On the seventh anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the documentary Furusato reminds us of the people who stayed behind in their abandoned, radioactive hometown.
Known not only for its big Karl Marx head (the “Nischel” in Saxonian), Chemnitz now has around 240,000 inhabitants and a quite important technical university, where 25% of students (!) are international. The city happens to be celebrating its 875th jubilee and is vying to become a European Capital of Culture.
“I wanted to change the political situation with the infinitesimal fraction of my own participation, so I joined the Ukrainian volunteer movement. At the front line, I found friends and kindred spirits. My feelings for them poured into poetry.”
Despite the jet lag, there was excitement in the air for the new arrivals from Texas – and quite a few volunteer organizations on hand to tell them how they can help out in their new community.
Get fresh perspectives on contemporary art from a student, a pensioner, a city guide, a media person, a language teacher, a translator, and a guy with amazing insights into history and philosophy. The next “Newcomer” guided tours are this Sunday at the Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts (the one in English is at 4 pm).
To get our Cocktail Open Mic series off to a good start on 2 Feb, Leipzig Opera mezzo soprano soloist Wallis Giunta will do something she doesn’t often get the chance to do: sing some country songs for us.
