Harald Kynhoff was just 11 years old when he escaped the Soviet controlled city of Lenzen, In East Germany, by way of the River Elbe in 1963, just two years after the Berlin Wall was built.

Kynhoff will speak at IU Southeast Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m., on his experiences, as part of a six-day commemoration of the fall of the Berlin Wall, presented by The IU Southeast German Club.

The commemoration will begin Wednesday, Nov. 5, when the construction af a replica of the wall will begin, between Knobview Hall and University Center.

The IU Southeast community will be invited to spray-paint the wall with graffiti.

“It can be anything that commemorates what the Berlin Wall was trying to prevent, which is free expression,” Michael Hutchins, assistant professor of German, said.

“That’s one of the reasons people will be encouraged to participate and not just have the German students talk about things and spray paint, It’s the community’s expression that we’re trying to gather here,” Hutchins said.

There will be films shown over the weekend, and Sunday, Nov. 9, after the last film, there will be a March to the Wall and Rally for Freedom.

Monday, Nov. 10, the everyone will be invited to help tear down the wall. A portion will be saved and be on display in Knobview Hall for the rest of the semester.

“One of the reasons that it’s important to Americans is that we’ haven’t experienced a shutdown of our border in our living memory,” Hutchins said. “So we don’t really know what its like to close ourselves in.”