On May 30th, the Deutsche Bhutan Himalaya Gesellschaft (DBHG) celebrated the 40th anniversary of Bhutan Day in Germany — a gathering dedicated to cultural exchange, friendship, and the enduring relationship between Bhutan and Germany. Held at the Gustav-Stresemann-Institut and later continuing at Bonn’s historic city hall, the event brought together members of the Bhutanese community, long-time supporters of Bhutan, students, researchers, and guests from across Europe.
For Yuedam, the day carried a significance beyond photography.
While our role was simple documenting the event through a series of documentary-style photographs — the connection runs deeper. The ideas that would eventually become Yuedam first emerged in Bhutan years ago in 2014. To return and contribute, even in a small way, to a celebration centered around the country that inspired the project’s foundation felt meaningful.
A Community Built Across Borders
The anniversary gathering welcomed approximately 80 to 90 attendees and focused more on dialogue rather than traditional ceremony.
Throughout the day, speakers explored Bhutan’s evolving relationship with the modern world while remaining anchored in its cultural identity. Among the keynote presentations was a talk by Dasho Karma Ura, who reflected on Gross National Happiness (GNH) over the past decade and offered perspectives comparing Bhutanese and German approaches to well-being, development, and societal progress.
The program also featured panels from Bhutanese students studying in Germany, sharing their experiences of adapting to life abroad while maintaining connections to home. Conversations moved naturally between education, identity, culture, and the challenges of living between different worlds.
Books written by German authors about Bhutan were presented throughout the event, while attendees were also shown a video retrospective produced by Klaus Neumann, accompanied by music score composed by Annette Blecher.
The event was graced by distinguished guests Tshoki Choden, representing the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Brussels and Acharya Lama Kelzang Wangdi – Bodhicharya, a highly competent teacher of Buddhist philosophy and the meditation practices of Sutra, Tantra, and Mahamudra.
Gallery
Photographing the Moments Between
Rather than focusing on staged portraits, our approach centered on observation.
The most compelling moments often happened between presentations: conversations in hallways, reunions between old friends, quiet exchanges between generations, and the shared attention of an audience listening closely to stories that mattered.
These are the moments that define community gatherings.
Over the course of the day, Yuedam produced a collection of roughly fifty documentary photographs, capturing both the formal discussions and the quieter interactions that unfolded around them.