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Goethe-Institut's fifty years of service lauded
Aug 15: Goethe-Institut has played a significant role in promotion of arts and culture
in its 50-years existence in the city, literary and art figures said on Tuesday.
Sharing their memories about the institute, the speakers said the institute had
played a very active role in promoting a literary atmosphere in the
metropolis.
Prof. Sahr Ansari said that the Goethe-Institut had set a
good precedent by holding German language classes, organising film festivals,
extending facility of library and holding regular literary and art gatherings.
He said it had provided good atmosphere for lovers of arts and culture. Begum
Shaista Ikramullah, Waheedul Hasan, and other important personalities, he said,
were frequent visitors to the centre. He regretted shifting of the institute
from corner of Arts Council to the Chief Minister's House, a high security zone.
He believed it had adversely affected cultural and literary activities of the
institute because of its perceived inaccessibility and lack of parking
place.
As literature and culture flourishes through gatherings and
institutes the regular programmes arranged by the Goethe-Institut, Karachi, had
assumed status of an institute, Sarwar Javed said.
Rauf Nizamani, who had
remained associated with it through the 1980s said the Goethe-Institut had
played positive and active role in promotion of arts and culture as its director
remains in constant touch with local intelligentsia.
Chander Keswani, a
poet, said Goethe-Institut promoted and owned cosmopolitan literary scene of the
city. He said the institute actively sought cooperation of poets, literary and
arts figures of Urdu, Sindhi, Balochi, Pashtu, Punjabi etc.
The
Goethe-Institut Pakistan on completing its fifty years (1957-2007) had published
a booklet, which contains reflections of different personalities of Pakistan.
German Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Guenter Mulack said the Goethe-Institut was
actively engaged in the dialogue between 'the West' and the Muslim world. With
his 'West-Eastern Divan' Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was the first German to take
up this principal matter. The news
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