Wisma Jerman Open House 2021: Zum Tag der Deutschen Einheit

Wisma Jerman Open House 2021: Zum Tag der Deutschen Einheit
(On the occasion of the Day of German Unity)

With the number of registrants reaching more than 400 people, Wisma Jerman Open House 2021 was held online on October 3rd, 2021 from 10.00-15.00 WIB. This year’s Open House had the theme of German Unity Day which falls on October 3rd. German Unity Day is a meaningful day for Germans and a historic day for the world community. In unison with the importance of the occasion, the event was opened with a video greeting from Ms. Ina Lepel, Ambassador designate of the Federal Republic of Germany to Indonesia, ASEAN and Timor-Leste.

Three decades ago, a historic event occurred, namely the reunification of West Germany and East Germany to become a unified country once again after the two were separated following the end of World War II. The spirit of unity, peace and freedom of this reunification will always be remembered and celebrated. Through the Open House event, Wisma Jerman wanted to invite the Indonesian public, especially from Surabaya and East Java, to participate and get a sense of the atmosphere at that time. Therefore, Wisma Jerman had invited Bettina Neuber, a historical witness of the life and atmosphere in East and West Germany before and after the reunification. During a talk show she shared her account of the events from a personal perspective but also from a general viewpoint. Her narrative was supported by historical documents and photographs which further established the atmosphere. Participants then also had the opportunity to ask question and discuss directly with Bettina. The talk show enabled participants to gain a better understanding of the events and their magnitude for Germans, Germany as a nation and the world.

Like in years before, Open House Wisma Jerman 2021 had also organized various competitions and quizzes for the public and students of Wisma Jerman. Of course, these contests and quizzes also weren’t far off from the theme of German Unity Day. As always, a highlight of the program was the presentation of the course participants’ competition entrees. Prior to the event they had worked in teams to submit their works in three competitions, namely a Caricature Poster, a Poem, and a Comic Competition. The results were informative and entertaining for the audience and the winning teams were rewarded with a selection of goodies and shopping vouchers for each team member.

Not to forget the legendary Wisma Jerman Open House rally, which again due to the circumstances needed to be held online, but nevertheless successfully attracted visitors to visit a selection of virtual rooms. These rooms covered a wide range of topics including consultation and information around studying and working in Germany, German culture, language, history, economy and contemporary Germany. Visitors could virtually walk through a variety of interactive activities and challenges and collect clues for a key sentence to participate in the drawing for the main prizes. Besides providing knowledge and fun, the rally offered the opportunity to take home attractive merchandise or win the main prize in the form of a super intensive course voucher.

Wisma Jerman Open House 2021 received extensive support by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Jakarta, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Studienbrücke, Ini Surabaya, Prima Radio, and S Station. We would like to express our gratitude to our partners for making this event possible and a success. A recording of the event is available on Youtube under the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNnaafGxCbc