Renate Elseasser of the Goethe-Institut arrived in Kabul in September 2002 and hit the ground running. Her work in the cultural field in Sarajevo and Viet Nam undoubtedly gave her an important understanding of war-torn and developing countries. In Afghanistan, with its 1,100-plus NGOs, the Goethe-Institut is known for its pragmatism.

While others were doing surveys and publishing reports, the Institut was bringing in artists, scholars and experts to assist in the rebuilding process and partake in real cultural exchanges, workshops and training.

The Goethe-Institut’s three basic areas of activity in Kabul are (i) cultural exchange, (ii) German language teaching and the training of Afghan teachers of German, and (iii) transfer of knowledge in librarianship and information science.

There are currently no trained librarians in Afghanistan. All of the current staff came from other professions as teachers, secretaries or electricians. Accordingly in January 2003 a research seminar was held to discuss the issues most important to the Afghans. Dr Claudia Lux, Director of the Central Library of Berlin, was able to gain an insight into the level of need within the library system. Following this seminar Sharifi, Head Librarian of Kabul University Library and Deputy Director Abdul Hamid Nabizada from Kabul Central Library received a scholarship to attend a conference in Berlin to meet with librarians from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Strengthening the links within the region is of paramount importance. ‘If Afghan librarians only visited German libraries with their high tech systems, it would be a shock to them and not as useful as visiting countries with the same concerns and budgets.’ says Renate.

The Goethe-Institut furnished and equipped various libraries with literature, art books, dictionaries, encyclopaedias and German language books, as well as videos. Additionally, German children and youth books translated into Dari and Pashtu and printed in Afghanistan will be given to these libraries and various schools. Some German books previously printed in Iran now are in the library system. These books from Iran are good for the immediate needs. Most people who can read Dari can read Farsi.

In June 2003 a three-month training session included three days of classes and three days of daily work with an Afghan librarian who lives in Germany on hand to answer questions and guide the staff. Of paramount importance was the aim of providing ‘service to the public’. Reports written by these visiting specialists detail the progress made and make recommendations for the future. Together with UNESCO, the Goethe-Institut wants to find more experts to train the librarians, especially on computers and library software.

For other organisations who wish to assist the library system in Afghanistan, Renate suggests taking this programme as a model and expanding it into the provinces. Few Afghans in the provinces can read English and books in Dari or Pashtu would be very useful.