Programme

_09.00_children and young adults
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Seitenbühne

Readings for pupils
For the big picnic, Mr and Mrs Dog had baked two splendid cakes. All the animals want to be there, too. But then something unexpected happens… Who knows why Mr Bear has a bandaged leg? Which house does Mrs Sheep live in? Who ate the fruits from the tree? Who painted the faces on the walls and trees? And where on earth have the cakes gone? In his picture books, “Picnic with Cake” and “Where is the Cake?” Thé Tjong-Khing (Indonesia/Netherlands) presents a frantic chase.
The school classes will take part in a writing competition and, in preparation, will make up their own stories based on animal characters in the books. Information on Tel. (030) 27 87 86 66. School years: 1-3
Closed event. Registration required under Tel. 0049-30-27 87 86 66

_09.30_children and young adults
Weinmeisterhaus

Writing workshop with Xosé Antonio Neira Cruz (Spain)
Workshops for pupils
The Spanish author of books for children and young people will carry out exciting writing experiments with young people, and creates texts which occupy an area between reality and imagination.
In Spanish. School years: 1x 7-10
Closed event. Registration required under Tel. 0049-30-27 87 86 66

_09.30_children and young adults
Gartenarbeitsschule

Wild jungle and Biotopia Tree. With Timothée de Fombelle (France)
Workshops for pupils
09.30: Since time immemorial, Toby Lolness and his people have lived on a mighty oak. But Toby is on the run. His father, a gifted scientist, has brought the wrath of the entire tree-folk on himself because he doesn’t want to give away the secret of his revolutionary invention: an energy-conservation machine that runs on the sap of the tree! The Lolness family is banished from the canopy to the lower branches, and is finally sentenced to death. Only Toby can escape, followed by the weevil-breeder Jo Mitch. Toby knows he doesn’t have much time to save his parents. In “Toby Alone”, the author vividly describes the magical microcosm ‘tree’.
10.30: Breakfast break for the naturalists.
11.00: After the reading in the “Green classroom”, the children will go out into the 30,000 m² grounds of the Gartenarbeitsschule and will investigate the legendary oak-tree world. They will work as naturalists, builders or artists and will study different aspects of the book: How does the oak society function? How big is a weevil in comparison to a human? How do you build a shelter using only natural materials? What does the dream oak look like?
Please bring along suitable clothing in case of bad weather. School years: 2x 5/6
Closed event. Registration required under Tel. 0049-30-27 87 86 66

_10.00_children and young adults
Die Gelbe Villa

Fantasy, Manga and Origami. With Nahoko Uehashi (Japan)
Workshops for pupils
10.00: While returning to the kingdom of Shin-Yogo, the spear-warrior Balsa witnesses how the imperial family is crossing a bridge with their entourage. An accident causes Prince Chagum to fall to his near death. Unhesitatingly, Balsa jumps into the river and saves the imperial son and is appointed Chagum’s bodyguard, because he seems to be threatened by a demon. Nahoko Uehashi (Japan) reads from her fantasy epic “Guardian of the Spirit".
11.00: Workshop around Uehashi’s fantasy adventure. Through sleight of hand and modelling clay, foreign universes are created, origami techniques bring fantastic creatures to life, a comic and manga workshop creates new worlds, a fantastic journey into the Snoezel room spirits the participants off into dream worlds, and a photo-story rounds off the session.
12.00 Uhr: Lunch in the children’s and young person’s restaurant “Five Seasons”, run by Berliner Tafel e.V./die gelbe Villa
For those above 11 years of age. School years: 2 x 6/7
Lunch: 1 € per child/ Fee for materials: 1 € per child
Reservation via die gelbe Villa on Tel. 0049-30-76 76 50 12

_10.30_children and young adults
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin | Gemäldegalerie

Paper Museum. With Ted van Lieshout (Netherlands)
Workshops for pupils
Ted van Lieshout, who often deals with graphics, art and all things relating to museums – and who was guest curator at the children’s art gallery “Villa Zebra” in Rotterdam – has brought out extraordinary art-picture books for children. “Papieren Museum” (t: Paper Museum) and “3”, which is a guide book to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, bring art and literature together in an exciting way.
By using selected works by Old Masters which can be seen in the Gemäldegalerie, the author himself will playfully familiarise children with art, providing a riveting and witty presentation of Old Masters, modern art and Dutch illustrators. During a museum-rally, which is constructed as a school of sight, children will be invited to count objects in paintings or to find numbers in images; or to compare the works of Old Masters, modern art and contemporary illustrators in order to find out what the artists have copied from each other. In the following workshop, children will adapt one painting of the Old Masters to make their own, modern image.
School years: 1 x 4-6
Closed event. Registration required under Tel. 0049-30-27 87 86 66

_11.00_children and young adults
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Seitenbühne

Readings for pupils
Anne-Laure Bondoux (France) will read from her sci-fi novel “The Destiny of Linus Hoppe”. The eponymous character lives in the not-too-distant future, in which mankind is strictly divided into social classes: sphere 1 denotes luxury, spheres 2-4 exploitation. As his fourteenth birthday approaches – when Linus will have to present himself to the “Great Processor“ to decide in which sphere he is permitted to live – he gets to know a group of resistance fighters. But is Linus really ready to put his life in danger?
School years: 5/6
Closed event. Registration required under Tel. 0049-30-27 87 86 66

_13.00_children and young adults
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Seitenbühne

Readings for pupils
What do a false prophet, a mysterious mistress and the practical boss of a hairdressing salon have in common? They all are characters in Amma Darko's (Ghana) latest novel “Not Without Flowers", which is a gripping and complex tale about a society in transition from tradition to modern-day values. Polygamy and widows' rites stand opposite female emancipation and paid-for love corrupts relationships.
School years: 11-13
Closed event. Registration required under Tel. 0049-30-27 87 86 66

_13.00_children and young adults
Jugendkulturzentrum Pumpe

Guardian of the Spirit. Theatre-project week in honour of Nahoko Uehashi’s (Japan) Fantasy-Epic
Workshops for pupils
As bodyguard, Balsa is committed to protect Prince Chagum from the dangers that lurk all around. To this end, she flees the imperial palace with him. Soon after fleeing, she discover his secret: only he has the power to save his land from hunger and natural catastrophes, since he is the “Guardian of the Spirit“.
The Japanese author’s fantastic story provides material for a project week made up of five varied workshops, in which the school-age participants will investigate the characters and their stories, and create a stage production. Supported by a director, scenes and short dialogues will be developed – together with stage and costume techniques, as well as lighting and sound, a theatrical narrative will come to life, which will be enriched with projections from the video group. Schoolchildren will learn how a performance is brought about. Meanwhile, individual ideas will also be given plenty of space. The workshops will be led by professionals from the worlds of acting, costumes, stage decoration, video, and light- and sound-engineering.
Project dates: 22.-26.09.2008, each 09.00-14.00
Today: Theatre premiere in the presence of the author. Other classes from other schools are also invited; entry to today’s presentation of the project week (after reservation on Tel. (030) 27 87 86 66) is free.
Participance at the 5-day-project-week: 25€ each pupil. School class: 1x 6-8
Closed event. Registration required under Tel. 0049-30-27 87 86 66

_18.00_kaleidoscope
JVA Tegel

Nancy Huston (Canada/France)
Nancy Huston presents her latest novel “Fault Lines” in Tegel Prison. Huston was born in Canada and studied in Paris, where she obtained her doctorate under the supervision of Roland Barthes. Since then she has written in French. In the novel, strokes of fate, crises and conflicts, which affect one family over the course of many generations, are described.
Closed event

_18.00_reflections
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Foyer

James Shikwati (Kenya) und Daniel Kempken (Germany) about development aid
2.3 billion dollars in development aid, says World Bank economist William Easterly, has been issued since the sixties – and predominantly to Africa. While the majority of economists and left-liberal politicians support an increase in aid, Kenyan economic expert James Shikwati (Director of the Inter Region Economic Network) regards this aid as fatal. Shikwati says it undermines the Africans’ pride, fosters financial dependence and corruption, and lowers the entrepreneurial spirit. It furthermore stabilises the regimes of dictators. Daniel Kempken is an employee of the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in Berlin.
In cooperation with the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation

_18.15_kaleidoscope
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Seitenbühne

Steinunn Sigurdardóttir (Iceland)
Presented by: Arno Widmann
The author reads from her new novel "Sólskinshestur". After 25 years Lilla (the little one) meets up with her first love. He invites her to spend the weekend at his country house outside Reykjavík. While anticipating the reunion Lilla remembers episodes. Her recollections turn into a sort of requiem for her lost childhood.

_19.00_kaleidoscope
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Große Bühne

Amitav Ghosh (India/USA)
Presented by: Margarete von Schwarzkopf
Reader: Julia Jäger
Oppression and colonialism, the clashing of different cultures, and love and hatred are the topics of the author of the worldwide bestseller "The Glass Palace". He will read from his latest epic "Sea of Poppies": 1838 – on the upper reaches of the River Ganges the population is slaving on the British opium plantations. Xenophobia, intrigues and desperation unite a group of exiles on the former slave ship Ibis to form a community born out of suffering.
This event is sponsored by the Thalia book chain in Berlin.
In cooperation with the Thalia book chain in Berlin

_19.00_children and young adults
Weinmeisterhaus

With the wind in our sails! Literary Evening Club 2008
After school and at the weekend
Four authors of books for children and young people will read from their works and invite the audience to linger, listen, dream, talk and read themselves: Viktor Canosinaj (Albania) reads from his book for young people “Meriyll“, in which the eponymous character is growing up in Albania after the end of the communist regime: after her mother’s unexpected death, the fourteen-year-old Meriyll has to assume responsibility for the household and for her brothers and sisters, while her unemployed father spends his day in the pub. In his book “Brothers”, Ted van Lieshout (Netherlands) gives insights into the farewell that the sixteen-year-old Luuk takes from his deceased brothers Marius: while reading Marius’ diary and collecting his thoughts, Luuk discovers a secret that both brothers shared. Xosé Antonio Neira Cruz (Spain) with his “O armiño dorme” (t: The Sleeping Stoat) tells the story of Bianca de Medici, the illegitimate daughter of the Florentine dynasty – and unsentimentally examines the hard life led by a young woman in the 16th century. In her epic “Guardian of the Spirit", Nahoko Uehashi (Japan) tells of the spear-warrior Balsa: once upon a time, much blood was shed to preserve her life. Therefore, she has sworn to save lives herself. And now Prince Chagum has been entrusted to her, he, who determines the fate of the entire kingdom.
For those over 13 years of age.
Free entry

_19.15_Focus Africa
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Foyer

Kossi Efoui (Togo/France)
Presented by: Inge Zenker-Baltes
Reader: Max Volkert Martens
Kossi Efoui will be introducing his current novel “Solo d’un revenant” (t: Solo of a revenant). In the tradition of Samuel Beckett and Sony Labou Tansi, Efoui evokes fantastic worlds and a multidimensional fabric of words and sensory impressions. In his work, Efoui plays with African stereotypes, leaving behind the notion of “Africanity” which was at the centre of the Négritude movement.

_19.30_Focus Africa
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Seitenbühne

Poetry Night II - Africa. Susan Kiguli (Uganda), Chirikure Chirikure (Zimbabwe), Lebogang Mashile (South Africa)
Presented by: Silke Behl
Reader: Frank Arnold, Marie Löcker, Nina West
Susan Kiguli is regarded as one of the most interesting and promising young African poets who compose their poems in the form of oral tradition. The four sections of her "African Saga", namely "Poems of Protest", "Relational Poems", "Poems of Nature" and "Existential Poems" perfectly illustrate the range of her themes.
Chirikure Chirikure is a critic of the political elite and a spokesperson for the disadvantaged people of Zimbabwe. He follows the oral story telling tradition of the Shona people in their language. With highly symbolic as well as simple and touching descriptions Chirikure reminds the people of their collective cultural tradition, condemns the abuse of power and selfishness, attesting to the importance of community.
Lebogang Mashile, poet, performer, actress, presenter and producer is among the most popular artists of the country. Her lyrical and sometimes raw poems tell us about life in the new South Africa. Issues such as the diversity and unity of the "Rainbow Nation", the status of women, violence and the fragility of individuals are all treated with a sense of urgency, humour and at times with melancholy.

_19.30_kaleidoscope
Institut français

Gilles Leroy (France)
Presented by: Carolin Fischer
Montgomery, Alabama, June 1918: the self-confident Zelda Sayre falls in love with a good-looking lieutenant from the North: F. Scott Fitzgerald. He has only one ambition: to become America’s most famous writer. Less than a year later, the two are married and lead a life of excess, in New York, Paris, on the Côte d’Azur. But while Scott finds material for his famous novels, Zelda – herself a writer, dancer and painter – seems to be the hysterical madwoman at the side of the literary genius. Gilles Leroy, holder of the Prix Goncourt, allows Zelda to tell her own story, one of an enormous but destructive love.
In cooperation with the Bureau du Livre and the Kein & Aber publishing house

_20.00_literature of the world
Lettrétage

Don Paterson (UK)
Presented by: Martin Jankowski
Reader: Michaela Steiger
The Scottish poet – the recipient of several prizes – presents his poetry in the Kreuzberg Lettrétage. Don Paterson is counted among the most important European poets. His poems examine the fractures encountered in life. According to Paterson, "Poems translate silence and find words that do not exist in our daily language. They fill the gaps with songs that men should actually not be able to hear“.
Entrance 5 €

_21.00_reflections
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Große Bühne

The Generation of 68 - were they romantic?
Presented by: Wilfried F. Schoeller
Geert Mak (Netherlands) is this year’s recipient of the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding. He and philosopher/author Rüdiger Safranski (Germany) will give a talk about today's evaluation of the events that took place in 1968.

_21.15_kaleidoscope
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Foyer

Jáchym Topol (Czech Republic)
Presented by: Arno Widmann
Reader: Friedhelm Ptok
In his latest novel, “To Gurgle Tar”, the story of invading Soviet troops is told from the perspective of the young orphan Ilya, who joins them. The fictional restaging of Czechoslovakia’s history transforms into a highly compressed, absurd form of theatre, which is nearly carnivalesque, yet remains grounded. The novel, as well as its German translation by Milena Oda and Andreas Tretner has been highly praised.