This blog is part of a series on what my city means to me. Here, Rainer Barczaitis writes about his part of Dresden some distance away from the historic centre but nonetheless with its own history and attractions. The text is in two parts, German and English. The English version is only partly translation, partly… Continue reading Dresden my Dresden: A view from the far side / Dresden von hinten
What does my city mean to me?
One of the purposes of our blog is to help those in Coventry find out more about the cities with which we are twinned. However, we are equally interested in shining a light on our own city, for ourselves and for friends who live overseas. In this blog we get the thoughts of Zsófia, a… Continue reading What does my city mean to me?
You’re invited! From Coventry to Dresden with love
Navkiran Mann is a Coventry-based writer and poet. She has been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Commonwealth Games, City of Culture and has co-organised arts events. She has a special interest in supporting writing and other forms of expression in underrepresented communities. In September she visited Dresden to connect with poets, writers, and… Continue reading You’re invited! From Coventry to Dresden with love
Cork-Poetry Exchange August 2024 (1)
Cork is the capital of County Cork in the Republic of Ireland and has been twinned with Coventry since 1958. You can find out more about this link here. This year our connection with Cork has been strengthened by visits including those of two Coventry poets, Amy and Ann. In this post Amy describes taking… Continue reading Cork-Poetry Exchange August 2024 (1)
Cork-Coventry Cork-Coventry Twin Cities Poetry Exchange (2)
This is our second piece on the visit of Amy and Ann to Cork and thier participation in the Ó Bhéal poetry night. In this post Ann writes: I was honoured to represent Coventry in Cork this August, featuring at Ó Bhéal poetry night in Cork and DeBarra’s in Clonakilty alongside Amy Rugg. We performed… Continue reading Cork-Coventry Cork-Coventry Twin Cities Poetry Exchange (2)
Visit to Meschede 26 May-6 June
Five CAIF members from Coventry and one member now residing in Kiel, arrived at their hosts’ homes on Sunday 26 May to very warm and friendly welcome. Our group was joined, in Meschede, by a group of twelve members of ARP in Vannes, Brittany. Friends of Meschede and Coventry, known to us for many years.… Continue reading Visit to Meschede 26 May-6 June
Tighten up
On 5 October 2024 Dresden band "Tighten Up" will be playing a gig at Coventry's Two Tone Village (Knight's) as part of a double bill with Coventry band / DJs "Sisters in Dub". Here Nikolai tells about his interest in their music. Tighten Up play what they call "rocksteady / early reggae", which is the type… Continue reading Tighten up
A warm welcome to Cork
Coventry has had a close association with Ireland over many years and many Irish people have come to work here and have been active in all aspects of Coventry life - business, local politics, clubs, theatre, dancing schools, and, of course, the musical life of the city.Our partner city of Cork is the capital of… Continue reading A warm welcome to Cork
In Darfur: A play set in Sudan, performed in English but put on by our friends from Dresden
In the events page we highlighted that a theatre group (the TUDORS) from Dresden were visiting Coventy. Here Marc from the group summarises what they got up to on this their third visit. The TUDORS (Technische Universität Dresden Off their Rockers Shakespeareans) were back in Coventry with a third play after performing ‘Last Stop: Clausnitz’… Continue reading In Darfur: A play set in Sudan, performed in English but put on by our friends from Dresden
Arts Exchange: the close link with Dresden
The Coventry/Dresden Arts Exchange is an artist-led initiative founded in 2012 by John Yeadon from Coventry and his Dresden counterpart Jean Kirsten with the aim of developing dialogue and communication between artists from our two cities. Since then there have collaborative partnerships, exhibitions, educational projects and forums. The partnership was very much strengthened by the Artists… Continue reading Arts Exchange: the close link with Dresden
Remembering Oradour
During World War II, Oradour-Sur-Glane lay in the German-occupied zone of France. On June 10, 1944, troops of the 2nd Waffen-SS Panzer Division massacred nearly the entire village of 642 people.. It ws not clear if this was a reprisal for activity by the French resistance or simply barabrity for the sake of barbarity. Immediately following… Continue reading Remembering Oradour
Verheih uns Frieden – Grant us Peace
In early June, thirty-eight Coventry Spires singers and our conductor, Jack Lovell-Huckle, stepped onto planes and trains in Birmingham, Belfast and Coventry and, after standing in queues in Birmingham, hiking across Frankfurt airport or searching Brussels for the night train to Prague, we all finally arrived in Dresden. A day later Coventry’s Deputy Lord Mayor,… Continue reading Verheih uns Frieden – Grant us Peace
My Coventry (1 – 8 April 2024)
CAIF was very pleased to host Patrick Wilden a writer and poet from Dresden, here he reflects on his visit. When I decided to go to Coventry, I had to cope with the fact that I didn’t possess a valid passport, which is yet inevitable to cross the threshold to the UK since so-called Brexit.… Continue reading My Coventry (1 – 8 April 2024)
Coventry and the FA cup
If you are visiting this blog from a partner city you might have come so wanting to know more about the social, political culture life of Coventry. But spare a thought for sport as the big news story in the city last weekend was a sporting one - the FA cup semi- final, played at Wembley. … Continue reading Coventry and the FA cup
Visit to Dresden February 2024
The blogs that follow are snippets from our visit to Dresden to develop links with partners and to take part in events to commemorate the destruction of Dresden 13- 15 Febrauary 1945. (Please note that the visit was completely self-funded by members of CAIF)
‘Tomorrow and the day after’
From 9-18 February 2024 a consortium of Dresden cultural institutions (Weltoffenes Dresden or WOD) have put on a joint ‘banner art project’ – these are public displays of art dotted around the city centre. The initiative is in remembrance of the destruction of Dresden (13-15 February 1945) in the second world war, and falls under… Continue reading ‘Tomorrow and the day after’
The Power of Silence
13 February is the date on which Dresdners commemorate the destruction of their city in air raids carried out in 1945 at the tail end of the second world war. [1] The day is marked publicly in several events : the ringing of church bells, special concerts and no doubt through private reflection too. An important… Continue reading The Power of Silence
Coventry Association for International Friendship 