The Arab Cultural Weeks also offered a series of events in 2009. Partners were the Hamburg Museum of Ethnology, the Middle East Department of the North Elbian Mission Centre, the Ecumenical Council of the North Elbian Church and the German–Egyptian Society. The focus was on reporting current events in the Middle East and offering fresh insights into the region.
Particularly noteworthy was “Reconciliation Is Possible! Israelis and Palestinians for Peace”. On 10 September 2009, Aaron Barnea and Khaled Abu Awwad spoke about their personal experiences and their work towards reconciliation between their peoples. Using photographs, they described their impressive joint activities in Israel and Palestine. Hanna Lehming moderated the event.
On 13 September 2009, Prof. Dr Udo Steinbach gave a lecture entitled “The Prospect of a Historical Encounter Between Two Cultures: The Case of Marwa El Sherbini as a Reason for Self-Reflection”. He argued that the murder of the Egyptian academic in a Dresden courtroom had attracted considerable, sometimes angry attention in the predominantly Muslim Middle East and should prompt self-reflection in Germany.
The closing highlight was a concert by the children's music ensemble SOL with Ali Shibly. The German–Arab concert touched many hearts. Around 30 children aged 6 to 16 delighted the audience at the German Museum of Ethnology with German and Arabic folk songs. A month later, the choir left for a concert tour of Egypt, making the Hamburg concert a successful dress rehearsal.
The Arab Cultural Weeks 2009 were a resounding success. The organisers were very satisfied with the response from visitors and audiences and were already looking forward to the years ahead.
