Dear All,

while there are still more than 30 weeks left before IFTR comes to town, our prepararions are well under way and – so I assume – yours as well.

From this week onwards, we will send out a weekly message, providing some housekeeping information, latest news but also give you some background on our topic with a »Fool of the Week« (FOW) and some »Cologne Curiosities« (CC).

As travelling has become more and more difficult these days, we are determined to assist as much as possible, but as it is so often in life: information is the key. 
Thus, please help us spread the word about the newsletter and encourage others to do so as well.
Especially for those who are planning to apply for a bursary: please remember that the deadline is approaching! The 22nd of November is the last day to apply via the IFTR website: https://iftr.org/conference/bursaries.  

You already know our first Fool of the Week - he inspired our logo and carries the Carnival of the World to our city's most famous landmark – Cologne Cathedral. We have chosen the Fool’s Cap Map as part of our logo to indicate its appreciation for the diversities of cultures but also to emphasize that the Carnivalesque is a genuinely global, trans-cultural topic.While its author or creator remains unknown, the Fool’s Cap Map has become an iconic image. Appearing sometime in the 1580s/1590s, it depicts the world framed by a fool’s cap, suggesting that foolishness is ubiquitous. This is not merely an echo of medieval disdain for all mundane affairs, but also bears a message about a general condition of being human: Auriculas asini quis non habet? Who does not have donkey’s ears?
Buovantura de Sousa Santos has reinterpreted these ideas as an acknowledgement of the contingency of any thoughts and the tacit appreciation for a plurality and diversity of knowledge. Stultorum numerus est infinitus. The Number of Fools is infinite – which can be somewhat of a consolation.

Shortly after this newsletter is sent, Cologne itself will be filled with an infinite number of fools. At exactly 11.11am on 11th November, one of Germany's biggest cultural celebrations will begin – the Cologne Carnival! Dating back to the Middle Ages, this historic festival transforms the entire city into one giant street party for a day, kicking off the so-called »fifth season« that lasts until Ash Wednesday. Expect to see thousands of people dressed in colourful costumes, dancing to traditional carnival songs and shouting Cologne's famous carnival cheers:

Alaaf - meaning as much as au fou de partout, to fools everywhere, we greet you!

More soon!

Peter W. Marx
for The Cologne Team