German-Turkish Week 2009 will take place in the Amerika Haus Berlin.

The Amerika Haus Berlin was an initiative of the US government to ‘reach out’ to the German public and improve transatlantic understanding. For sixty years the institution provided resources to students and scholars, and was a venue for discussion, debate, and cultural exchange between Germans and US citizens at all levels.

Following the closure of the building in 2006 the ICD has been working with a number of organizations and individuals in Berlin’s civil society to reopen and revive the Amerika Haus. We are proud to announce that the Amerika Haus is once again facilitating cultural exchange for the general public in Berlin.

The ICD and the Amerika Haus since 2006

The ICD came together with a number of representatives of Berlin civil society after the closure of the building in September 2006. The aim was to create a momentum that would reopen the Amerika Haus for the Berlin public. Over the next two years the Initiative Amerika Haus Berlin (formerly known as the Committee Amerika Haus Berlin) worked to reopen and revive the institution.

In September 2008 the ICD, the Initiative Amerika Haus (at that time legally represented by the ICD), and the German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) reopened the doors of the Amerika Haus for an event series that offered the German public the opportunity to look behind the scenes of the US elections. "How will America vote?" filled the historic building with life for a series of seven public events in September, October, and November.

Throughout January and February 2009 the ICD and the bpb offered the public in Berlin the unique opportunity of celebrating "Black History Month in Berlin" at the Amerika Haus. A diverse program of 15 events enabled the public to celebrate the influence of the African Diaspora in Germany and learn about the challenges faced today.

For more information about our activity at the Amerika Haus Berlin, and our campaign to revive and relaunch the institution, please visit the website:

www.amerika-haus-berlin.org