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The Black Question Nicole L SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Spring 2006 The lB ack Question Nicole L. Butler SIT Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Inequality and Stratification Commons, and the Race and Ethnicity Commons Recommended Citation Butler, Nicole L., "The lB ack Question" (2006). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 365. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/365 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 The Black Question Nicole L. Butler SIT Spring Semester 2006 2 Contents INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………....3 1. FIRST CONTACT…………...……………………………………………………….…5 1.1 THE AFRICAN DIASPORA……………………………………………………….6 1.2 BLACKS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY……………………………...9 1.3 RHINELAND BASTARDS………………………………………………………..10 1.4 BROWN BABIES OR MISCHLINGE…………………………………………….12 1.5 THE AFRO-GERMAN MOVEMENT…………………………………………….13 2. THE BLACK EXPERIENCE IN GERMANY………………………………………...15 2.1 RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION………………………………………………16 2.2 CHILDREN STORIES……………………………………………………………..19 2.3 DEPICTION OF BLACKS IN THE MEDIA……………………………………...20 2.4 THE NEW BLACK COMMUNITY……………………………………………….22 3. CONCLUSION: THE FUTURE OF BLACKS………………………………………..26 4. BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………...27 5. APPENDICES…………………………………………………………………………28 3 1. Introduction In April 2006, a 37-year old Ethiopian man was brutally attacked by two skinheads sending the country into a state of mourning. In the days to follow, the German press covered the attack extensively raising the question if whether or not race-based crimes had witnessed resurgence in Germany. For many people, the answer to such a question required a further analysis of the last few years in Germany. In 2005, Oury Jalloh, an immigrant from Sierra Leone burned to death while in a holding cell at the city jail in Dessau. The examiners labeled his death suicide although his hands and feet were handcuffed to the bed. Also in 2001, a Senegalese woman was shot to death by a police officer in Aschaffenburg. Similar attacks towards blacks have occurred in the past, yet they often go ignored by the general public. Each year, the Black community continues to become more noticeable throughout Germany. It is comprised of mainly first and second generation Africans, African Americans and black Germans. However, to speak of a united black community would be inappropriate. Many Africans come to Germany seeking better economic opportunities for their families. Others applied for political asylum due to vicious dictators in their respective home countries. And despite what many historians and intellects report, Germany received its first wave of African Americans in the early years of the twentieth century. The second, larger wave of African Americans resulted then from the occupation of the allied troops after World War II. Black Germans, on the other hand, typically have a German mother and a black father either 4 from Africa or America. This group holds perhaps the most precarious position since they are socialized as Germans, but not accepted by their white German compatriots. “The Black Question” is an inquiry into the lives of blacks in Germany. For many years, black people have become a focal point for scholars, politicians and the like. As a result several questions have continuously been raised over the last century. When did the first blacks arrive in Germany? For what reasons did they come? What does it mean to be a black person in contemporary Germany? With no instruction on black history in German schools, many Germans grow up unaware of the history of blacks in Germany. Consequently, they perpetuate several of problems blacks in Germany experience today. “The Black Question” seeks to address some of the most pertinent questions concerning the black community in Germany. My ultimate goal is to provide the average German reader with solid information regarding black people and their lives in Germany both present and past. In order to capture the experiences of blacks around Germany, I traveled to various cities and conducted interviews with people of African descent. Too often, the experiences of one or two blacks are portrayed as the typical life of blacks in Germany everywhere. This discrepancy—along with a few others—created the motivation to conduct this Independent Study Project. “The Black Question” is divided into two parts with corroborating objectives. The first section titled “First Contact” elaborates why the first blacks migrated to 5 Germany in the first place. Through a historical lens, I will attempt to chronologically narrate the history of blacks starting in the fifteenth century. This section becomes increasingly important when trying to understand the roots of problems faced by blacks in contemporary Germany. Since this project serves as an overview of all blacks in Germany, I tried to write about the various groups within the Black Community equally. However, this task itself proved to be a challenge at times. My main focus in the “First Contact” section lies in the later nineteenth century and early twentieth century. During this time, black migration in Germany increased steadily. The second part of “The Black Question” focuses on the current plight of blacks in Germany. In this section, I attempt to outline some of the main problems faced by black people in Germany. Since the 1980’s, various organizations have been established to address these problems and unite blacks. Yet in 2006, many still question their effectiveness. My project also explores some of the internal problems by these organizations. Hopefully, the reader will develop a better understanding of life as a black person in Germany at the conclusion of this project. 1. First Contact Historically, it is common knowledge that the Spanish and Portuguese first ventured south towards West Africa in the 1440’s.1 Searching for gold, minerals and spices, they “discovered” the unknown continent and returned to Europe with its commodities. Professor Chachage labeled this process as “a lust for riches…fired by 1 Chachage, C.S.L. “Can Africa’s Poor Inherit the Earth and all its Mineral Rights?” December 2005. p. 4. 6 the legendary myth of the Christian King, Prestor John, who supposedly ruled a vast empire in the interior of Africa, and lived in a palace of translucent crystal and precious stones.”2 In 1448, a Portuguese historian by the name of d’Azurara, also listed six reasons for explorations to the Western coast of Morocco. 3 They include: 1. Scientific curiosity 2. Economic considerations 3. Military considerations 4. The diplomatic quest for allies 5. The urge to transfer European religious ideology to countries oversee 6. Astrological reasons Whatever the exact reason may be, Spanish and Portuguese curiosity spilled over into the agendas of other European countries such as Germany. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, Germany took advantage of the economic opportunities ultimately creating two long-term consequences. First, it inevitably changed the relationship between the two continents. Secondly, it contributed to spread of the African Diaspora with its involvement in the slave trade. 1.1 The African Diaspora In her book, Rewriting the Footnotes, P. Reed-Anderson defines the African diaspora as “the forced expulsion of Africans from their native countries caused by the European slave trade and the scattered communities that then developed as a result on the continents of North and South America as well as Europe” (the Greek word 2 Ibid. 3 Debrunner, Hans. “Africa, Europe and America: The Modern Roots from a European Perspective.” In: Crosscurrents: African Americans, Africa and Germany in the Modern World. Edited by David McBride, Leroy Hopkins, and C. Aisha Blackshire-Belay. (Columbia: Camden House, 1998), p. 3. 7 Diaspora: scatter). 4 As a result of the slave trade, which had been institutionalized by the eighteenth century, Germany played a role in the dispersion of Africans on the European continent. Similar to neighboring countries, members of German royalty began to employ Africans to work as domestic servants and soldiers.5 Over time, Germany sent more slaves back home to work in various occupations. With the inability to consult records, no one knows the exact arrival of the first Africans in Germany. However, records indicate that in 1682 the Trade Society Brandenburg- African Company shipped slaves to Hamburg. Ships from Africa continued to head towards Germany up until the abolishment of slavery. In 1884, Otto von Bismarck invited leaders from other European countries to discuss the future of Africa. The conference, which took place in Berlin, sought to ensure the equal distribution of the land to please all side involved. Africa became a playground for European capitalists. As a result of the Berlin Conference, Africa’s resources, land and most importantly people became the victims in a vicious cycle of exploitation that would continue for several decades. The Berlin Conference secured Germany four colonies: Cameroon. Togo, German East Africa (now Tanzania), and German Southwest Africa (now Namibia). 6 With increased connections to Africa, the presence of
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