2025
Cities of memory
We took part in further work associated with the cities of memory network – more details of this to appear in the blog.
October visit
Photographers Günter Starke and Christine are coming here from Dresden to carry out a project documenting motor production in Coventry – see blog.
Dresden-Coventry October
There is a Dresden Trade Mission, organised by West Midlands Combined Authority visiting 20-24 October. This mission has a particular focus on creative industries.
Cork August
Navkiran Kaur Mann and Olga Dermott-Bond, took part in the annual Cork-Coventry Poetry Exchange. There is a blog from Navkiran covering here earlier visit to Dresden here.
Dresden September
Coventry poet Amy Rugg will be in Dresden from 15 Sept – 19 Sept. This is visit is supported by Coventry Dresden Writers Exchange and Coventry Association for International friendship (CAIF) (There is a blog from Amy about her visit to Cork at https://caifonline.com/2024/11/04/cork-poetry-exchange-august-2024-1/ )
Leipzig
Vocal ensemble Ensemble Nobiles were in Birmingham early June as part of a Birmingham Leipzig twinning event. During this visit they met members of CAIF in Coventry
Godiva Festival 4-6 July
The Godiva Festival is back and celebrating 25 years from 4-6 July.
Eutopia Week at University of Warwick 30 June to 4 July. This has a focus from Monday to Wednesday on the relationship between Warwick and TU (Technical university) Dresden.
CAIF AGM is on Thursday 19 June 6:30 Council House.
Spires Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus with Lufthansa Singing Voices (Frankfurt), 14 June 2025, 2:30pm – 5:00pm Coventry Central Hall
A tribute to Colin Touchin
Beethoven – Symphony No.9
Brahms – Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny)
Brahms – Academic Festival Overture
Soloists
Brittany King (Soprano), Gaynor Keeble (Mezzo Soprano)
Ed Harrisson (Tenor), Armand Rabot (Bass)
Coventry Kiel Exchange
On Monday 19 May Coventry author Aaron Ashmore will travel to Kiel and give presentations about Coventry at schools in Kiel.
On Thursday 5 June a group of Coventrians will arrive in Kiel for a week- long visit. As part of this visit our colleague and friend Richard Parker will give a presentation about Coventry Cathedral at St Nikolai Church in Kiel.
Dunkerque (Nord Department of France) 20-27 May
CAIF members will be taking part in the commemorations for the 85th Anniversary of Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British Army from the beaches in May 1940. We will be accompanied in Dunkerque and Ypres by a group of 8 pupils from Lyng Hall School – along with their teacher and Head of English, Lisa Hagan – who will be making a presentation on their thoughts and experiences on the ‘diversity of memory’.
Springboard festival 10-17 May
The festival of drama, music and poetry is also back at the Criterion Theatre.
Equality Day 14 April
Equality Day will be celebrated on Monday – 14th April 2025 in Council Chamber. This event recognises Dr Ambedkar and his legacy in the field of Human Rights.
Football
German football club St. Pauli came to Coventry for a pre-season friendly (2 August). During their visit they, with members of Coventry City FC, laid a wreath at the War Memorial Park. Later they issued a statement part of which read in English translation:
The memory of the past must not paralyze us. It must compel us to act. FC St. Pauli thanks us for allowing us to share this moment of remembrance with the people of Coventry – in a spirit of humility, solidarity, and shared responsibility. On the occasion of the wreath-laying ceremony in Coventry, we once again call for support for the work of War Child Germany.
Coburg
Three visitors came from Coburg to Coventry 12 – 14 July. You can read a little more about our Bridging Cultures project here: https://www.interculturalroots.org/project/bridging-cultures
Presentation on Dresden trip
Wednesday the 2nd of April @ 19:00 at the Earlsdon Carnegie Library, members of CAIF gave a presentation about our trip to Dresden to the Coventry German Circle.
JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion at Coventry Cathedral, 4 April
This landmark collaboration between Trinity Boys Choir (London) and Kieler Knabenchor (Kiel, Germany) will bring together over 100 young voices from the UK and Germany who will perform Bach’s masterpiece to audiences in London, Coventry and Germany.
“Is Peace Possible in Israel and Palestine?” Wednesday 2 April 2025
Lecture given by Daniel Munayer under the auspices of Coventry Cathedral / Ministry of Reconciliation.
2004
Coventry Peace Festival 1-14 November
We very much support the Coventry Peace Festival, 1-14 November. Events, these include a film, walks around Coventry, cultural activities (and horticultural ones perhaps), are listed in this guide.
Fire & Dust: Coventry-Cork Poetry Exchange at The LTB! Thursday 31 October
This is Coventry’s Fire& Dust poetry open mic – special event featuring Cork poets CATHERINE RONAN and CÉDRIC BIKOND NKOMA. More information here including link to map for LTB showroom.
Ska – Dresden style 5 October
The Ska band Tighten Up (they rather prefer ‘late rocksteady, early reggae’) and they will play in the Two Tone Village (Knights) time to be confirmed, but it will be an evening show. More later but you can get a flavour here:
Visit to Dresden schools
Coventry author and businessman Aaron Ashmore is visiting Dresden from 3rd – 6th September! Some of you might remember that Aaron came to one of our meetings to tell us about the children’s books he publishes. Aaron will be speaking at 3 Dresden schools; we have also arranged guided tours for him (Dresden Old Town and the Frauenkirche). This is a another milestone in our twinning relations, and particularly our effort to involve and inspire the young generation, which is part of CAIF’s aims and objectives. We are very grateful to Aaron that he is travelling to Dresden and we wish him a safe and inspirational journey! Books – Etch & Pin (etchandpin.co.uk)
Theatre from Dresden (in English) 27 July 2024
The Tudors from Dresden are returning to Coventry! The English drama group of the Technical University of Dresden’s British and American Studies Department have performed in Coventry twice before (The Train of Life and Last Stop Clausnitz). King Henry VIII School have kindly agreed to host the Tudors again and they will perform their new play, Winter Miller’s “In Darfur” on 27 July, 19:30 pm. Entrance is free but the Tudors would ask for a donation.
Please get your free ticket here:
FAMA Friendship Award 25 July 2024
Coventry artist John Yeadon and Dresden artist Max Uhlig will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards during the FAMA Friendship Day as part of the Palais Sommer Dresden on 25 July this year. [Fama is goddess of rumour (and I guess other things)in Roman / Greek mytholdogyand she stands – or is it a sculpture? – on the roof of the art academy in Dresden. This particular image is downloaded from Wikipedia under the terms of the open media licence, it is credited to Brunswyk, [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dresden_Fama_(2005).jpg]. More to follow on our blog page. At this event Coventry singer Daniella Dee will be singing. (more on Daniella in this interview with ‘The Pit, London’ https://www.thepitldn.com/pitnews/artist-spotlight-danniella-dee
Poetry Exchange
I would like to extend a special invite to you all to see Patrick’s performance at the Fire & Dust Poetry Evening on Thursday the 4th of April @ 19:30 in the Litten Tree Building, 1 Warwick Road, CV1 1EX
You can also take the opportunity to meet Patrick personally in an informal setting at the Cosy Club, Cathedral Lanes Shopping Centre, CV1 1LL on Saturday the 6th of April between 9:30 and 11:30 when we get together for breakfast.
Of course, you are welcome to attend Patrick’s presentation at the German Circle on Wednesday the 3rd of April @ 19:00 in the Earsldon Carnegie Library, Earlsdon Ave North, CV5 6FZ; however, this will be in German and without translation.
Olympic Flame project
We are keen to lend support to school children to attend a project organised by Dunkirk city council around the time of the Olympic games in Paris. More information on this in due course.
Dresden Trip – February 2024 (11/2 – 18/2)
Compiled by Nikolai Press
2024 sees the 65th anniversary of the twinning between Coventry and Dresden. Hence, we decided – as part of the various events and visits this year – to travel to Dresden with a group of Coventrians to spend 13thFebruary – the day of the Dresden bombing – with our Dresden friends. The trips and accommodation were arranged individually, as were most activities in Dresden.
Participants:
Nikolai Press (CAIF, Coventry German Circle [CGC], Coventry Dresden Exchange)
Monika Campbell (CAIF, CGC, Coventry Dresden Exchange)
Richard Parker (CAIF, CGC)
Mary Goodwin (CAIF, CGC)
Michael Hammond (CAIF)
Mark Cook (Coventry Dresden Exchange)
11 February
12 February
Nikolai and Monika: Arrival at Dresden Neustadt Station at lunchtime, checked in to Hofgarten 1824 Hotel.
At 18:00 Monika and Michael travelled to Dresden Oberloschwitz to attend a reception at the house of our Dresden friend Sylvia Kumichel (who also hosted Mary Goodwin). The attendees were Sylvia K, Monika, Mary, Richard, Michael, Ildiko (another Dresden friend, host of Richard Parker).
At 18:00 Nikolai met Susann Mayer, head of Alumni Relations, Technical University (T.U.) Dresden, Jeremiah Peterson, head of the T.U. Dresden’s Ambassador programme and Peter Krueger, T.U. Dresden translation office, English and Russian. Mainly a social gathering with old friends but we also spoke about our group’s Dresden visit and the Coventry-Dresden Exchange.
Later Nikolai joined the reception at Sylvia’s house.
13 February – The Big Day
In the morning the group was invited to a breakfast at Lloyd’s Café in Dresden Neustadt by our Dresden friends Rainer Barczaitis and Reinhard Pontius.
After breakfast the group walked to the Kaestner Haus at Dresden’s Albertplatz where our Dresden friends had arranged a guided tour of the Kaestner Museum, dedicated to the famous Dresden writer, Erich Kaestner.
After that we went to see the exhibition “Neunzehn Namen ausNeunzehntausend” at the Dresden Kulturrathaus. 19 biographies have been chosen to stand for the 19,000 persons who have been identified and confirmed dead after the Dresden bombing. The group was particularly interested in the inclusion and biography of John Riley Byrne, crew member of a Lancaster bomber who was involved in an accident as the aircraft flew over Lincolnshire ‘en route’ to Dresden. All crew members died.
In the afternoon the group met members of the British Conversation Group at the Ladencafe A-ha, near the Kreuzkirche.
At 17:30 the group gathered at the Dresden Townhall to attend the Lord Mayor’s reception.
Rainer Barczaitis introduced us individually to the Lord Mayor, Dirk Hilbert, who seemed to be delighted to meet us. The group also met, among others, the British Ambassador Jill Gallard, Honorary Consul Daniel Senf, Ministers Petra Koepping and Martin Dulig, T.U. Dresden Rector, Prof. Staudinger, as well as Karin Mitzscherlich. The group presented a copy of “Phoenix” to the Ambassador and a set of Coventry themed coasters by ‘Cov Kid’ to Mrs Mitzscherlich.
After the reception, which included speeches by the Lord Mayor and the Ambassador, we followed the Lord Mayor to the top of the stairs of the Rathaus where we stood with the other dignitaries whilst the Lord Mayor addressed the people of Dresden.
We then proceeded to the Frauenkirche to join the Menschenkette (human chain). The group agreed that this was a particularly moving event.
When the human chain ended the group walked over to the Kulturpalast to attend a concert by the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra (Stabat Mater, by Antonin Dvorzak) to which we had been invited by the Dresden City Council.
After the concert Monika, Nikolai, Rainer and Mark returned to the Neumarkt where we lit candles in memory of those who had died on the 13th February. Monika and Nikolai also thought of their own families, Moni’s late father, who lived with the memories of war atrocities, and Nikolai’s grandfather, who fell in the last days of the war.
Just as we had lit the candles outside the Frauenkirche, the traditional ringing of all Dresden church bells started at 21:45, the exact time when Dresden Air Defence picked up the first radio signals of the approaching R.A.F. squadrons on 13th February 1945. This was another incredibly moving moment.
At 22:00 Monika, Nikolai and Rainer attended the ‘Nacht der Stimmen’(‘Night of the Voices’) at the Frauenkirche. The event gives Dresden citizens the opportunity to talk about what the anniversary of the bombing means to them and especially about how we must be vigilant and stand up to new right-wing movements, in Dresden and elsewhere. Moni and Nikolai left early; it had been a long day…
14 February
Monika and Nikolai had breakfast at the Neumarkt while the rest of the group visited the studio of our friend Reinhard Pontius.
At 12:30 Moni and Nikolai met Peter Rosenbaum, Head of International Relations at T.U. Dresden at Il Bianco, a lovely new Italian eatery on T.U.Dresden’s campus. Peter was keen to tell us that T.U. Dresden is in the process of establishing relations with Coventry University Wroclaw and the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR) at Coventry University. Nikolai informed Peter of the RISING Global Peace Forum and we agreed to investigate options for T.U. Dresden’s participation. We also extended an invitation to Peter to visit us in Coventry, ideally during Peace Week.
At 16:00 the group met legendary Dresden photographers Guenther and Christine Starke at the Fotoforum at Neustaedter Markt. We were joined by members of the Dresden Arts Community/Arts Exchange. Guenther and Christine showed us some of their photos which provided us with insights into life in Dresden during the GDR times.
After that the group, Guenther and Christine, were invited to dinner at Ballhaus Watzke by the German British Association Dresden.
15 February – 16 February – Zittau
Monika, Nikolai and Michael travelled to Zittau by train in the morning. Zittau is the hometown of Nikolai’s mother, and he was keen to visit the city, meet old friends and show it to group members as well. After our arrival, we took a narrow-gauge steam train from Zittau to the town of Oybin in the heart of the Zittau Mountains and walked up the mountain of the same name (400 metres high) where we visited an old castle and monastery. In the evening Monika, Nikolai and Michael met Nikolai’s old friend Maexi Deutschmann and his partner Manuela at a wonderful, traditional restaurant for dinner. Afterwards Maexi and Manu accompanied Michael to his accommodation and made sure he got back safely.
On the 16th Michael visited a local park as well as the local museum. Moni and Nikolai had a look at an Artists’ Quarter as well as the local museum, followed by some sightseeing by car with our Zittau friends. At 15:00 we met Michael at Zittau station and returned to Dresden.
In the evening the group attended a modern production of the play “A Servant of Two Masters” at the Staatsschauspiel Dresden. The tickets had been arranged by our Dresden friend Sylvia Kumichel.
17 February
Monika and Nikolai had breakfast at ‘Emil 1910’ on Dresden’s Hauptstrasse.
We then very briefly met Kay Natusch, lead singer of the bands ‘Yellow Cap’ and ‘Tighten Up’. It was Kay’s birthday on 13th February, so we had brought him a 2-Tone themed gift from Coventry’s 2 Tone Village.
Afterwards we went to the Albertinum (New Masters) art gallery.
We then briefly met an old friend and fellow student of Nikolai’s, Michael Ruehling, for Kaffee und Kuchen.
At 15:00 we met Nikolai’s best friend, Heiko Hipper, who had come to Dresden from Berlin for 2 days. Nikolai and Heiko went to the Museum for Military History in Dresden whilst Monika stayed at the hotel, re-booking our flights which had been cancelled by the airline. In the evening, the three of us had a lovely meal at a restaurant-cum-antiques shop (or vice versa?) in Dresden’s Old Town.
18 February
The group, as well as Nikolai’s friend Heiko, attended a birthday breakfast for Sylvia and Michael at the Café Klatsch on Koenigstrasse. Afterwards Sylvia recommended we visit the ‘Museum of Dresden Romanticism’ at the Kuegelgen Haus. This was an excellent recommendation – the museum is a true gem!
Finally, it was time to say good-bye. Heiko gave Moni and Nikolai a lift to BER and we arrived in Coventry at around 23:00. Exhausted but happy.
Coventry Association for International Friendship 