The Ukrainian-German year of languages, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, starts this weekend. Director of the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine Beate Köhler invites to attend the opening festival in the downtown Kyiv.
Ukraine ranks fifth globally regarding the number of people studying German
“The slogan of the year of languages is ‘Make a step forward.’ It is a step forward, not the first one because a lot of people have already been studying German or want to study it. Ukraine ranks fifth globally regarding the number of people studying German,” said Beate Köhler at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
The decision to organize a year of languages was made in 2016 by Foreign Ministers of Germany and Ukraine. The organizers were the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Embassy in Kyiv, the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
The dialogue between countries
The project is planned as a dialogue between the two countries and therefore will be held in Ukraine and Germany simultaneously. The main purpose of the year of languages in Ukraine is to open up wider prospects for both educational opportunities and professional development of youth through studying German. An important task is to build a dialogue between writers and translators of the two countries. Three literary festivals are to be held in Chernivtsi, Kharkiv, and Odesa within the framework of the project. “We also want to support the power of civil society in Ukraine and develop the topic of shared historical memory,” Beate Köhler emphasized. The events in Germany will popularize the Ukrainian language and literature.
From the largest language lesson to Educational Congress
The Festival opening the Ukrainian-German year of languages will be held on September 9-10 in Kontraktova Square in downtown Kyiv. The program includes the largest lesson of German, performances by German and Ukrainian bands, and a lot more. The German Children’s Digital University with available lectures and video films adapted for kids will start in November. A joint presentation of the Goethe-Institut and Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse) is planned within the framework of Book Arsenal, the largest Ukrainian book fair. The year will be crowned with a joint educational congress next June. Participants from Germany and Ukraine will discuss the future of the education system.
