(1) Manage international relations in the human (hito) dimension.

The first key point is that international cultural exchange is essentially the management of international relations at the hito level: individual human beings as components of the international community. This requires listening to the voices of the youth and those involved in creative activities, addressing issues related to social stability and development (such as diversity, technology, and climate change), and providing “spaces” where diverse individuals can encounter new information, artwork, and like-minded peers with whom to collaborate. In the first session, the panelists emphasized the importance for international cultural organizations to continue programs that connect a wide range of people over time, while responding to changes in international affairs as needed. In the second session, the panelists urged international cultural organizations to “build relationships of mutual trust among people even if war changes their positions,” to “protect people who do not belong to the kuni,” and to “provide long-term support to those who are creating a new ‘field’ in society for the next decade or two.” At a time when conflicts and divisions within and between nation-states have grown prominent, it is essential to manage international relations at the human level.

(2) Take advantage of the opportunities created by the pandemic.

The second key point is that while the COVID-19 pandemic severely restricted international cultural exchange, it also opened the way for new opportunities. All presenters in both the first and second sessions acknowledged positively that online tools have given rise to innovative forms of creation, expression, and communication, and have enabled the participations of individuals who previously had limited opportunities for exposures to other cultures and arts. Some also expressed that they have made it a habit to anticipate a variety of possibilities when planning and implementing programs, so that they can be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances. At the same time, it was pointed out that online spaces harbor risks of misinformation and cyber-cascades (group polarization), and that the encounters and inspiration found only in face-to-face meetings are the true joy of international cultural exchange. It is therefore essential to explore hybrid forms of exchange that combine the strengths of the digital and the real.

(3) Involve and support the participation of diverse people (hito), both within and outside of nation-states (kuni), and across administrative sectors.

The third key point is the greater need for cross-spatial or cross-sectoral perspectives in international cultural exchange. In the first session, the panelists emphasized the importance of involving a wider range of people in their own countries in cultural relations activities. They stressed the need to capture domestic interests and to use skills and expertise acquired abroad to address problems at home. During the second session, it was pointed out that in many parts of Japan, people who had never been involved in international cultural exchanges have now begun to connect with the “outside” world through creative activities. Today, numerous collaborations among various actors have developed, crossing the central-peripheral divide as well as the boundaries between the public and private sectors or administrative fields. The future of international cultural exchange depends on how we can encourage and strengthen these links². Public international cultural organizations are expected to play an intermediary role in facilitating such linkages.

(1) Centres for International Cultural Education (Zentren für internationale Kulturelle Bildung)⁴

The first initiative is the Centres for International Cultural Education, which began their activities in the second half of 2021. The goal of these Centres is to strengthen the cohesion of German society by utilizing the network, skills and expertise that the Goethe-Institut has cultivated through its international activities. Core activities focus on promoting cultural education to combat far-right extremism, racism, and anti-Semitism⁵. Representatives are assigned to five out of the twelve institutes operating in Germany (Bonn, Dresden, Hamburg, Mannheim, and Schwäbisch Hall). They work with local partners such as civil society organizations, cultural education institutions, and municipal offices to plan and implement cultural relations programs.

The direct impetus for the project was the establishment of the Cabinet Committee for the Fight Against Racism and Right-Wing Extremism by the Federal Government in 2020⁶. The committee allocated a budget of more than 1 billion euros for the period 2021-2024 to implement interministerial measures and strengthen social resilience in response to the rise in hate crimes targeting immigrants and Jewish communities. The Centres for International Cultural Education are one of the 89 initiatives listed in this framework.

The three Centres the author visited, in Mannheim, Bonn, and Dresden, leveraged the characteristics of their locations to work closely with the local community. In Mannheim, for example, the Centre supports the Black Academy, an international initiative that empowers Black Germans and people of African descent worldwide, in partnership with the city of Mannheim. The Centre also conducted different art and media projects (Artist residences, Media Incubator Workshops, film series on antiziganism) to promote a better understanding of the Sinti and Roma in cooperation with the Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg and the Goethe-Institut Sofia.

In Bonn, the Centre co-produced a play with the local youth theatre about the encounter between a boy and Freud in Vienna in 1937. The Centre also collaborated with local associations on a music exhibition, originally produced by the Goethe-Institut Jordan, featuring musicians from seven countries in North Africa and West Asia.

In Dresden, part of former East Germany, the Centre has organized unique programs in collaboration with organizations and institutions inside and outside the city. For example, the Centre and its partners developed a video-based module for anti-discrimination education in secondary schools and police academies. When the Centre hosted a symposium on conspiracy theories and fake news, participants were invited from Poland and the Czech Republic.

(2) Goethe-Institut in Exile (Goethe-Institut im Exil)⁷

At the end of 2022, the Goethe-Institut created a space in Berlin for artists and intellectuals who are unable to work in their home countries because of war and censorship. The concept is to offer a safe space to exiled partners of Goethe-Instituts abroad that have been forced to close due to conflict, war, or other reasons. The core of its efforts form intensive series of events featuring a specific region. There are also daily film screenings, workshops, and other events. While its direct target is foreign cultural figures who have fled their home countries, the Goethe-Institut in Exile also promotes exchanges between people and cultures within Germany, including immigrants and refugees with roots in the featured regions. The project’s efforts are documented on video and made available to the public on its website.

The Goethe-Institut in Exile had a brief precedent in the fall of 2016. As a replacement for the Goethe-Institut Damascus, which has been closed since 2012, a rented space was opened to Syrian artists for 16 days for exhibitions and talks. A concert at the venue, which the author visited while in Germany at the time, was filled with enthusiasm and an overwhelming sense of unity.

The present Goethe-Institut in Exile regularly runs programs in a semi-permanent facility by its staff, including those who came from the closed institutes abroad. The arts center in Berlin’s Mitte district, where the office is located, is attractive to local residents and the media interested in alternative cultural activities. In October 2022, a festival dedicated to Ukrainian culture was held as an inaugural event. This was followed by a focus on Iran, with plans to focus on Afghanistan from June 2023 and Belarus in 2024.

Since the 2000s, Germany’s public cultural relations organizations have proactively contributed to the country’s immigration policy. They have supported the construction of a diverse society by helping people with foreign roots to improve their German language skills, recruiting new foreign talent, etc. The large influx of refugees in recent years has led to calls for greater “domestic cultural exchange” involving the social majority. Specialists in domestic cultural policy and those of international cultural exchange have been discussing how to create comprehensive cultural relations activities to meet the contemporary needs. Johannes Ebert, Secretary-General of the Goethe-Institut, told the author at the Munich headquarters: “I am convinced that the trend of integrating external and internal cultural policies will continue in the future.”

The two initiatives presented here began as experiments in this context. In each place the author visited, I was impressed by the way the people in charge drew on their own roots and experiences and worked with a strong sense of mission. Both projects are initially set for a period of about three years; we should keep an eye on their future development.