Café International

Café International: When Germany’s societies, cultures and borders became permeable exactly 20 years ago, the society players of the countries seemed long prepared for the integration of the world. They sat in the “Café International”, the “Game of the Year” 1989, as diplomats from 12 countries at the coffee table and haggled over nationalities, identities, models of exchange. The jokers were four tokens that were at home everywhere.
Today, twenty years later, these jokers still exist, especially amongst the artists and mediators of culture. But which global gameboard are they moving on? Which national and regional rules are they following? Which co-players do they need, which opponents must they fear? Which countries are actually playing the game? Under which conditions and on which stages?
At the beginning of 2010, cultural politicians, artists and culture mediators from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and the world came together in a “Café International“ in Essen for a conference to develop rules, strategies and networks for the future of international cultural relations. The results of this conference, current cultural-political discussions, international discourses and exchange of knowledge are to take place on this website true to the motto of the diplomats who gathered around the coffee room table to play the Game of the Year 20 years ago: The person who gathers the most people at his table, wins. Those who keep quiet, lose.