The Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Michael Georg Link, and the Minister President of Saarland, Annegret Kramp Karrenbauer, have issued an invitation for tomorrow (16 April) to a multimedia concert by the group “Die Redner” at the Federal Foreign Office in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Franco German Treaty of Friendship. “Die Redner” tell the story of the 1963 Élysée Treaty through a gripping performance collage combining words, sound and images.

Michael Georg Link is the Commissioner for Franco German Cooperation. Ms Annegret Kramp Karrenbauer is hosting the event in her role as Commissioner of the Federal Republic of Germany for Cultural Affairs under the Treaty on Franco German Cooperation.

Further information:

“Die Redner”: since 2007 the three artists (prizewinners in the Land of Ideas initiative) have staged award winning performances portraying original speeches given by famous people in world history in a unique combination with live music and film. In Élysée63 they present the speech given by President Charles de Gaulle to German young people in Ludwigsburg on 9 September 1963, with which he laid the foundations for Franco German reconciliation, and look ahead to the future of Franco German friendship.

Élysée63: a young woman in 2063 lives in a fictional Europe of the future which does not embody the 1963 vision of the two statesmen Adenauer and de Gaulle. Nationalism, violence and conflicts have taken firm hold of the continent. The young protagonist is on the brink of leaving Europe and wonders how this development could have come about. She embarks on a journey through time which takes her back to the future.