35 years: that's how long it has been since German unification.
9153 km: that's the distance between Berlin and Reunion Island.

All of that seems so far away…
However, in Reunion Island too, we are interested in the history of Germany.

500: that's the number of students from Reunion who attended the conference that the German Department organized to close the week "Franco-German Memory(ies) in Dialogue: Reunion perspectives".

On Friday, November 21st, a remarkable 500 students from grades 9 to 12 traveled by bus from all over the island, despite the inclement weather and traffic difficulties, to hear our two speakers. In a packed auditorium, Ulrich Pfeil (Professor of German Civilization at the University of Lorraine) and Corine Defrance (historian and research director at the CNRS) presented "History and Memory of the Berlin Wall in France." After a richly illustrated historical overview, they analyzed, before a visibly captivated audience, various facets of the Wall's memory in French popular culture, from songs and graffiti to paintings. The long applause that followed gave way to numerous questions from the audience.

After the conference, the luckiest students were able to visit the exhibition "From the Peaceful Revolution to German Unity (1989-1990)," presented at the SCAN (Faculty of Arts and Humanities) by the German Department, in partnership with the German Embassy. On this occasion, several former German studies students, now teaching in Réunion, returned to the university, this time accompanied by their groups of students. The second-year students in the "Franco-German Studies Program: German- and French-Speaking Overseas Territories" welcomed these young visitors, offering them tailored guided tours.

In the end, Germany and Réunion Island aren't so far apart after all…