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About the lives and experiences of Ethiopians and Eritreans in Thuringia

On Wednesday, 18 September, the Gotha Research Library of the University of Erfurt invites you to a lecture entitled "Even today, the colourful Orient enlivens Gotha: The lives and experiences of Ethiopians and Eritreans in Thuringia". The event starts at 6.15 pm in the "Spiegelsaal" at Friedenstein Castle. The speaker will be Professor Wolbert Smidt. He teaches at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena and at Mekelle University in Ethiopia. The event is part of the supporting programme for the annual exhibition "The Orient in Gotha", which the Gotha Research Library is presenting until 3 November.

Gotha's links with Ethiopia have a long history dating back to the 17th century. Scientific Ethiopian studies were founded by the scholar Hiob Ludolf (1624–1704), who worked in Gotha and whose 400th birthday it is this year. He worked together with the Ethiopian cleric Abba Gorgoryos (around 1600–1658), who visited Gotha in 1652. The lecture sheds light on the historical connection between Ethiopia and Thuringia and the processes of exchange and encounter. There is still a thriving Ethiopian and Eritrean community in Gotha and Thuringia today. The main focus of the lecture will be on the lives and experiences of Ethiopians and Eritreans in Gotha and Thuringia.

Due to limited seating capacity, please register by Monday, 16 September by calling 0361/737-5530 or sending an email to veranstaltungen.fb@uni-erfurt.de.

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