ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The interest for learning the German language in the Kurdistan Region is very high, the president of the Goethe Institute in Iraq said earlier this week, with many Kurdish students eyeing Germany as a potential destination to complete their studies. “We have around 300 learners here all over the Kurdistan Region. I know that the interest in German is very, very high, and we are one of the points that people can get in touch with Germany, with German language, and with German culture,” Anais Boelicke, President of the Goethe Institute in Iraq, told Rudaw’s Nma Nabaz. The Goethe institute is a non-profit German cultural institute which has 158 branches in 98 countries worldwide, including one in the Kurdistan Region’s capital in Erbil. The institute focuses on promoting the German language and strengthening the cultural scene in the Region through cultural activities, according to Boelicke. Berlin and Erbil share strong ties. Germany is a key international actor as well as an essential member of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS). Berlin has also been involved in the Peshmerga reforms over the past few years, with the German army mostly based in the Region. Boelicke said that her institute is also working to further the cinema and filmmaking scene in the Region through supporting young Kurdish artists to pursue their dreams of being capable filmmakers comparable to international standards. “What we are strengthening, we try to empower with intercultural exchange. We are bringing artists here in contact with German artists but also European artists to share their experiences, which is very important for us,” she said. “It is not teaching, but each one is learning from each other,” she added.
