guests alike will of course have to forego their visit to weimar a city that like no other embodies the spirit of german enlightenment. Weimar interring in wrote european cultural history in the late 18th century giving rise to what today is known as a by mark last ism a center of intellectual life weimar was a hotbed of creativity. The little dutchy in eastern germany attracted the greatest writers thinkers musicians and scientists of the era. One of the most prominent personalities of the time johann both gone for good 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 his deeply humanist approach. Good has close his 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 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 submission to educate the general public. 2 alike johan 5 going from good to himself good to Medal Winners are really lent lists 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 sheeting nasha nigerian british photographer a king would i can be or spanish writer or of a simple. 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 when are not only has a way with words she doesnt mince them either. One of the pins that really gets my goat is when i get referred to as a black african woman right that im like how. Why must i have this little what you call it was what i did i want to be a good writer. So heres what is a woman unafraid to speak her mind born in zambia and now based in kenya the south african novelist and Childrens Book writer is also a journalist and publisher in response to the coded 1000 lockdown though she also founded in curated a pan african online literature festival that brings together new and established voices prolific multitalented and with seemingly Inexhaustible Energy how does she juggle her many interests. With very little sleep. But i think if you love something you always make time for it. The writing almost always has a political subtext. Her debut novel the madams was published in 2006 its the story of 3 well more middle class women in post apartheid south africa torn between career and family traditional and modern female roles. Im essentially prawle. Who very pro are for a very pro women and i think generally comes out in my books whats the 3 or have in common its about identity. Im writing for readers but more importantly im writing for people will say oh reading is boring and all 3 are ive got a book where you finish once i finish one page and told me thats boring. Old writer with the message to kids well one hour 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 and bring Younger Generation of writers and give them voice and give them the platform giving people a voice so kids when i was writing often feature sleighing 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 for 2900. Kids were when i took part in a talk hosted by the great institute. Of feminist a citizen of the world shes a regular guest at intrade. 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 give a insiders perspective. So 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 and just speaking to one people it means a lot where it can resonate with somebody in berlin or with somebody in munich with somebody. 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 country is quick to 60 years from colonialism were still growing we are still young. 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 bardos 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 magnet. University in our town and. When i came here i was looking. The university where is the university. That was 2 years ago farzana who is 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 ringback. When i came here i met wonderful artists here from all over the war as our program is international not all the time to 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 in. The nature archivist currently showing a selection of her cartoons which are very personal interpretation of the works of the 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 villas. Which was renovated at the beginning of the 20th century by the belgian architect of the founder founder. Whenever i crossed some streets here sometime the meaning of trying for me has changed that sometimes im in the past or in the prisons because there are many story its part of different parts of the city. As a musician from mozambique he has lived in weimar for almost 3 years. Hes currently doing a ph d. At the List University of music where he also teaches. Induced traditionally instruments. These. Is the future is all is there life is past present and future of human. Human kind thats what i see being instruments 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 can 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 musically when we have a form understanding each other linguistically. He says that he loves the fact that by mar is vault music of 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 is the former concentration camp. Taji things that also happen to be headed to to keep this consciousness. What really can happen amongst humans and. It gives me more power to use music to address these issues to really see. Music music wix or was it these kind of. You know. Discrimination music works or was it all these. Capital international is a popular Meeting Point for refugees and locals the jordanian architect who either 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 just missed it i want to understand the personality of the refugees how they live here in germany but all over the world too it helps me from my research. As i pursue my academic career i want to continue working on migration refugees and refugee camps. To get to this thing now yeah. But depression was. Polly is doing a ph d. At Bauhaus University where she has a Research Assistant post. Shes particularly interested in how refugee camps are designed and managed. This month is that i like this city and i like the people i feel good here ive been living here for 2 years and finally its like oh 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 ish summer festival. But 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 go to medal laureate. Ica of bolivia to make her mark and to broaden the scope of accepted indigenous art and be the s. P. Ho i caught up a libyan artist poet essayist musician and a weaver. She fought hard to succeed in a world that traditionally sidelines women and indigenous cultures. Thought of the belief that it let. Every civilization is complete in its way has its own language its own forms of artistic expression be it textiles wood cutting ceramics its not always painting pictures on canvas. When she was 6 her mother taught her how to weave. She wanted more. This determination led her to leave her family that she financed her Higher Education herself. The 1st time she saw paroch ark she was in a church she was instantly captivated. Significant with. What did these paintings mean people 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 in the gusts i was the 1st aware indigenous dress in the academy of the world up at a sauna a theme that i hated because that space home was of aeration as a reader she devoured texts on anthropology medicine archaeology and linguistics researching indigenous languages but she was especially interested and textile market. Our colors traditionally made using which plants which techniques. She traveled throughout the andes gathering expertise on ancient cracks in the course of researching a book on weaving she discovered that the bauhaus movements textile workshop was inspired in part by andean weaving technique. In but with that came as a surprise a little id like to focus on exchange between bolivia and germany in my future work fragments of our textiles had me just. Her way to germany and served as a source of inspiration. Id like to pay tribute to how bolivian 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 of our own montenegro use traditional songs and instruments with jazz elements and contemporary urban sounds. In 2013 she was appointed to the National Museum of folklore and 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 our. Museum is widely seen as one of the most important Cultural Centers in bolivia shes traveled the world as a tireless ambassador art. 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 that she would be giving up her position after president evo morales resigned in 2019 but many in bolivia appear that the interim government will ship the country to the right. There i believe at the moment art is one of the best tools of resistance but its also a target audience band street artist band its difficult right now. She may now be an artist of International Stature but her and. As roots. To her identity. And with that congratulations to all 3 winners of the go to metal 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 good to 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 obviously. The. The journey through hell. Syllogistic the desert of the mediterranean the abuse i didnt want to believe in him and when i saw it for myself i almost went crazy. They were exploited abused and forced into prostitution. For many refugees the journey to europe ends with death. In 15 minutes long t. W. Its a Constant Companion it. Makes us ill. Headaches dizziness and tonight its as in some misses it can be caused by not. Lying is that. And what can we do about it. In good shape. In 90 minutes on t. W. Theyve been robbed of their soul thats what a people experiences when their heritage is taken from them. Countless cultural artifacts were brutally stolen from africa by colonialists and carted off to europe. These thefts left wounds that have yet to heal what should be done with the stolen art from africa. Stolen soul starts september 7th on d w. D beethoven in the genesis did you did dont want to do. It is it is about a 60 no lie cheat the truth of rock n roll. Many rounds of stolen beethoven. Almost. Course the subconscious always one thing is clear. Mandate is wildly popular. And she assured. Them will sound the biggest composer of the time i cant even begin to imagine a world class horn player centralist on a musical journey of discovery. Without. Mr september 16th to tell you. This instinctively knew sly from the far right activists attempt to stone germanys Parliament Hundreds marched on the rock stuck building here in both enjoying a protest against to run a virus Restrictions Police chased them from entering an arrest hundreds of others of the demonstration also coming up. Trade unions battle the government in bella bursts we have a special report looking at how minustah trying to organize a strike of the brutal postelection crackdown