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German Colonial History in Africa 1 GERMAN COLONIAL HERITAGE IN AFRICA – ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES GERMAN COLONIAL HERITAGE IN AFRICA – ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES CONTENTS About this report ..........................................................................................Page 1 Daniel Stoevesandt and Fabian Mühlthaler German Colonial Heritage in Burundi: From a Cultural Production Perspective ...................................................Page 5 Freddy Sabimbona The Correlation Between Artistic Productions in Cameroon and the Discourse on Decolonisation ........................................................Page 11 Dzekashu MacViban From Periphery to Focus (and Back Again?) The Topic of Colonialism in Cultural Productions in Germany ...............Page 21 Fabian Lehmann This publication is commissioned by the Goethe-Instituts in Sub-Saharan Africa Critical Reflection on Cultural Productions Regarding German Colonialism in and Around Namibia ...........................................Page 35 edited by Nashilongweshipwe Mushaandja Edited by Goethe-Institut Kamerun www.goethe.de/kamerun and Cultural Productions with reference to Colonial History ........................Page 47 Goethe-Institut Namibia Ngangare Eric www.goethe.de/namibia cover image German Colonial Heritage in Tanzania: Maji Maji Flava, © N. Klinger A Survey on Artistic Productions ................................................................Page 53 Vicensia Shule graphic design and layout Turipamwe Design, Windhoek, Namibia www.turipamwedesign.com Cultural Productions with Reference to German Colonial History in Togo: Overview and Perspective ..........................................................................Page 63 printing Kokou Azamede Kerndruck, Germany 1 German Colonial Heritage in Africa – Artistic and Cultural Perspectives 2 ABOUT THIS REPORT DANIEL STOEVESANDT AND FABIAN MÜHLTHALER are directors of Goethe-Instituts BY in Namibia and Cameroon. DANIEL STOEVESANDT Colonialism has caused much pain and injustice, standing for promoting co-productions with actors on the African continent AND the delusion of superiority by one culture over many others since 2012. In addition, the growing social debate since the and unequal power. The fact that Germany also appeared as a German Federal Parliament condemned the Armenian genocide FABIAN MÜHLTHALER formative colonial power in history was forgotten and repressed and the decision to build the Humboldt Forum have contributed for decades. In the crosshairs of the confrontation with their own to the topic coming increasingly into focus. Increasing awareness history were the Holocaust and the partitioning of Germany. In and intensified debate are also clearly reflected through cultural many African countries that experienced German colonial rule, work in Germany. and that would not exist today as states without having lived through that colonial rule, the memory of the German colonial The situation in African countries affected by the German colonial era is strong, and in most cases also painful. How do cultural era varies widely. In the spring of 2018, the Goethe-Institut actors on the African continent deal with this? How do you commissioned seven authors to examine the cultural perspective handle the colonial era? of the German colonial era on the basis of the films, books, plays, performances, etc. produced in the past ten years. The experts Often, it is the means of artistic expression that can sensitise, come from the six African countries that used to be German enlighten, bring to light and stimulate open debate across cultural colonies and were at the centre of the probe: boundaries and different models of thought. Cultural creators have a very special antenna for themes of this kind, and at the Burundi same time use their products to depict the current situation of society in a country. Cameroon The Goethe- Instituts in Sub-Saharan Africa have been supporting Namibia the cultural confrontation with (German) colonial times in their host countries. Now that local initiatives have been promoted Rwanda for years, projects have been made possible and debates have been accompanied, it is time to look beyond national borders Tanzania and systematically take stock of the past. In what form does the conflict with the colonial era take place in the various countries? Togo Which artistic formats and forms of discourse dominate? What are the differences between the individual countries? In Germany, artistic and academic engagement with the German colonial era has intensified considerably in recent years. A Theatre piece Schädel X by Flinnworks significant part of this is likely to be the introduction of the TURN © Alexander Barta Fund of the German Federal Cultural Foundation, which has been 3 German Colonial Heritage in Africa – Artistic and Cultural Perspectives 4 About this report How the German colonial period was evaluated in the social WHO ARE THE ACTORS? “HOW DO CULTURAL ACTORS ON THE discourse of these countries also depended to a large extent on The initiative to artistically explore the past in African countries what experiences with foreign rule ensued after the withdrawal is mostly based on actors in civil society and the independent AFRICAN CONTINENT DEAL WITH THIS? of the Germans. French, English or Belgian rule – whatever its scene. Only in Germany are there established actors of the political form – has often left its own traces, perhaps more cultural scenes that are involved here, too. This may be the HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE COLONIAL ERA?” strongly shaping the national narrative and superimposing or reason that most productions on our subject are to date very distorting the memory of German colonial rule. small, limited to the location of their origin and therefore of little range. All experts we commissioned initially reported difficulties In Cameroon and Togo, the subsequent time of French mandate in finding material on this topic. Comparable studies do not is perceived among the general public as more formative – and exist; the knowledge about books, films, plays, etc. during the probably more painful as well. Cameroon, with its complex ethnic German colonial era had to be collected piece by piece through structure, has probably become a nation only through German painstaking research and personal interviews with actors in the From a comparative perspective – without claiming to be colonial rule and it’s quite arbitrary demarcation; a somewhat cultural scene. exhaustive – Germany was also included in the study. transfigured view of large parts of the population on German colonial rule up to nostalgia may thus be explainable, which Larger cultural productions dealing with the relevant topic here Our aim was not only to better understand which on-site subjects nonetheless, of course challenges cultural practitioners to raise are mostly financed by German means, which in most cases are are considered particularly important in this broad field; which awareness and debate. collaborations with the local Goethe-Instituts or projects that actors initiate, implement and finance these productions; and were made possible in the recent years by the TURN Fund of the where such an examination of German colonial history occurs Today, in Rwanda and Burundi, the German colonial era is barely German Federal Cultural Foundation. – but also, in particular, what fundamentally distinguishes the visible. 20th-century Belgian rule and the genocide of the 1990s discourse in the different countries; which influence the colonial override any discourse; the German reign is shown only through period has on the respective national feeling; in which form some buildings or industrial monuments. WHAT‘S NEXT? identities were shaped; and what place the colonial period holds The present study shows us how different cultural workers in the collective memory. Namibia certainly takes a special position, not only since at the in seven countries deal with a formative part of history. We time countless families were directly and personally affected understand a little better what effects former colonial rule For the Goethe-Institut, this first systematic examination of from the genocide, but also because the country – in contrast has on contemporary societies and which cultural scene actors artistic positions on the subject of German colonial past is also a to the other former colonies – was settled by German civilians are dealing with this topic in the first place. With the aim basis for its future commitment to this topic. whose descendants to this day are a significant ethnic group of developing new and more comprehensive African artistic that exert great economic influence. The German redistribution positions, the Goethe-Institut in Sub-Saharan Africa will for Without prejudging the experts, the first fundamental results can of land and the decimation of two other groups of people in the first time bring together the various actors and forms of be stated: particular still characterize today’s Namibia. Therefore, it may discourse, and help to redevelop and realize not only local but come as a surprise that a broader debate about this period only international artistic positions as well. With this project, the started in the last decade. However, the overarching and much Goethe-Institut wants to make a contribution to sensitizing VERY DIFFERENT, BROAD APPROACH more important political event for Namibia is still South Africa’s people in dealing with Germany’s colonial past and how to In principle, the German colonial era is received
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