On September 12, 2015, the Bellevue in Berlin will open the doors of its palace and park: German President Joachim Gauck is inviting everyone to the fourth annual Bürgerfest (festival) and offering them a glimpse into his residence with the motto “Day of the open palace.”
The festival honors volunteer organizations as an important part of civil society. Guests can expect a diverse itinerary comprising discussions, palace tours, music and dancing. Siemens Stiftung will be there as well.
Anyone interested is more than welcome to come learn about our projects related to basic services, education and culture, which support sustainable development in the focus regions of Africa, Latin America and Europe. The Safe Water Enterprise project, for example, deals with improving water supply for rural regions of Kenya with a simple filter system while creating a source of income for the local community. On the Media Portal, students and teachers can access more than 5,500 digital teaching materials of confirmed quality that cover science and technology topics in German, English and Spanish. Numerous pieces of content have recently become available to every Internet user through open license. Our team is looking forward to questions about the foundation’s work and to interesting interactions with other volunteers. You can find us at the P4 booth that we will be sharing with Siemens AG.
Music In Africa in the park
At 4:30 p.m. on the main stage, Siemens Stiftung and Music In Africa will be presenting the Nigerian band BANTU. The Music In Africa online platform initiated by Siemens Stiftung and the Goethe-Institut aims to promote collaboration among artists on the African continent and help encourage a lively civil society. The band’s German-Nigerian founder, Adé Bantu, has supported the platform since the very beginning. His music promotes respect and tolerance as well as a new alternative music scene in Nigeria that examines societal issues. With his music, he helps tear down prejudices and bring people together. BANTU will put on a show at the festival that mixes afrofunk, hip-hop and afrobeat. Get a little taste on the "Music in Africa" platform.
We look forward to seeing you there!