The Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (German: Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), stylised ifa, is an intermediary organisation funded by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany dedicated to international relations as well as cultural and social policy. It is well known for sponsoring art exhibitions.
History
The organisation's forerunner was founded on 10 January 1917 by German businessman Theodor Wanner (1875–1955) as the Museum and Institute of German Foreign Affairs and the Promotion of German Interests Abroad (Museum und Institut zur Kunde des Auslandsdeutschtums und zur Förderung deutscher Interessen im Ausland) before being renamed the German Foreign Institute (Deutsches Ausland-Institut; DAI) the same year. In the wake of the First World War, the DAI aimed to rebuild Germany's reputation in the world through cultural exchanges. It was renamed the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen in 1949, with an official inauguration by West German president Theodor Heuss in 1951.
In 2024, it was announced that after more than 20 years of operation by public broadcaster Deutsche Welle to promote interreligious dialogue, the portal Qantara.de would be restructured and transferred to management by the IFA.
References
- ^ "History of ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen". www.ifa.de. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- "FAQ: Qantara.de at ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen | Qantara.de". qantara.de. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ Weckesser, Markus (14 July 2016). "Die aktuellen Gebrauchsweisen der Fotografie: Auswärtige Kulturarbeit Das Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen ifa hat den Kunstgeschichtler Florian Ebner, der zuletzt den Deutschen Pavillon in Venedig kuratierte, für eine neue Ausstellungsreihe mit zeitgenössischer Fotografie verpflichtet". Die Tageszeitung (in German). Berlin. Retrieved 3 January 2025 – via ProQuest.
- Isaac Chong Wai (March–April 2024). "Isaac Chong Wai on Käthe Kollwitz". ArtAsiaPacific. Retrieved 3 January 2025 – via ProQuest.
- Širbegović, Esad (29 August 2024). "How Germany burned its 'bridge to the Islamic world'". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 3 January 2025 – via ProQuest.