tba.

*
* to be a n n o u n c ed ...

Students’ Event Guide

& Literary Journal
University of Hamburg
 T able of C ontents
3 meet the tba-family: susaN
4 A different kind of partY
5 Molotow & meanie baR
6 Preview: the bellrayS @ molotow
C ategories
7 Faces of the city - altonA
weblinks
8 Vivian maier: twinkle, twinkle...
university life 9 DokumentarfilmwochE
film/cinema 10 Documentary: frau ankE
exhibitions 12 DIY Documentary tipS
13 tba - Around the worlD
market
music 14 Versprochen ist ...
15 A dollar is what i neeD
locations
16 Gerhard richteR
theatre
17 Katzenjammer: not all cats ...
creative corner
18 The US in your neighborhood
imprint
21 Short cutS
22 Imprint & the tba-familY
You are welcome to join the tba-team with your spirit and knowledge,
whatever it may be! Meet us every Wednesday, 6 pm at the Anglarium
(Phil-Turm, 1st floor, room 171) or mail to: office@tbajournal.com
Here comes the suN
Seasons shape the rhythms and ca-
dences of our lives. Up here we trudge
stoically through Winters that seem
to know no end. In our darkest mo-
ments, some of us even begin to
wonder whether we should abandon
Hamburg and move south. But...how
much sweeter those first bright, warm
Spring days feel after having endured
the worst that Winter can throw at us.
The days are getting longer, there are
people out on the streets after 8pm,
talking, laughing, enjoying them-
selves. Life is blooming all around us
and you don’t have to brace yourself
against Winter’s cold grip as you pre-
pare to leave your apartment. People
are less tense and instead of heading
straight home after uni, you feel more
inclined to meet friends and explore
the city.
We’re here to help, and this month we
cover the usual wide range of events
and locations that are ready to embrace
you with open arms. We preview con-
certs that will make you dance till you
drop, discover a corner of the US in our
backyard, prepare you for the cultural
marathon that is the long night of the
museums and...
...well, read on to find out. We have our
own way of doing things at tba. We’re
idiosyncratic, independent and here to
guide you through the cultural delights
of our multifaceted metropolis.
Little darling it’s been
a long cold lonely winter
Little darling it feels like
years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun
doo doo doo doo
Here comes the sun
and I say it’s alright
 Meet the tba-familY
Susan

Hamburg is an adventure. After having

spent my entire childhood in a smallish
village, Hamburg seemed incredibly huge,
with so many things to do, so many things
to see.

Now, after almost four years, I still haven’t

been on the Michel, I haven’t yet visited
Hagenbecks and the Planetarium is also
something I know from the outside only.
Instead I found the best club to dance and
see concerts in my first week, met a few of
my best friends in my first month and had

Source: Sarah Kaufmann

two wonderful flats within my first year
here. My favourite building is the tower
block with the giant grey cat on one side
near Hoheluft, I love sitting in one of the many parks Hamburg has,
cycling round the Alster, going out to drink Mexikaner while hating it. I
love that Hamburg also means creativity and culture wherever you look
and that Hamburg has the right kind of people.

Before I am leaving in Autumn, I want to discover Hamburg the tourist

way and find out what I have been overlooking for so long. I will miss
this city, but I’m sure it’ll be just as great when I come back.

3
 A different kind of partY
When? Sa, 16 April: 6pm - 2am

How much? 8 - 12 € It’s Saturday, 16 April and it is

usually a day when you decide to
Read more: www.langenachtdermuseen-hamburg.de
go and have a blast at a club. You

Source: Julia Tegtmeyer

can do that! No one is standing in your way! But what if there was something else going
on that evening? What if there was something as outrageously enjoyable as a cool and
captivating party and you didn’t even know about it? Well, that’s why tba is here.

“Die lange Nacht der Museen” is a “one-night-event” on 16 April. Between 6 pm and 2 am you can visit any participating museum. You have
a marvellous choice between guided tours, special exhibitions and a huge variety of cool cultural events. Even for someone who’s not into
ancient history and very old artefacts, which are lying in some glass boxes, you can join in music events, dancing groups and movie events.
Museums even offer a culinary program. So you see, the variety of choices is immense, all you need to do is go and enjoy! But that’s not the
only reason why this event is better than a club with loud and ear-smashing house music: First of all, you will be able to see a different kind
of program, since it is specially designed for that evening. Secondly, you have the opportunity to visit any museum at night - which should
be beyond awesome, don’t you think!? The only condition you have to fulfil is to buy a ticket for 12€, with a discount you’d pay only 8€. But
here comes the interesting part: Buying this ticket, you don’t just purchase a free entry for EVERY museum taking part in this, but also a
right to use the museum’s night buses and a free use of the HVV-route in order to get to your museum of choice and back home. This “free
ride” lasts from Saturday 5 pm till Sunday 10 am. So, it’s also a good opportunity to take
some friends and family members along.

I know that I’m going to visit “Das Archäologische Museum Hamburg – Helms Museum“
since the exhibitions are related to Archaeology. (Echt? – Ed.) But you should decide for
yourself where you want to go. Discover that museums are not only for grandparents and
their grandchildren and be able to brag about your sophisticated leisure time activities..
Source: Julia Tegtmeyer

K.B.

4
 M olotow & meanie ba R

Where? Spielbudenplatz 5 (U3 St.Pauli)

Read more: www.molotowclub.com

Molotow is a small venue in the heart of Hamburg. Here you can dance the night away, enjoy an intimate concert or be in awe of the wordi-
ness of Poetry or Song Slam (every fourth and third Tuesday a month respectively). Saturday nights are reserved for Motorbooty, a dance
night with great music and lovely like-minded people, at times with live music . Other highlights include King Kong Kicks with new bands,
Beatmania with old tunes or the Delikatess Thursday in the Meanie Bar above the club.
The people working here are incredibly nice and the beer is
comparably cheaper than in other venues, which completes
the list of reasons why you should stop by.
The Crookes, a band which we introduced in tba Ed. 3.0,
say: “Molotow in Hamburg has got to be one of the best small
venues in Europe, even if the temperature in there is a fairly
constant 30 degrees.”

Concerts here can go from nights you share with 15 people

and a chat with the band to a wild night out, where every
layer of clothes is too much and you feel like you’ve just had
‘the’ hardest work-out ever. Every bruise though, is worth it,
and when you are exhausted, after such a concert, sipping on
your Astra, you can’t wait for the next concert, at the beloved
Molotow.
Source: Susan Reichelt,

S.R.

5
 P review : T he B ellra y S @ M olotow
When? Fri, 15 April: 8 pm

How much? 14.10 €

Read more: www.thebellrays.com

Source: Julia Tegtmeyer

Soul is the teacher. Punk is the preacher. The Bellrays described their own style pretty accurately
themselves. When the sound kicks in, you might expect a regular, guitar-driven 60s rock band
that maybe gets their inspiration from Led Zeppelin or MC5 and has a worn-down lead singer with shaggy hair. You would assume all
wrong with The Bellrays. Their singer Lisa Kekaula looks like the soul of Motown and her gritty yet smooth and soulful voice belongs
in a row with Janis Joplin and Patti Labelle. When she swings her tambourine, the rest of the band hits the heavy tones and the crowd
goes mental. The Bellrays published their first record in 1992 and have continued their
smashing performances until today. Their unusual and therefore most charming mix is
the great voice of a soul queen who knows her scatting , and three old school rock’n’roll
enthusiasts. In addition to their more heavy side, they also have a number of softly
lingering soul numbers that need no more than a gentle riff of an electric guitar and a
the rhythmic jiggle of the tambourine. This band writes their own songs and has been
passionate about what they are doing for almost 20 years! Don’t miss your chance to see
the incredible rock’n’soul sensation Lisa swing her hips at the ultimate substitute for
the real Woodstock experience.
J.T.

Get-to-know-the-band-with-these-songs:
• Fire on the Moon (Meet the Bellrays)
Source: Julia Tegtmeyer

• Infection (Hard Sweet and Sticky)

• Voodoo Train (The Red, White and Black)
• Have a Little Faith In Me (Have a Little Faith)

6
F aces of the cit y - alton A

7
V ivian maier - t winkle , t winkle lit tle sta R

Where? Galerie Hilaneh von Kories

Stresemannstraße 184a (backyard) (S Holstenstr)

When? Tue - Fri, 2pm – 7pm // running till April 28

How much? free entry

More often than not it is the story behind it that sells the object. So either I could write about this exhi-
bition in Altona, showing a handful of wonderful photos taken by Vivian Maier, a sort of photographer
from the 50s to the 90s in New York and Chicago. Sort of, because she spent her time babysitting and
took photos in her free time, not because she’s not a good photographer in my eyes. Or I could ramble
on about gazillions of negatives being auctioned by a man who developed them, got hooked, googled the

Source: Susan Reichelt,

woman and found out about her having died only a few days before. How sad. How heart-warming. How
selling. I am almost certain this will be made into a very bad but equally very lucrative movie soonish.
I choose the first story, the story of a small exhibition venue in Hamburg showing decent pictures of a
decent photographer. I was a bit disappointed by the number of photos (which was not more than 30, I
would assume) after having read about the sheer amount of her material that’s in existence. However, those photos that were on dis-
play were interesting. Most of them are pictures of children on the street, and sometimes, which I find rather intriguing, reflections of
the artist herself. What made the exhibition a bit more trivial than it could have been was Katie Melua’s lukewarm voice wafting over
our heads, making us drowsy, but maybe this simply adds to the sought after atmosphere of slightly sad, slightly mystified and always
wondrous thoughts about that Vivian Maier.
The exhibition is not overly exciting or outstandingly brilliant, but it’s also not a complete waste of time. So, if you’re nearby and have
30 minutes to spare, I’d advise you to see this exhibition, just because it’s nice. And nice is good. And when you’re there, block out the
evoked atmosphere, bring your iPod and just look at the pictures, or the exhibition venue itself, which is really fancy.
S.R.

8
Dokumentarfilmwoche hamburG
From 6-10 April the eighth “Dokfilmwoche” will take
place in several cinemas throughout Hamburg. The
festival is a compilation of international, award-win-
ning documentaries that have been lovingly record-
ed by artists trying to create and share their visions
without any financial support. Without the Dokfilm-
woche, their stories may never have reached the big screen, and a wider
audience.
“Documentaries expand our view of the world.”
This is why the organizers wanted to focus on this type of film. They
draw our attention to certain issues in our environment, society and in
the wider world. While watching documentaries you can learn a lot of
undiscovered details or even recognize the small things and problems
around you and your community that you haven’t noticed before. Each
year, the festival includes five categories. The first is called “direct”. It
includes films that focus on socially relevant themes and try to represent
opinions that don’t normally receive attention in the mass media. The
category “Horizont” tries to pick out issues that are unusual themes in
our average everyday-lives. Another category called “binnennachfrage”
was just established this year as a representation of Hamburg-related
topics or made by people living in Hamburg. There are a few more
categories which deal with music or biographies. The cinemas that
take part in this are “Lichtmess”, “3001-Kino”, “Metropolis”, and “B-
Movie”. After enjoying the films you can stop by at “Kuchnia” for a
bite to eat or an engrossing talk about what you have just absorbed.
If you want to know where exactly they are located you can find a list
of the venues on the homepage of the festival. In those five days, a
9
total of 46 films will be shown. The film week will
begin on 6 April at 8 p.m. at Metropolis with the
film “Die Wahrheit über Dracula” from the cat-
egory “Horizont”. Special tips for this year are the
retrospective about Gisela Tuchtenhagen, a Ger-
man filmmaker, and the documentary “Vous etes
service” by Jorge Leon. It shows how Indonesian
women are taught to become domestic servants in
the Arabian or Western World. Furthermore, and for everybody who
can’t wait for the week to start, there is a short presentation of two
films about photography on 4 April at 8.15 p.m. at “3001-Kino”. This
is part of the “Triennale der Photographie”. For those of you eager
to not only read about all of this in English, but to talk about this in
English, here comes your possibility: on Thursday, there is a discussion
at “Lichtmess” about film-funding. So everyone interested in finan-
cial support for their own documentaries should definitively stop by.
Another English discussion will take place on Saturday 9 April in the
context of a competition. Since 2009, the Dokufilmwoche Hamburg
has bestowed an award, the “Klaus-Wildehan-Preis”, on a film from
the category “direkt” as this section deals with political documentaries
where aesthetics and creative design usually don’t play that big a role.
Even so, these films have been trying to change this situation and to
show current political or social problems without relinquishing aes-
thetic properties. The awards’ ceremony takes place at 7.30 pm. For all
of those who want to engage in a discussion with all of the filmmak-
ers, you will have the possibility two hours before the award ceremony
in “B-Movie”. So everybody take your time and come!
Read more: www.dokfilmwoche.com
O.S.
 D ocumentary : F rau A nke

“The f irst time we came to “Wilhelmsburg, we walked around there like tourists.”

This is a very honest statement coming from the team of students responsible for the docu-
mentary “Frau Anke” that captures an image of Hamburg’s little island that is rarely visible.
When people think about Wilhelmsburg, the last thing they think about is allotment gardens,

Source: original movie screenshots

but this is the very topic of this work. The six students from Hamburg University created the
film as an assignment for a documentary seminar. They stumbled across the members of the
allotment garden more or less by accident and were at once interested by this less well known
facet of Wilhelmsburg. Though one of the members of the team, Miguel” lives in Wilhelms-
burg, the others had no concrete ideas about what would await them

“The ideas that came to mind when we brainstormed were: artist quarter, gentrif ication and social hotspot.”

However, they were ready to experience something new and were positively surprised by how green, multicultural and friendly this
quarter actually was. These three characteristics describe the allotment garden perfectly. Even though one might tend to think that
those gardens are typically German institution in which strict and bureaucratic rules force people to manicure their lawns with a ruler
and nail scissors, it is actually a melting pot par excellence. In the documentary “Frau Anke” you see the life in the allotment gardens
from the perspective of the club’s president, Anke Vrhovac. However, it is not only her you see, since the garden is abuzz with people
of all nationalities. You see women with headscarves swinging the rakes and old
men and women filling wheelbarrows with weeds and cut-off branches. The fo-
cus on Frau Anke and her family was more a coincidental product of the editing
process, beforehand the team filmed 25 hours of material in total, out of which
the half-hour long documentary emerged.
Source: original movie screenshots

10
“We hope none of the other members of the garden community feel offended because their screen time had to be
cut short, but we had to edit the f ilm to make it more clear for the viewers.”

How do you even know what is interesting about the topic once you’ve spent all this time with the

Source: original movie screenshots

people you are filming and know so much more about them than the viewer? In this case the feedback
from the course helped the team identify the flaws in their raw version.

“The reaction helped us a lot, because the students were most interested in Frau Anke’s family and their story.“

The team agrees that this seminar taught them the most in their entire university career, even though it was also a whole lot of work.
After finishing the work on their documentary, the students showed it in the Abaton cinema for a single time and it was so popular
that not even all the lecturers of the institute got in. Luckily, “Frau Anke”, along with two other films that were shot by students of
this seminar, “Turkish Curry” and “21100 Hamburg” were accepted by the “Dokufilm Woche” so that you have the chance to see this
unique insight into one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized quarters of Hamburg. The three films will be shown under the
tile “Inselgeschichten” – island stories in the category “Binnennachfrage Hamburg” which presents local documentaries. Our student
film-team answers the obligatory question about their changed impression of Wilhelmsburg with a great image: “From grey to green
and very faceted”. If you think about moving there, you better be quick because in five years the rents may just be Schanze-high.

The Team: Miguel Brusch, Genaro Frangioudakis, Johannes Noldt, Galina Ponomareva, Louise Schmidt

J.T.

11
 DIY documentary tip S
For most of us, the process in which a documentary is created remains a grave mystery.
The Team of “Frau Anke” has shed a little light on the topic for aspiring DIY-documentaristss:

p When looking for a theme, you don’t have to go for the most spectacular stories.
Most of the time, people’s personal everyday-lives offer the most fascinating scenes.
p Time is the key. You need to be around the people you want to film all the time. They have to
get used to the cameras, otherwise they will hardly act naturally. The “Frau Anke”-Team spent
almost every weekend over half a year in the allotment garden and built trust with the members
of the garden.
p Make sure that you work with a decent microphone. You will be beyond furious when you find
out that the most amazing shots are accompanied by a fuzzy noise.
p Don’t interfere with the personal lives of your subjects, you are merely a spectator (for those of
you who always want to save the antelope from the lion in nature documentaries).
p Try and have a mixture of at least 80% elements of mere observation and only 20% of interviews.
p Everyone should have an assigned task that he feels responsible for and sticks to make the
organization as simple as possible.
p And last but not least: Don’t worry if your actual film material deviates very strongly from you
initial exposé, you never know how it will turn out before you finish the editing process.
Sometimes this might mean that you have to sacrifice a scene for the benefit of the entire film.
Cutting and shortening are inevitable.

12
 Source: Vera Struckmann

Source: Vera Struckmann

tba around
the world
- londo N

13
Source: Vera Struckmann

Source: Vera Struckmann

All pictures on page // Source: Vera Struckmann

V ersprochen ist verbrochen ... W e won ’ t forget ...
Every student’s concern is: How much do I have to pay and how am I going to pay for it? The “it” in question
refers to tuition fees, but I probably don’t need to tell you that. It’s every student’s pain, at least for those who
do not have the luxury of having “it” paid for by parents or grandparents. Many students, like our very own
Olivia, have to work during their studies and ask for extra financial support in order to get by.
However, is this good though? Shouldn’t someone else pay for the nasty fees so that we can study in placid
peace.
Well, the SPD has said that they want to make fees history. Their plan for their next legislative period is to
cancel the tuition fees. The thing is: Their period lasts till 2015. So, are we going to see and feel the changes
in the next few months or at the end of their legislative period? All that we know from other sources is that the University needs the money
in order to pay for tutors, for example. The fact is that people do not realize that it takes longer to see any clear change. If the money source is
cut off, the conditions at the University might deteriorate further. I don’t think we want
that, do we now!? But is it fair that we should bear the burden? All we know for sure is
that the SPD gave us, more or less, a promise. That is really what they’ve said! That is
probably also one of the many reasons that the SPD was elected in the first place. I can
imagine that many students voted for them, with the hope of getting rid of the tuition
fee. But the next step would be to compensate the money household and take care of the
University-money-issue. If it’s going to be a success is most definitely a mystery. Come
what may, we know that changes are about to occur. „What“ kind of change is, sadly, a
surprise and more importantly „when“ is another one. All we can do is press the matter
and even suggest compromises in order to get something done correctly. But it is also
important to do that united and not just to rely on one body.
K.B.
“We’ve always rejected tuition fees. That’s why we’re going to abolish these tuition fees in this legislative period.
We’re going to compensate the financial losses from the university with other financial means – in this case Hamburg’s household”
PD Dr. Peter Tschentscher (SPD), February 4, 2011

14
“A doll ar is what i need ...”
A student’s life: sleep until noon, go to university for a few hours
and then hang around with some friends all night long. That
is how many people imagine life when you’re studying. In fact,
this is only a cliché. And if it was ever really like that,
dear Bachelor and Master have destroyed even the
memory. Most students have a job as the Mensa, tui-
tion fees and rents are anything but cheap and you
can’t expect your parents to pay that and your daily
coffee. So in reality, a student’s life involves sitting at
the university, going to work afterwards or at week-
ends and trying to organize everything so that there
might be a few hours to relax in between. At least I
am doing that and I bet that a lot of you are doing the
same. Fortunately I don’t need the money necessarily
because I am still living at home but in my opinion;
earning some money is gaining independence. And
so I have been working at Lush for nearly two years.
Source: Olivia Spyth, Lush
Now you’re probably wondering: “What is Lush?” It is the shop
in the city that smells incredibly intensively of bathbombs, bo-
dylotions and, of course, soap. Yes, it is soap, not cheese, even
if it may look like it. And no, you can’t eat it. No, you don’t get
headaches while working there and yes, you get used to the smell.
I started while I was still at school and I never had any problems
15
being too busy to work a few days per week. However, since
I started uni, it has became harder to find time to sell some
soap and sing (yes, sometimes we even dance or sing when
we have launching “parties” for new products...).
And to be honest it has also became harder to find
the motivation. I spent a lot of time at university
last semester and I really wasn’t eager to spend even
more hours separated from my comfy sofa. Believe it
or not but the job is actually quite hard. You really
need to learn a lot about the ingredients and their ef-
Source: Olivia Spyth
fects and about skin and hair types. Then, you mainly
inform people about the ways in which to use the
products and give them advice which ones may be
the best for their skin types. So behind the fragrant
and delicious looking wonderland there is a lot of
work. As you can imagine, after a week stuffed with
seminars and lectures it can cost someone quite an
effort to stand in the shop for six hours with a smile on their
face and give helpful advice. Of course it’s not always that bad
and actually my job can be really fun, I mean who else can
work surrounded by lovely fragrances, glitter and wobbling
shower jellies?
O.S.
G erhard richter - photograph y or not ?
Where? Bucerius Kunst Forum (S/U Jungfernstieg)
Rathausmarkt 5

Source: Vera Struckmann

When? running till 15 May

How much? students 5€

Art – what a difficult topic. To be honest I was not sure what to

expect when my arts-studying friend persuaded me to accompany
her to Gerhard Richter’s exihibiton “Images of an Era” since - un-
like her - I don’t have a clue about painters, designers and sculptors.
Flyers and placards all over the city made me expect blurred photography, which - like my doubts
- proved to be wrong.
The works exhibited here are called Abmalungen, which means that Gerhard Richter
picked photos and painted them onto canvas, using a specific technique to create his own,
blurred style. This style certainly includes an intention and everyone should make up her
own mind about it – but it is also simply fascinating: Richter was a very skilled painter
and some of the paintings are blurred with so much patience and accuracy that one can-
not even say that it is a painting, as no brush marks can be seen. The other component of
the works is the choice of pictures, some of them taken from gossip magazines, some are
advertisements, some are real photos and Polaroids: Topics like criticism of other artists,
the German Autumn in 1977 and an examination of Germany’s Nazi past are handled
here. If you are a student of the Arts this exhibition should be perfect for you, if you also
Source: Vera Struckmann

judge paintings by their technique like me and your opinion might include the word “nice”
you also get your money’s worth – be daring!
V.S.

16
K atzenjammer – cool c ats aren ’ t grey by nigh T

Why does a Norwegian Band choose the name Katzenjammer? How would you describe their
music style? Difficult questions, as Katzenjammer is different from other bands in many ways.
First of all it consists of four women, Turid Jørgensen, Solveig Heilo, Marianne Sveen and
Anne Marit Bergheim, who all play at least three different instruments, in some songs even at
the same time. Furthermore, the four of them swap their instruments, so that the drums or the
bass-balalaika with the grinning cat face painted onto it is played by most of the band members
at some stage during a concert. In addition, all of the band members are singers as well, so that
most songs are four-parts and different styled songs have a different lead singer with a unique
and powerful voice. This also makes Katzenjammer an
incredibly rich and exciting live band.
The style of music varies from Rag-Time to Folk, Balkan
and Country elements form a musical journey around the
world. And finally – as a treat for the appetite includes a
treat for the eyes – Katzenjammer also has its own style
regarding clothes and make-up, which make their con-
certs a delicious feast of sights and sounds.

V.S.

Get-to-know-the-band-with-these-songs:
• Demon Kitty Rag (main vocal: Marianne)
Source: Vera Struckmann

• Mother Superior (main vocal: Turid)

• Play my Darling play (main vocal: Anne Marit)
• A Bar in Amsterdam (main vocal: Solveig)

17
The United States in your Neighborhood
Where? Am Sandtorkai 48 (U3 Baumwall/Meßberg)
Read more: www.amerikazentrum.de
Whether you plan on spending some time in the US,
want to get to know the country and its culture (no,
that’s not an oxymoron – Ed.) or are simply trying to
improve your English language skills: The Amerikazen-
trum in Hamburg’s HafenCity is the place to go. tba
spoke with Manfred Strack, Chairman of the Amerika-
zentrum.
tba: Mr. Strack, what exactly is the Amerikazentrum?
MS: The AZ is the follow-up institution to the Ameri-
ka-Haus which was closed in 1997. The AZ was found-
ed that same year as a registered not-for-profit asso-
ciation (eingetragener gemeinnütziger Verein) with the aim of
continuing some of the functions of the Amerika-Haus. Back
then, a large library was an essential part of the AZ. This, how-
ever, has changed. The growing importance of the internet led
to a decreased demand for books and our current premises could
not accommodate a large library. Right now we are working on
a new concept for our library, i.e. we might specialize in aspects
such as the Hamburg-Chicago relationship or create media bun-
dles with material related to the “Abitur” exams of the Northern
Federal States. This would be a concrete service to the schools.
18
tba: What kinds of events take place in the AZ?
MS: Due to our move to a new location and the construction
works involved, we just started hosting events in September
2010. On the one hand there is a lot of cooperation with Ger-
man publishers who want to promote their Ameri-
can authors. Recently, Rebecca Skloot was here to
read from her book The Immortal Life of Henri-
etta Lacks, the true story of an African-American
woman whose cells were – without her knowledge
– the first to be immortalised and commercialized.
Then we had David Vann, who read from Sukkwan
Island. On the other hand we host exhibitions such
as “The Civil Rights Struggle, African-American
GIs, and Germany”, which is part of a research pro-
ject that looks at the Civil Rights Movement from
a new international perspective. Sometimes we even organize
concerts: Recently we had a piano player from Chicago, and we
just had a jazz night with a band called the Jazz-O-Maniacs.
tba: Why might the AZ be of interest to students from the Uni-
versity of Hamburg?
MS: Well, looking at the events we see that the AZ is a place
to meet authentic American authors, a place to have real en-
counters with real people. Other than that, the AZ – as an in-
dependent institution – deals with studying and working in the
US. We give people practical advice on how to do it, where to
get scholarships, what the restrictions are and so on. We offer
preparatory classes for the TOEFL [a standardized test of Eng-
lish that many colleges demand, tba], and of course the TOEFL
itself. There is the monthly lecture “Studying in the USA” which
tells people how to get into a North American college, and those
who would like a personal session with our counselor can make
an appointment with him as well. Furthermore, we offer a lot
of information material about North American universities and
colleges.
tba: Does the AZ cooperate with the University of Hamburg? If
so, in what form?
MS: Yes we do. First and foremost we work together with the
IAA [Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik], but also with
historians and political scientists. In the summer semester there
will be a jointly organized lecture series which deals with migra-
tion and American culture. The lecture series will be open to the
public and thus we want to build a bridge from the University
to the city. I believe that the United States, as a prototypical im-
migration country, can provide experience and knowledge from
which we can learn.
tba: If students or young people would like to actively partici-
pate in the work of the AZ, how could they do so?
MS: We generally offer internships at the AZ. After the usual
application process we decide whether he or she fits into the AZ.
Interns should carry out and attend to a certain project while
they are here. We usually discuss a couple of ideas and then
19
jointly determine the nature and scope of the project. Since we
organize so many different events we prefer applicants from the
Hamburg area, as they are the ones who we might call if help is
needed here.
tba: The AZ stands for intercultural exchange and understand-
ing. Why, in your opinion, is it important to deal with other
cultures in general, and with the United States in particular?
MS: Well, intercultural exchange is more important than ever.
Nowadays you are always in contact with other cultures, and the
USA in particular is one nation that cannot be ignored. For his-
torical reasons the USA has become a vital partner for Germany.
The U.S. has had an enormous impact on German culture after
the war, and there is hardly an issue that is not in some way
related to the United States. The country is fascinating, even
with – or because of – all its seeming contradictions. Being an
immigration country, the USA shows a dynamic creativity which
grows out of the encounters of so many different cultures. It is
fascinating.
tba: What do you think, just very generally, of the current situa-
tion in the US and its relation to Germany?
MS: I think the Unites States is in a period of transition. After
eight years of Bush there was a longing for change. Despite, or
because of his biography, Obama was a fitting candidate. He
certainly saw the wish for change and launched a very effec-
tive campaign, especially through the internet. But following the
high expectations that were condensed in words like “change” or
“yes we can” there was something like a reality check, and he came to see that politics of a super power are not that
easy. Just take Guantanamo, which he planned to shut down. As to its relations to Germany, I think Germany is
still the US’ most important partner in Europe. Of course, relations have changed since the wall fell, and Germany
does not occupy such a prominent position in US foreign policy anymore, but in most areas the relationship is
alive and well, just take the many American cultural goods such as literature or the movies. Even when Schröder
and Bush did not talk to each other, people still went to see American movies and German-American trade was
not affected.

tba: What are your short term and long term plans for the AZ?
MS: Well, in the short term we would like to offer an attractive program, i.e. we want to cover exciting and current
issues alongside a solid base program that includes our language courses and so on. From time to time a highlight
would be nice, a famous person for example. In the long run it would be nice to see the AZ as a firmly established
institution in Northern Germany. Whenever you think of the USA in our area, the AZ should be among the first
things that come to your mind. Furthermore, I would like to see the Hamburg-Chicago partnership strengthened.

tba: Thank you very much for the interview.

M.S.

Upcoming events:

Grenzgänge/r - Migration und die amerikanische Kultur

Lecture Series (Prof. Dr. Astrid Böger) – starts on April 14th , every Thursday, 6 pm @ University of Hamburg, ESA M

Kurz vor dem Atomkrieg? Die Invasion in der Schweinebucht April 1961 und die Kubakrise 1962
Lecture and Discussion (Prof. Dr. Bernd Greiner) – April 20th, 7.00 pm @ Anerikazentrum Hamburg

Die Geschichte des Irakkriegs

Lecture and Discussion (Prof. Dr. Stephan Bierling) - May 4th, 7.30 pm @Amerikazentrum Hamburg

20
 S hort cuts - some beautiful af terthought S

If we had a staff of 50 and the ressources

of DER SPIEGEL, these are some of
the events we would have covered
in more detail...
What? The Fighter (OV )
Where? Streit’s (S Jungfernstieg)
When? Wed, 6 April, 8pm
Free? 8€

What? Read Out

Where? R701, VMP6
When? Tue, 12 April, 6pm
Free? Yes
What? Lesetage selber machen -
Vattenfall Tschüss sagen
Where? Fabrik (S Altona)
When? Fr, 15 April, 7pm
Free? 10 €

And once more... Banksy!

What? Clueso
What? Info-Veranstaltung “Duldung und Illegalität”
Where? Alsterdorf Sporthalle (U Lattenkamp)
Sponsor? AGIJ
When? 21 April
Where? University of Hamburg
Free? 30.70€
When? Sat, 30 April
Free? Yes

21
 Imprint - The TBA-family

editor-in-chief p.p. Marc-Liam Toolan

sub-editors
Susan Reichelt, Tobias Steiner, meet the family
Julia Tegtmeyer

Bortel Klaudia (p. 4, 14, 17)

Reichelt Susan (p. 5, 8)
Spyth Olivia (p. 9, 15)
authors Städler Marius (p. 19)
Struckmann Vera (p. 13, 16, 18)
Tegtmeyer Julia (p. 6, 10, 12)
Toolan Marc-Liam (p. 1, 22)

Olivia Spyth, Vera Struckmann,

Susan Reichelt, Sarah Kaufmann
photography
Tobias Steiner, Julia Tegtmeyer
Sarah Heuzeroth

Source: Sarah Kaufmann

layout Tobias Steiner

tba - to be announced
2011, all rights
copyright Students’ Event Guide
reserved & Literary Journal
University of Hamburg