In “The Good German,” Christian Bommarius tells the story of Manga Bell, the son of a Cameroonian ruler who studied in Germany during the time of German colonial rule and was murdered. “In the inglorious German colonial history, the chapter on Cameroon may be one of the darkest. The colony, which had been scammed under questionable circumstances, was turned into an inferno for the enslaved population in a lucrative collaboration between Wilhelmine colonial officials and respectable merchants. A son of the former king was nevertheless allowed to study law in Germany. However, when Prince Manga Bell made use of what…
Author: glokal e.V.
Researcher Joy DeGruy’s book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome , is the result of years of historical and psychological research. Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS) describes a set of behaviors, beliefs, and actions associated with multi-generational trauma experienced by African Americans. PTSS includes, among other things, undiagnosed and untreated Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome in enslaved Africans and their descendants. According to Joy DeGruy, PTSS means that centuries of enslavement in the U.S., followed by systematic and structural racism and oppression, have resulted in intergenerational pathogenic behaviors that serve as survival strategies. According to DeGruy, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome cannot simply be treated…
In “Talking Back,” scholar Claudia Unterweger analyzes the strategies of historiography used by a Black research group in Austria. Among other things, the goal is to empower Black people in the present and to recover their own buried history. “Austrian historiography on people of African descent reflects their current representation in the Austrian public sphere. Visible as mute, foreign-defined objects and at the same time invisible as acting subjects, they predominantly emerge as exoticized or criminalized ‘others’. Hidden are often realities and narratives from a Black perspective.” Publisher’s Book Description In 2005/2006, the project “Black Austrian History” was founded to…
[youtube id=”0lG1s5iMsZE”] The film “Hope in the Heart” directed by Maria Binder shows as a unique document stages of the life and work of the artist, scientist and Black German activist May Ayim. Special attention is paid to her poetic work. The film includes sequences showing May Ayim performing in South Africa and in Germany. May Ayim is a central figure in the Afro-German movement. She was the first scholar to investigate the history and living situation of Black women in Germany – despite all institutional resistance. May Ayim became known for her poetry and poems such as “Blues in…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCAQP7OJ9ls In der satirischen Youtube-Reihe “The adventures of an asian girl with a white fetish” von Joy Regullano legt die Protagonistin rassistische Normalitäten offen, wie sie “Asian women” regelmäßig in “Dating-Situationen” mit weißen Männern erleben.Das feministische Online-Magazin “Everyday Feminism” beschreibt den Hintergrund der Videoserie “White Fetish” wie folgt: “Due to how our society has sexualized Asian women in a racialized way, Asian and Pacific Islander and Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) women often have to deal with sexist and racist microaggressions that are normalized in our society as ‘flirting.’ That means when white guys try to flirt with APIA…
Roma Buzz Monitor is a website aimed primarily at Rromn_ja worldwide, providing its readers with daily information on various topics. On Roma Buzz Monitor you can find news, events, photos, videos or references and links to other important info channels and websites under different headings. Topics discussed on the website include discrimination against Rromn_ja worldwide, current political developments, and memory culture.
The feature film “42 – The True Story of a Sports Legend” by Brian Helgeland is based on the biography of baseball player Jackie Robinson. In 1947, he became the first African-American to advance to the top U.S. professional baseball league. The plot of the film is set in 1946 and 1947. At the time of official “segregation” in the United States, Jackie Robinson becomes a member of the successful baseball team with the support of the white manager of the Brooklyn Dodger. Here, he wore player number 42. Despite massive racist hostility, up to and including death threats, Jackie…
Valeriu Nicolae is a Romanian Rrom, blogger and human rights activist. On his website , Valeriu Nicolae writes critical and pointed articles in English and Romanian about Rromani-Struggles and European “Roma politics”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ6iEV2vfvQ Im Zentrum des Dokumentarfilms “Da.Sein” von Aylin Basaran und Hans-Georg Eberl stehen die Schicksale von Menschen, die “da” waren und abgeschoben worden sind. Ihre Geschichten werden im Dialog mit jenen von Angehörigen und Freund_innen erzählt, die “da” geblieben sind. “Die Abschiebung von Menschen aus Europa ist alltägliche institutionelle Praxis. Da.Sein will eine Plattform sein für jene Stimmen, die Teil der europäischen Gesellschaften waren, aber durch das gewaltsame Herausreißen unsichtbar gemacht wurden. Der Film behauptet keinen Anspruch dokumentarischer Neutralität, sondern verschreibt sich einer parteiischen und solidarischen Perspektive, ohne dabei den Blick für die unterschiedlichen Facetten subjektiver Erfahrungen und Handlungsstrategien seiner…
German colonialism and its formative influence on history and the present continue to occupy little space in the consciousness of the German majority society. Instead, memory spaces and persons of colonial history are regularly transfigured, downplayed or positively appreciated. In Jürgen Zimmerer’s anthology, various relics associated with Germany’s violent colonial history are critically examined in easy-to-understand individual contributions. Institutions, spaces, events and actors such as Albert Schweitzer’s hospital Lambaréné, Hagenbeck’s zoo, Kaiser Wilhelm II’s “Hun speech” or Alexander von Humboldt’s work as an “explorer” are brought to mind in the book in the context of their (genesis) history, their devastating…
“Dear White People” is a satirical handbook by Justin Simien, published to accompany the film of the same name. The publisher recommends it to all those in semi-regular contact with Black people. Using analysis tools such as graphs, tables, and questionnaires, readers can determine when the best time to wear blackface is (hint: probably never) or when they are at risk of becoming the “token best friend.” Reading the book allows for reflections on one’s own role in racialized societies. It encourages people to develop an awareness of situations of discrimination in everyday life and to find appropriate solutions. “Whether…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr4gxlIvXn0 Im Film “Gelem Gelem – Wir gehen einen langen Weg“ dokumentieren Monika Hielscher und Matthias Heeder die Situation und den Widerstand von ca. 1500 Rrom_nja, die Anfang der 1990er Jahre von Deutschland nach Süd-Ost Europa abgeschoben werden sollten. Der Untertitel “Wir gehen einen langen Weg“ verweist dabei auf die jahrhundertelange Kontinuität der Diskriminierung, Vertreibung und Verfolgung von Rrom_nja. Vor dem Hintergrund der deutschen Wiedervereinigung und der Euphorie vieler Bundesbürger_innen kämpften Rrom_nja-Familien unterschiedlicher Gruppen gemeinsam um ein Niederlassungsrecht in der Bundesrepublik. Mit Blockaden an Grenzübergängen, Hungerstreiks, einem Marsch quer durch Deutschland und der Besetzung des Kölner Doms machten Rrom_nja-Familien auf…