Imprisoned Turkish cultural promoter and social justice activist, Osman Kavala, along with Chinese scholar and German language expert Li Yuan and the Belgian archaeologist and author David Van Reybrouck, have been awarded the 2025 Goethe Medal.
Whether they’re breaking down cultural barriers, fighting for human rights and democracy or finding a common language, the trio have been honored by Germany’s global cultural body, the Goethe Institute, for their outstanding services to international cultural exchange.
The Goethe Medal award ceremony is set to take place on August 28 in Weimar, the birthday of iconic German writer and polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Osman Kavala remains influential, despite life sentence
“His lifelong commitment to civil society is based on the conviction that art and culture are crucial for dialogue, mutual understanding and the creation of a more just and inclusive society,” wrote the Goethe Institute of this year’s co-winner, Osman Kavala.
Kavala was arrested in 2017 on a charges of seeking to overthrow the governmentImage: Anadolu Culture Center/REUTERS
In 2022, the philanthropist and human rights defender founded the Turkish NGO, Anadolu Kultur, which works at the intersection of arts and culture, civil society and human rights advocacy and supports diverse projects in often marginalized regions.
Kavala also co-founded the Association for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, which is working to preserve culturally significant sites and artifacts. And through initiatives such as the Armenia-Turkey Cinema Platform and the Turkey-Armenia Youth Symphony Orchestra, Kavala has decisively promoted cross-border cultural exchange.
“I always believed that collaboration in art projects and cultural activities could help to overcome prejudices, and contribute to the development of mutual understanding and empathy towards others,” said Kavala is a statement written in the Istanbul prison where he has been held for the last eight years.
Osman Kavala – A voice from prison
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
First arrested in 2017, Kavala was given a life sentence in 2022 for political reasons.
Yet he continues to work with Anadolu Kultur from prison. The NGO runs the Diyarbakir Arts Center in southeastern Turkey, which has become an important international space that brings together arts and culture and civil society — sometimes in cooperation with the Goethe Institute.
With programs such as TANDEM, running since 2011, Kavala has also promoted cultural exchange and cross-border collaboration between cultural institutions in Turkey and Europe.
Using AI to revolutionize German learning
Another Goethe Medal has been awarded to the Chinese linguist Li Yuan, whose work contributes to intercultural understanding and the strengthening and preservation of German as a foreign language in China, according to the jury.
As a professor for German language and German studies at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, Yuan carries out pioneering work on how to use artificial intelligence to learn German. Together with AI experts, Yuan uses modern methods of empirical data analysis to highlight common mistakes when learning German as a foreign language. This has resulted in the development of a smart feedback tool, which is currently being tested.
Li Yuan has always been open to new experiences. In 2003, she came to Berlin for her doctorate at the Technical University Berlin. She also went on to complete a postdoctoral program through a Humboldt Fellowship and presented her research in seminars, where she was able to speak about her own research, answer questions from fellow students and ask her own critical questions: “To this day, I have benefited a lot from this debating culture,” she said.
Since she became a professor, Yuan has developed an introductory course on scientific research that is now mandatory for all German studies students in China.
Li Yuan has used AI to promote learning German as a second languageImage: Bi Lili
Yuan also develops textbooks for German studies that are used across China, aiming to get foreign language students to engage with global issues. Yuan heads the Institute for German Studies and is also responsible for the Center for Global Competence at Zhejiang University.
Listening (to others) and getting involved
“Nothing makes me happier than interviewing people,” said Belgian archaeologist and author, David Van Reybrouck, who has also been honored with a Goethe Medal.
Works like his multi-award-winning history, “Congo: The Epic History of a People” (2010), which explores Congo’s past as a Belgian colony and has been translated into numerous languages, are marked by conversations with locals who are given the space to tell their stories.
For his 2020 book “Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World,” which details Indonesia’s struggle for independence from its Dutch colonizers, the author wanted to gather stories from remaining survivors from the era.
“I had contemporary witnesses from the 1920s and 1930s. I have now come to realize that I might have been the last person to speak to many of them,” said Van Reybrouck.
David Van Reybrouck gives voice to people who have been colonizedImage: STAR-MEDIA/IMAGO
In his native Belgium, Van Reybrouck is not only a successful author, but founded the G1000 initiative, a platform for democratic engagement and civic participation. The concept has triggered a wave of citizens’ assemblies in many European countries.
“The interdisciplinary approach of his books and their focus on marginalized voices combine a clear literary style with an emotional approach,” said the Goethe Medal jury of Van Reybrouck, adding that his works are “among the most significant contributions to contemporary political discourse.”
This article was originally written in German.
