Europe

Exhibition “Cinderella, Sindbad & Sinuhe: Arab-German Storytelling Tradition” Reveals Cultural Diplomacy in Literary Production

A new exhibition at the Neues Museum traces cultural exchange between the Arab world and Germany in the realm of literary traditions

April 25th, 2019
K. Wiesner, News from Berlin
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The new exhibition “Cinderella, Sindbad & Sinuhe”: Arab-German Storytelling Tradition” at Neues Museum reveals the long history of cultural exchange between the Arab world and Germany in the context of literature.

The exhibition displays around 100 objects ranging from ancient Egyptian papyruses to modern-day comics and pop-up books. “Cinderella, Sindbad & Sinuhe” traces the cultural history of the Arab world and Germany in regard to literary production and storytelling that has developed over 4,000 years, and thus illustrates how, over that time, a vibrant cultural exchange emerged between both regions.

The new exhibition at the Neues Museum demonstrates how cultural diplomacy through lively intercultural exchange and joint sources of inspiration has enriched and continues to enrich the literary scene in both the Arab world and Germany. Among others, it exemplifies common features of narrative traditions in both regions and shows how, for an example, a version of Cinderella plays a role in different stories in both Germany and Arab countries.

“Cinderella, Sindbad & Sinuhe” is a trilingual exhibition in German, English, and Arabic, which has been created in cooperation with the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, as well as with the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA). The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has funded the exhibition. The Council of Arab Ambassadors in Berlin, the Mission of the Arab League in Berlin, and MDT-tex have also provided valuable support.

The exhibition “Cinderella, Sindbad & Sinuhe” on the tradition and history of Arab-German storytelling will be shown at Neues Museum until August 18, 2019. The museum is open daily from 10AM to 6PM. Tickets cost 12€ (reduced 6€) and are available on-site or online through the online ticket shop of Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

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