German-Swiss band Raggabund rocks Dhaka
Goethe-Institut Bangladesh and its five partner schools, Oxford International School, European Standard School, South Point School and College, Maple leaf International School and Chittagong Mastermind International School, celebrated 10 years of Schools: Partner for the Future (PASCH) initiative with a concert of German-Swiss reggae and dancehall band, Raggabund. The initiative was launched in February 2008 by Germany's Federal Foreign Office. The Goethe-Institut supports around 600 PASCH schools in the national education systems of over 100 countries. The initiative is designed to develop and sustain young people's interest in and enthusiasm for modern-day Germany, German society and the German language.
The four-member band rocked the audience at the National Theater Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. For over a decade, they have been inspiring their fans with a mix of offbeat, dancehall, cumbia muffin and niceness. The band shows a beautiful combination of their music with everyday topics, political messages and especially a positive approach to life in their songs.
Inaugurating the event, Dr Kirsten Hackenbroch, Director of the Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, said: “Over the past 10 years, German as a foreign language became increasingly popular in Bangladesh. The PASCH partner schools, with their commitment to train teachers and hold interactive foreign language classes, are setting a crucial basis for this.” For the future, the team looks forward to engaging with the alumni, to intensify their global networking, and to support those who are eager to conduct higher studies in Germany. He also thanked all who made the PASCH network in the last years a vibrant space for intercultural exchange.
The Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy, Michael Schultheiß, underlined that learning another language opens new perspectives and allows insights into another culture and way of thinking. By learning German the students in Bangladesh not only improve their language skills, but also become ambassadors for the close bilateral relations between Germany and Bangladesh.
During the event, four students were announced as winners of a video competition producing music videos for songs of Raggabund. The first price, participation in a PASCH Youth Camp in Sri Lanka, went to Samiul Gani Daihan and Mehedi Khan Mojish (Oxford International School), the second prize went to Shohaib Hossain and Sakiyun Noor (South Point School and College).