Germany’s Oscar When first-time German filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, German Ambassador Klaus Scharioth and his wife Ulrike were there to celebrate with him at the 79th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Donnersmarck’s “The Lives of Others,” a stark look at East Germany’s secret police (Stasi), beat out Mexico’s “Pan’s Labyrinth,” a favorite that had already won three Oscars, as well as Denmark’s “After the Wedding,” Algeria’s “Days of Glory” and Canada’s “Water.” “The Lives of Others” chronicles life in the East German totalitarian state, where personal freedoms and dignity were virtually nonexistent. The story revolves around a secret police agent who bugs the apartment of an East German playwright and his actress girlfriend and then slowly discovers his sympathy for them (also see Film Reviews in March 2007 issue of The Washington Diplomat). “The film has two especially remarkable sides,” said the Ambassador Scharioth. “A perfect enactment of the stifling and indeed repressive atmosphere in the GDR [German Democratic Republic] and … this positive message that even if you have been on the wrong side all of your life, you can still do the right thing and make a difference—if you are willing to pay the price.” Although the film swept last year’s Lola awards in Germany, the 33-year old Oxford-educated filmmaker told Reuters: “An Oscar is the ultimate symbol of recognition so it means everything,” Donnersmarck said. “Everybody in the world dreams of winning an Oscar, even people who don’t work in films.” Ambassador of Germany Klaus Scharioth, left, poses with German filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (also on the front page), who won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Roots of Peace What started over the family dining table of Californian Heidi Kühn has turned into one of the most successful humanitarian efforts in war-torn Afghanistan. Afghan Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad and his wife Shamim recently gathered an influential crowd to thank and celebrate Roots of Peace’s 10th anniversary of “Turning Landmines into Vines.” “Roots of Peace, an award-winning program, is helping to restore one of Afghanistan’s richest and most historic cultural legacies … our 7,000-year-old tradition of growing some of the region’s finest grapes,” said Ambassador Jawad. The ambassador reminded everyone that these prime grapes are sold fresh or as raisins to neighboring countries. “Since Afghanistan is a Muslim country, no grapes are ever made into wine in Afghanistan,” he noted. There are more than 200 landmine (or unexploded ordnance) tragedies a month in Afghanistan, a country that still has the highest number of landmines in the world. Approximately 10 million landmines lurk just beneath Afghanistan’s rugged terrain. Over the past 10 years, Roots of Peace has removed 100,000 landmines from the once-fertile Shomali Plains. In addition, more than 10,000 Afghan farmers have been trained to grow grapes and raisins—alternative agricultural crops to opium poppies. At a large gathering at the Afghan Embassy on Feb. 27, the ambassador thanked Kühn and her family, including her 19-year-old daughter who initiated a very successful “penny campaign” that has collected 15 million pennies for peace. Many U.S. organizations were also represented such as USAID and the Skoll Foundation’s Social Edge. “We’re celebrating the spring 2007 planting season, which we hope will bring $765,000,” said Kühn, who visited the landmine clearing sites in Afghanistan with Shamim Jawad last October during the harvest season. “Together, we have replaced the scourge of landmines with the nectar of fresh grapes, pomegranates and cherry trees—reclaiming the ‘Garden of Central Asia’ for future generations.” Shamim added: “The minefields cleared and the orchards planted by Roots of Peace are the positive images of Afghanistan’s rebirth after decades of war and fear.” Speaking with farmers, children, mothers and other women during their trip, Kühn and Shamim learned firsthand about the hardships facing the Afghan people today. “Generational wisdom reminds us that when a grapevine is planted—regardless of the color of our hand or the faith in our hearts—the ‘roots’ will grow with sunlight, water and a human hand. The grapevine is an ancient icon of peace, celebrating the seeds we have in common rather than those which separate us,” Kühn said. Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Karl Inderfurth, now director of graduate programs at George Washington’s Elliott School of International Affairs, first heard about and helped Roots of Peace under the Clinton administration. He noted that there are other groups such as Adopt a Minefield and Humpty Dumpty that also help with this cause, but “the innovative idea” of this group, driven by Kühn’s inspiration and determination, has made the biggest difference. “She’s showing everyone else how to do it.” Roots of Peace is also involved in other countries. This extremely successful humanitarian organization is “turning swords into plowshares,” according to Kühn, by planting rice in Cambodia, orchards in Croatia, and wheat in Iraq along with the grapes in Afghanistan. For more information, visit www.rootsofpeace.org. From left, Afghan Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad, his wife Shamim, Roots of Peace founder Heidi Kühn, and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Karl Inderfurth attend the Roots of Peace anniversary celebration at the Afghan Embassy. Photos: Gail Scott Snowy Arab League Reception The most recent snowstorm didn’t keep friends away from the Arab League’s 62nd National Day celebration on March 7 in the Willard InterContinental Washington’s Crystal Room. Arab League Ambassador Hussein Hassouna, an Egyptian, said, “I am proud that so many U.S. officials, other ambassadors, business leaders and distinguished academics were there along with leaders of Arab, Muslim, Christian and Jewish organizations. “With all the powerful media here too,” Hassouna continued, “I believe that events like ours can best bring people together and promote friendship and understanding between them.” He added: “Our reception took place on a day when his majesty the king of Jordan, his royal highness the crown prince of Bahrain, and other cabinet ministers from the Arab world were in town. They all had a common message to our American friends: Let us work together to achieve peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East.” From left, former Ambassador of Jordan Karim Kawar, Chris’l Safieh and her husband, Palestinian Representative Afif Safieh attend the Arab League 62nd National Day celebration at the Willard hotel. Front page: From left, Ambassador of the Arab League and Mrs. Hussein Hassouna and Ambassador of Yemen Abdulwahab A. Al-Hajjri attend the Arab League National Day reception. Photos:Gail Scott Hungary’s Modern Art Gaining Attention Hungarian Ambassador András Simonyi welcomed his country’s minister of education and culture, István Hiller, to the Hungarian Residence to honor three Americans who have contributed to Hungarian culture and the increasing awareness of modern Hungarian art. In addition, several important modern Hungarian artists made the trip from Budapest to see their own colorful artwork hanging on the residence walls. Minister Hiller urged guests to select “the right business card for Hungary. In the past, we have had many different business cards during our 1,000-year history, but now our new business card stands for ‘knowledge, experience, innovation and creativity.’” Speaking in Hungarian, he also warned that when people meet Hungarians, they always go home with too many cards and many are thrown away. “Keep our new one,” he said. “We hope it will last a very long time.” Then he presented Hungary’s Pro Cultura Hungarica award to Nancy G. Brinker, former U.S. ambassador to Hungary and founder of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, named after Brinker’s sister Susan, who was also an avid collector of modern Hungarian art. Kirk Brown, an American who lives in Denver, and his wife Jill Wiltse were also given Hungary’s highest cultural award for amassing a large collection of this new genre of Hungarian art. “We collect all kinds of art,” explained Brown. “But there is something in this modern Hungarian art that deeply touches us. Perhaps there’s a magic component of the Hungarian culture that is exhibited in this art. All we know is that we have a passion for it and are mesmerized by its beauty. We don’t understand why the world has not yet discovered this art.” From left, Ambassador of Hungary András Simonyi and Hungarian Minister of Education and Culture István Hiller presented the Pro Cultura Hungarica award to former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary Nancy G. Brinker and Hungarian modern art collectors Jill Wiltse and her husband Kirk Brown. Photo: Gail Scott And Don’t Forget Please also remember to look for this month’s diplomatic spouses profile in the March issue of The Washington Diplomat with Christ’l Safieh, the intriguing wife of the Palestinian representative to the United States. SPONSOR THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT P.O. Box 1345 Wheaton, MD 20915-1345 Tel: 301.933.3552 • Fax: 301.949.0065 www.washdiplomat.com