Carnival time United Nations gets into the swing
BONN · It’s probably the most international carnival club in the country. After 20 years in Bonn, the United Nations has formed their very own carnival club - yes, one can safely call them “jecks” now.
A new international carnival club with royalty and all. On Tuesday evening, the Bonn carnival festival committee and the SWB held a reception. The surprise of the evening? The United Nations: On Friday, January 13 at exactly 4 pm on the 21st floor of the Langen Eugen, the carnival spark was lit and the “UN-Funken” were born. The 34 newcomers in the festival committee come from Cameroon, the Philippines, Ireland, Columbia, Australia, Serbia and other countries. It’s not a surprise then, that the president comes from the Netherlands: Patrick van Weerelt, Head of Office at the Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development.
“I studied in Maastricht. Carnival is celebrated there too,” said van Weerelt. But it’s all a lot bigger here than there. At the last carnival storming of the City Hall, he was right in the thick of things. Besides that, he likes Kölsch beer better than the Dutch beer. But the UN as a carnival “jeck” (that beloved term for carnival revelers)? “After being in Bonn for about 20 years, it’s about time,” says treasurer Simona Constanzo Sow.
Also on board the carnival wagon are Oliver Krämer, Prinz Mirko I and UNiversa Nora I. There was much praise for the city in supporting the UN to establish the carnival club. It’s a given that the “UN-Funken” will proudly take their place at the Rosenmontag parade - of course promoting sustainability.
Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan, SWB marketing director Jürgen Winterwerp, and festival committee president Marlies Stockhorst had much praise for all the “jecks” who promote the carnival spirit throughout the city, without asking for financial support. (Orig. text: Richard Bongartz)
