ABOUT GOETHE INSTITUT DIRECTOR FRIEDERIKE MOESCHEL

*Friederike Moschel,

This is just a snippet into the personality of Friederike Moschel, Director of the German cultural center the Goethe-Institut Lagos.

Moschel took over from Marc Andre Schmachtel who also took over from Arne Schneider.

Marc-André Schmachtel served up his term from November 2010-June 2016.
Moschel was born in Munich but grew up in Bonn. After studying German and English Literature in Bonn, Heidelberg and Köln she taught at the German Embassy School in Beijing, China for two years. She later worked for four years as a teacher before joining the Goethe-Institut.

Before her posting to Lagos, she worked in  Goethe Institute, Dubai, UAE for  five years.

Moschel....(2nd L), Fred Iwenjora and other foreign service officers during the monitoring of German election in Lagos (Photo; Ikenna Asomba) 

Aside from this, Moschel spent another two and a half years as director of the language department at the Goethe-Institut Tashkent/Uzbekistan, and a two-and-a-half year stint in Kiev/Ukraine, where she was in charge of the regional co-ordination of the Eastern Partnership fund, and the implementation of cultural projects in Ukraine.

“It’ll be quite different from my previous experiences,” said Möschel , “but I’m looking forward to an exciting term in Lagos.” Möschel seems to be familiar with Nigerian culture and the country’s literature.

According to the woman who has been quite exposed to Nigerian literature authors like Achebe as well as others, “Nigerian Literature is big out there…it would be ridiculous to say one wants to improve on Nigerian Literature. But there are always openings for grassroots development. I’d like to work with as many local art institutions and corporations as possible at the grassroots level. My focus is to pick-up from where my predecessors left off, and in a more diverse and impacting way, tap into the confidence, determination and drive of the younger generation of Nigerian artists,” she said.

By Fred Iwenjora