KARACHI, Dec 1: The Goethe-Institut has staged a comeback after a gap of one and a half years.

This was announced by the Goethe-Institut director, Josef Bornhorst, at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Monday.

Named after the German poet and dramatist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1742-1832), the cultural centre will preface its activities with a classical music concert slated for the next Monday.

Mr Bornhorst began his news briefing with a story. He added that the story perfectly reflected and explained the current situation of the Goethe-Institut and its endeavour to resume cultural activities in Karachi.

“An ox notices a big locomotive appearing on the horizon coming towards him. The furious ox gets onto the tracks and starts running towards the monster. He collides with the locomotive head on. Consequently, the ox dies on the spot. The engine driver looks out of the window and says: I admire your courage, but not your ability to judge.”

Mr Bornhorst elaborated that courage and ability of judgment were two decisive attributes, which identified the engagement of the Goethe-Institut Karachi. “After the closure of the institute in May 2002, we need both these qualities to resume our activities. We are planning to reopen the institute at a time when the international situation is rather complicated. It requires a certain amount of courage to act as a European cultural centre in an Islamic country,” he said.

“We decided to vacate the old building in which we organized the Pakistani-German Exchange activities for over four decades. We succeeded in finding a new building where we will shift soon our stored furniture and belongings,” he said.

The Goethe-Institut director said the centre would soon start its language courses and cultural activities. He added that the library would also open shortly.

He added that the Goethe-Institut received at least 10 queries from young people who wanted to learn the German language so that they could go to Germany for higher studies.

Answering a question, the programme coordinator of the Goethe-Institut, Ali R. Akhtar, said that the German cultural centre would move to a place near the CM house after obtaining a no-objection certificate from the city government.

Speaking about the classical music concert scheduled for Dec 8, he explained that the group of performers, The Linos Ensemble, had been founded in 1977 by the oboist Klaus Becker. “Its members, then at the end of their studies and at the beginning of their professional careers, are today professors at German music colleges or in leading positions in top German orchestras,” he said.

Mr Akhtar said that the performers would play compositions by Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), Detlev Muller-Siemens (born 1957) and Jean Francaix (1912-1997).

Meanwhile, Mr Bornhorst said that the government of Pakistan would send 40 students to pursue further studies in Germany this year, adds APP.

However, he added, the students would learn German language in Karachi and Lahore before proceeding to Germany. He pointed out that on average four to five students from Pakistan proceeded to Germany every year to pursue PhD courses there.