Asia

Head Mission Office of the Franciscans – Department for Education and Human Rights

Head Mission Office of the Franciscans – Department for Education and Human Rights

Albertus-Magnus-Straße 39
Postfach 20 09 53, 53139 Bonn
53177 Bonn
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Germany

Telephone
+49 228 95354-0
E-Mail
bildung[at]missionszentrale.de
Website/URL
https://www.mzf.org
Description of the Organization

One World work, World Church theology, intercultural communication and conflict management are the areas in which many committed people have taken seminars and continuing education courses at our head mission office for more than ten years now.

Process-Oriented Themes
The process-oriented themes are related in an interactive process involving participants and partners as well as experts in the head mission office: from Dialog Lernen (learning the dialog - 1992), Nachhaltige Solidarität (sustainable solidarity- 1995), and Neue Nachbarschaften (new neighbors - 1999),  to today's main focus on Differenzen und Allianzen (differences and alliances) as well as Solidarkompetenz (solidarity competence).

Within the framework of the 'A Soul for Europe' program, the 'Ecumenical Village' (Graz, 1997) and 'Neue Modelle von Solidarität im heutigen Europa lehren und lernen' (teaching and learning new models of solidarity in today's Europe) 2000/2001, have represented important contributions.

Recognition
These programs have been and continue to be supported by the European Union as well as church and state authorities.

Solidarity workshops represent high-quality continuing education measures for students of social and educational professions, members of social groups and programs focus on:

    Agenda 2000
    the monitoring of the financial markets (ATTAC)
    One World
    minority problems
    topics on environmental/ecological sustainability
    the gender issue

in Central Europe (at present Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, and Germany).

Members of social movements and the movements for the landless, women, Blacks and the indigenous people participate from Brazil and India. Training for solidarity competence deals with solidarity in the political domain, professionalism and personality, differences and conflicts, and of boundaries and culture.

Target groups are:

    returnees from Third World countries
    committed individuals in the area of solidarity work
    training groups such as university seminars and
    training  for pastors and deacons.

 

Themes of the organization

Litprom - Society for the Promotion of Literature from Africa, Asia and Latin America

Litprom - Society for the Promotion of Literature from Africa, Asia and Latin America

Braubachstraße 16
60311 Frankfurt am Main
Hessen
Germany

Telephone
+49 69 2102143
E-Mail
litprom[at]buchmesse.de
Website/URL
https://www.litprom.de
Description of the Organization

The International Frankfurt Book Fair which focussed on Latin America (1976), Sub-Saharan Africa (1980), India (1986), etc. has amply shown that in literature there are no "under-developed areas". However, good fiction from Africa, Asia and Latin America is not yet adequately represented on the German book market. Although quite a number of important books by authors from Africa, Asia and particularly Latin America have been translated into German, they are very often seen as something "exotic" or "foreign".

The Society for the Promotion of African, Asian and Latin American Literature was founded in Frankfurt in 1980. It is an association of professionals in the fields of publishing, journalism and literary studies and criticism. At the centre of our activities is a special
network of information for several hundred publishers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, in essence a shortlist of recommendable books (fiction and poetry) by authors from "Third World" countries; this shortlist is backed by reviews, written by competent experts. Thus we draw the attention of publishers to books which deserve a translation into German.

Since 1984 the Society is also administering a special programme of grants for translations into German of relevant books by African, Asian and Latin American authors; this programme is funded by the German Foreign Office and the Swiss cultural foundation PRO HELVETIA and allows for subsidies of about 20 translations per year.

In addition, the Society is publishing the quarterly "LiteraturNachrichten" (in German) with news, authors' portraits and analysis about literary and related events and developments with regard to the "Third World"; this quarterly, the only publication of its kind
in Germany, has developed into a useful source for editors in publishing houses and media alike.

Every two years we publish a catalogue "QUELLEN" (Sources) listing all fiction titles available on the German market which have been translated from languages of the "South".

Generally, the Society is seeking to promote a better understanding of creative writing from Africa, Asia and Latin America. We do so through a wide range of activities. Among them:

  • the organisation of reading tours in Germany for these authors, in cooperation with their publishing houses and other organisations;
  • special promotion campaigns for good books for younger readers;
  • the organisation of exhibitions of books from Africa, Asia and Latin America in libraries, schools and other places of learning.

Themes of the organization

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