Forum for International Cultural Relations

LECTURE PROGRAMME OF THE GERMAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Interviews, videos, reports, ...

The illustration shows a binary code behind different groups of people

Diversity and AI: More Human, Less Machine

By Juliane Pfordte

How must we shape Artificial Intelligence (AI) so that it reduces inequalities rather than reproduces them? Kinga Schumacher travelled to Barcelona for the German government’s lecture programme where she spoke about the opportunities and risks of AI as part of the lecture series on “Women in Tech”.
Report
Regina Bittner stands in an art gallery during her lecture tour.

Bauhaus - A Worldwide Dialogue

Interview with Regina Bittner

Why was the Bauhaus a cosmopolitan network from the very beginning and why is the idea of a one-sided ‘export’ of the Bauhaus idea obsolete today? Regina Bittner travelled to Ecuador and the Dominican Republic for the German government’s lecture programme, where she spoke about the connections between the Bauhaus movement and non-European cultures.
Interview
Busy motorway at night

“We Should Understand Digital Infrastructure as a Public Good”

Interview with Adriana Groh

Adriana Groh travelled to Barcelona for the German government’s lecture programme. In this interview, she provides an insight into the Sovereign Tech Fund, which she co-founded, and explains why state funding of open source software is important.
Interview
Wall with pins and threads tied over it to form a network.

Empowering Women in Tech: Encounters and Perspectives in Barcelona

By Sophia Tran

As part of the German government’s lecture programme, Sophia Tran travelled to Barcelona to speak with representatives from the Spanish start-up scene and motivate pupils to take up a profession in the tech field.
Report

Hard Nuts to Crack! The impact of science on the European climate policy

Interview with Manfred Fischedick

Science has presented its case, now politics must act: Manfred Fischedick, Director and President of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, on challenges and requirements for European Climate Policy.
Interview
Illustration: A scale on a globe with the sign for female and male on the right and left.

The Long Struggle of Women

Interview with Christa Nickels

Christa Nickels was not only a co-founder of the Green Party, but also a member of the German Bundestag in the 1980s. In April 2023, she spoke in Japan about political equality. How she made herself heard and why a feminist foreign policy is important.
Interview
Portrait Sadia Shakil

Strong Women Empower Women

Interview with Sadia Shakil

Female entrepreneur Sadia Shakil travelled to her native country of Pakistan for the German government’s lecture programme to speak to female founders about female entrepreneurship and her own career in the IT industry. In this interview, she speaks about her impressions, role models and the empowering role of networks.
Interview
Illustration: In front of the Turkish flag, a hand holds a large magnifying glass on civilians.

“I felt despair, but also great courage”

Interview with Udo Di Fabio

The former judge at the German Federal Constitutional Court, Udo Di Fabio, participated in the lecture programme and travelled to Turkey to speak with journalists about the situation regarding freedom of expression there. In this interview, he shares his personal impressions and explains why discussions with the Turkish government continue to be important.
Interview
Photo of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a speech in the Bundestag.

The Watershed Era: A New Security Architecture for Europe?

By Gisela Müller-Brandeck-Bocquet

How will Russia’s war against Ukraine affect Europe’s future security architecture? Will Europe become more autonomous in its security and defence policy after the watershed or will it remain the European pillar in NATO?
Specialist Article
Illustration: Shaking hands, banknotes change hands under the table

Where It’s Not Just the Earth Which Quakes

By Jens Kraus-Massé

Crime, natural disasters, assassinations of presidents: Haiti is in a never-ending political crisis. What is Germany undertaking to support this country politically? Ambassador Jens Kraus-Massé has reason for hope despite difficult general conditions.
Interview

Jewish Life Beyond the Shoah

By Andrei Kovacs

Jewish life in Germany looks back over 1,700 years of history, which has been celebrated with a nationwide anniversary since 2021. Andrei Kovacs, head of the Jubilee Association, talks about the targets for the festival year.
Interview
Illustration: Eine Schreibfeder hinter Gittern

Freedom of the Press Under Attack – in Germany and Paraguay

The work of journalists has changed worldwide in 2021. Observations from the work of Reporters without Borders and a panel discussion held in Asunción on freedom of the press in Germany and Paraguay.
Report