Evenings Past 2005 - 2006

Heiße Wahlen in Deutschland
The first evening of the new academic year was entitled Heiße Wahlen, Hot Elections. Frank organised the evening and speakers were Heike, Birgit and Sabine, It could have been a very dry programme, but as most members read the English newspapers - and in most countries the press is hyper - and they know how to manipulate, they were sort of informed.
There seems to be more political parties in Germany. Some have not been in existence very long, so it is up to the people to differentiate and make up their mind. Democracy in Germany has not been in existence as long as in England. After explaining the differences in voting papers, you vote for a person and then for a party. Questions were posed and answered, and video clips shown.
The last words came from Sabine, which lifted members out of a too serious moment with a most irreverent piece of prose .

Donnerstag 29.September 2005

Geschichte im Spiegel der Kunst
The last programme was presented by Doris Genis, an absolute wizard of knowledge on art. The title was Art in the 19th and 20th century, Spirit of the Age, Zeitgeist in German. Art of course, is not just paintings. It encompasses architecture, music or style of dress, and literature. Life itself never stays still and, to get someone like Doris is to get you interested and wanting to find out more, opens a whole new world.
One of the German painters she spoke about was Casper David Friedrich. Most of his people have their backs to the onlooker, meaning the past is behind, and they are all looking to the future. This proved to be a most enjoyable and informative meeting.

Donnerstag 20. Oktober 2005

Ein Filmabend
The February meeting at the mill was a film evening about the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and its conductor Sir Simon Rattle. He invited the youth of Berlin, who are no different than any other youth in any other town, who did not like classical music, probably never listened to it, and had not had it explained. The music was fantastic, the youngsters were very sceptical at the beginning but, at the end they were so disciplined and one could see that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves and started to understand and even like it. Also, it demonstrated the involvement of Sir Simon with an understanding of the youth. A very enlightening and enjoyable evening.
Donnerstag 23. Februar 2006

Kalte Platte
Members enjoyed "Kalte Platte" at their recent meeting, with many tasty examples provided by Hilde Boks who also presented the evening, Kalte Platte, traditionally from Scandinavia, is now an excepted part of the evening meal in Germany but at one time it was a luxury. Doris Kaye spoke of her many visits to Backnang, when varieties of Kalte Platte were always offered in the evening. Kalte Platte can be practically anything as long as it is cold, fresh, and savoury, hot food being the traditionally lunch time fare. The excellent dishes prepared by Hilde included Schwaebischer Zwiebelkuchen (a Backnang speciality), Kuerbis (pumpkin) and Heringssalat, plus a good selection of German sausage, fish, cheese and ham. A food quiz rounded off the evening.
Donnerstag 27.April 2006

Deutsche Aussiedler im Osten
The last programme was fairly topical - people emigrating, settling or being forced or not out of their country. These movements have been going on for centuries, but it is only when it involves one's own country that people take notice. Someone said at the end of the meeting that being in the middle of mainland Europe, it has been accepted more easily.
The wandering of people from Germany, Poland, France, Ireland (particularly at the time of the potato famine), Scotland, during the Highland clearances, even Spain, Italy and Hungary, were very forcefully demonstrated by John Wilson.
Most of the members knew something about the subject, but John explained how, when Catherine the Great ascended the throne in Russia, she proceeded to encourage people from all over Europe to come and settle in Russia by allocating land for farming and also in teaching a more commercial way of producing food. Being of German origin, she promised the emigrants no conscription to the army - a welcome condition - and other perks such as less tax, the towns to be self governing, and freedom for different religions.
New migrants settled on the other side of the Volga. In 1767, 4000 families took part and, in 1789, 228 Menonite families settled on the Djenepr. In fact, besides Menonites Catholics, Lutherans in their thousands took up Catherine's invitation.
When she annexed part of Turkey after the Napoleonic wars ,she invited people from West Prussia, Hungry and Poland and assembled them around the area now known as the Ukraine between 1803 and 1810.
In more recent times, the 1900's, things became very different and people emigrated to America . After the last war the original Germans were not allowed back to the country of origin and were forced to live in either Kasakhstan or Siberia.

Donnerstag 25. Mai 2006