One can only imagine the silent gasp many made when hearing the speech of Ben Carson, US secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in March 2017. Mentioning the history of slavery and slave trade in and to America, he said: “That’s what America is about, the lands of dreams and opportunities. There were other immigrants … Continue reading
A lonely car is sneaking through the gravel roads of Joe Slovo West, a township in the north of Port Elizabeth in South Africa. The navigation system does not find a way through the alleys, since the streets have not been mapped yet and there are no streets signs either. Whoever is not street-smart here, … Continue reading
People are wearing hats, scarfs and gloves. Usually a weather to stay at home, drink hot tea and watch TV. But these days no one seems to care. Thousands of people are crawling through the streets of Grahamstown, a city in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. A city with round about 50.000 inhabitants, … Continue reading
Much has already been said about reasons people have voted to leave the European Union – the age gap, the frustration of marginalized working people or those living in rural areas, the anger and disappointment with the Westminster establishment all parties did not seem to address properly. But as a foreign born British resident (an … Continue reading
Pictures by Jessica Holzhausen Continue reading
Brexiteer, n.: A person who supports Great Britain leaving the European Union. B. are easily distinguishable as their language involves the frequent use of subjunctives (example: “If Britain leaves the EU we could…”) and racist language (example: “Immigrants are ruining the NHS”). B. are also characterised by little knowledge or deliberate self-denial of knowledge about … Continue reading
In the Nazi Reich’s last days, in early April 1945, a group of German officers met in Bad Elster in Saxony. Among them were Generalmajor Reinhard Gehlen, still acting but discharged chief of the Wehrmacht branch “Foreign Armies East”, Lieutenant Colonel Gerhard Wessel, his successor, Lieutenant Colonel Hermann Baun, chief of the Army intelligence on … Continue reading
Dresden, Chemnitz, Bautzen, Claußnitz, Freital, Heidenau – only a short time ago these villages and cities in Saxony – apart from Dresden – have been unknown to the wider public. Now they have in only a few weeks gained quite a recognition and media coverage – in a negative sense. In all of them … Continue reading
Bonfires lighten up the sky. Dark clouds of smoke hang over the city. Soldiers fire canons and jets thunder trough the air. The sun glows mercilessly and burns the faces of hundreds of soldiers and thousands of spectators. It is the middle of February in Port Elizabeth: the South African military is celebrating itself. … Continue reading
The New Year’s Eve attacks on women in Cologne not only broke loose a discussion about harassment and sexual abuse in Germany but also a new wave of racism and deep-rooted fear. Many especially right-wing politicians and commentators were head over heels, asking for harsher rules on immigration and faster deportation. While doing so they … Continue reading
What did it take 76 years ago to drive a continent into despair and destruction? Tanks, guns and fascism. What does it take to drive a country into despair in 2015? A rhombus – Angela Merkel’s signature gesture –, a man in a wheelchair and financial fascism otherwise known as neoliberalism. July 13th 2015 could … Continue reading
Title picture: Civilian members, officers and a foreigner (called Sonderführer) of a Hamburg radio station. Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2005-0154 / CC-BY-SA I had the idea for this essay during the conference „Geheimdienste: Netzwerke, Seilschaften und Patronage in nachrichtendienstlichen Institutionen“ in September 2014 in Erfurt. One of the moderators, Gerhard Sälter, a member of the … Continue reading
The (ab)use of animals was and still is by all means quite common in military history. But German historiography only slowly comes to terms with this topic. Therefore it was rather unexpected that the Museum of Military History in Dresden – opening its doors in 2011 – as a department of the German Bundeswehr exhibits … Continue reading
I did it. For three and a half months I lived completely vegan. Never being an excessive meat eater I decided to do an experiment by living vegan from the beginning of the year 2014 until Easter. After reporting a few times about vegan lifestyle for radio and internet in 2013 I was inspired to … Continue reading
Normally, I don’t do political posts or throw my opinion on you, my dear readers. I prefer documentation rather then comments as the article of choice. But as it is – the situation in the Ukraine makes me so uneasy, so anxious that I had to write down my thoughts. For clarification why: I am … Continue reading
Fanart and fanfiction is a cultural phenomenon far older than the World Wide Web, but since the 1990s with constantly more people getting access to the net the community has grown. While in the early days of fan culture people mostly found likeminded people in a close circle of friends, in pen pals or via … Continue reading
On 16th August Al-Ahram reported the looting of the Archaeological Museum in Mallawi (about 300 km south of Cairo) two days before. Nearly everything was robbed, only some items were left behind and only because they were to bulky to carry them away. This robbery leaves a great gap in the Egyptian history since many … Continue reading
„I did not want to leave the way my family were forced to do in December 1971. At the time I wanted to plant my one foot on Devil’s Peak and the other on the Table Mountain and shout, ‚Let us stay, don’t force us to go. You are destroying our families and our lives!’ … Continue reading
Languages in South Africa Before I start, here is a story from Belgium about how sensitive the issue of languages can be. When you travel by train in Belgium the language in which announcements are made depends whether you are in the Flemish-speaking part of the country or the French-speaking area. So, if your next … Continue reading
For some time now I follow the discussion about “The Fifth Estate” a movie about – if you have not heard it yet – Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. The controversial approach focuses on the first files WikiLeaks published and the friendship between Julian Assange and Daniel Domscheit-Berg. Based on the books “My Time with … Continue reading
So you think wine is either red, white or rosé and it comes in sweet, medium-dry or dry. Basically you’re right but the wine world is a little more nuanced and complicated. First of all it is a mass market and you can get anything from wine in a tetrapack to a ridiculously overpriced bottle … Continue reading
„Hannelore“ that was a woman. I can tell you: „someone entrusted me that she has a groom and a bride“. „Hannelore“ is one of the most famous songs of Berlin Cabaret star Claire Waldorff who was an open lesbian and one of the most successful cabaret singers in the early 1900s. Even though the song … Continue reading
Recently I came across a book that deals with the generation of East Germans born between 1975 and 1982. The author, Sabine Rennefanz, an East German herself, argues that those born between the mentioned years are so called Eisenkinder (“Iron Children”) which also is the title of her book. The book retells the story of … Continue reading
As a foreigner in South Africa it is interesting to observe how a country deals with the situation where their most prominent leader in history and global icon, Nelson Mandela, is in hospital with his health declining. Mandela is suffering from a recurring lung infection which is probably a result from the harsh conditions on … Continue reading
As a single-woman I have my experience with online-dating. It is not that bad, if you do not expect much. But if you are a woman with too many kilos on your hips, even in Internet life you will encounter the stereotyped thinking of people. The categories you can click on your dating profile are: … Continue reading
Approximately 1.1 billion people in the world today have a Facebook account. I have one too, of course. I also have accounts on Twitter and Tumblr. But when I learned, that the German Archaeological Institute runs a Facebook account, I was surprised. The next accounts I found were those of the Regional Archive of Koper … Continue reading
Maybe Paul Kasonkomona knew about the risk he was taking when Early-April, he gave an interview in Zambia’s TV Channel Muvi TV in Luanda about gay and lesbian rights. The HIV and human rights activist appeared on a live television show and called for the decriminalisation of homosexual relationships which are strictly forbidden in conservative … Continue reading
It is gardening time. So, many of my Facebook-friends are publishing albums with flowers, some with the typical filter to give it a nostalgic atmosphere, some without. The pride of garden-owners is everywhere. Just in time news arrived on Facebook that the European Commission plans a new law concerning seeds which allows only registered seeds … Continue reading
When I was a child my grandfather taught me to collect the seed of flowers like garden lupines and tagetes. He dried them carefully in his cellar on a dish towel and then stored them in little tool boxes. He harvested potatoes and always kept some of them to let them grow next spring. I … Continue reading
Ever since Wikipedia has been availlable, this question was asked. First, scientists and humanists ignored it, trying to disgrace Wikipedia as a laymen project not to be taken serious. Then, they had no choice but to deal with it due to Wikipedias increasing importance. But is it a symbiose? How can one describe the connection … Continue reading
In a previous article I mentioned the documentary Water Makes Money. Having watched the documentary about the consequences of water privatisation more than two years ago on television I recently ordered the DVD to use it with students at university. When ordering the filmmakers informed me that a lawsuit had been filed against the French … Continue reading
Even as a young child you are made aware of certain role models propagated to be the ideal form of life. Think of the Disney princesses waiting to be rescued and married off to charming young man. Happily ever after means mother, father and children, a close bond that has nothing to do with reality … Continue reading
When discussing the foundation of the German Bundesrepublik in school my teachers always spoke about “the fathers of the constitution”, those men who after World War II laid the foundation for a democratic state. Only quite late I detected that this was a wrong concept. Truth be told: There had not been many women involved … Continue reading
Within the next days the conclave, the election of the 266th pope will begin. 115 cardinals are allowed the choose the next Holy Father from their midst. In normal cases, that means after the death of a pope, there have to be at least fifteen days between the start of the Sede Vacante (The empty … Continue reading
Some people say if you repeat something often enough then it will become the truth. Imagine how shocking that is, because it exactly means, that our reality is only what we make out of this world. With other words, everybody just sees what he or she wants to see. Many stories can be told about … Continue reading
As an atheist and being raised in the former German Democratic Republic, where the leaders followed Marx’ opinion “Religion is the opium of the people”, my relation to the Holy Father is non-existant. But as a mediaevalist it is an entirely different matter. I am fascinated by this institution, still alive after over 2.000 years, … Continue reading
There are moments in life when you have to realise that things you once craved to do, become impossible, a nightmare instead of your true dream. It is heartbreakingly hurtful to realise that what you have planned over years suddenly seems like a burden, useless and frightful. For nearly five years I have been writing … Continue reading
Do you actually know what a cubic metre of water costs in your community? I suppose you do not – unless you live in one of the communities in Portugal which experienced a rise in water costs of up to four hundred per cent. Water services had been privatised in the affected communities and according … Continue reading
Germany finally discusses every-day sexism – a long overdue debate Growing up in a kind of paradise, in a little village with caring parents, I had quite a sheltered childhood. Sex and love had always been openly discussed in my family and even though my mother gave up her job when I and my … Continue reading
There once was a king, feared and loved at the same time. His kingdom was torn from the inside, divided even under his oppressive rule but larger than any kingdom his forefathers had called their own. He reigned for many a year, fighting wars in the foreign lands of the south, struggling with cousins, foe … Continue reading
Everybody who has ever seen the Pergamon Altar or the Parthenon cannot deny the fascination such monumental heritage creates. Clear lines carved in beautiful marble, sparkling slightly in the light, expressive sculptures looking endlessly noble and magnificent. In the 19th century the adoration for ancient sculptures reached its first climax, classicism was born and around significant … Continue reading
A friend of mine made these wonderful sketches of Harry Potter characters and scenes a few years ago before the first film was released and changed most people’s perspective of the characters, before every Snape painting started to look like a gorgeous Alan Rickman. Fanfiction and fanart has always been part of fan cultures, … Continue reading
I know I can become quite obsessed with things: films, series, actors, books… It is something my friends and family have to endure – me talking about nothing else but a series I have just watched and started to watch again and again. But how enchanting it is to recognize sometimes that I am not … Continue reading
We are nearly ready to start. Our first article(s) will be published in ten days. One of the topics: “Being obsessed – the revival of the 1920s” Continue reading
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