GDR Children of Namibia
Encyclopedia
GDR-Children of Namibia are a group of approximately 400 black Namibia
n children that grew up in GDR. During the liberation struggle of SWAPO against South Africa
n occupation of Namibia they were relocated from 1979 onwards from various refugee camps to GDR and only came back in 1990 at the onset of Namibian independence. They were mostly unprepared for their return.
Most „GDR-Children“ are part of Freundeskreis ex-DDR organization. The official language of the organization is Oshi-Deutsch, a mixture of German
, English
and Oshivambo.
to GDR for medical treatment. GDR offered „Solidarity Consignment“ to South-West Africans. Sam Nujoma
turned again to the GDR and other socialist countries after the Cassinga massacre and asked again for children to be taken out of the SWAPO-Refugee camps for safety, support and for caring for the children.
On 12 September 1979 Sam Nujoma request was granted by SED
's Central committee
. Jagdschloss Bellin, a hunting castle in Bellin, a village ten kilometers south of Güstrow
(today in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) was identified to be a safety home for the children.
. Some were between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. Besides medical and general support it was agreed that German should be the medium of instruction for them in Pre-Primary and Primary School. Between 1979 and 1988 a total of 430 black children came to GDR. Due to inadequate space, the groups of 1979 to 1985 were moved to the School of Friendship in Staßfurt
.
The first group of children that went in 1979 and were called later the „79er“ spent eleven and a half years in the GDR. They went to school and learned German like their mother tongue and basically grew up in a German life of style. German and Namibian teachers tried their level best to sustain the Namibian culture with the teaching of traditional dances, Oshivambo songs, and traditional food recipes. In the GDR, social and tertiary education was of utmost importance for the children. The education for the SWAPO-Pionier aimed at placing most of these youths in elite leadership positions for the development of the country once Namibia achieved its independence.
in November 1989 Namibia attained its independence. The event culminated in the expulsion of Namibian children and teachers from GDR to Namibia.
There is a number of theories regarding the unexpected repatriation and at that point, an established parent committee requested for the return of these children, as a symbol
for a new Namibian government and to nullify the rumours that the SWAPO-Children were kidnapped. The repatriation of these children took place from 26–31 August 1990 and as home comers they landed in country alien to them. The consequence was cultural shock: Though these youth were seen by the Namibian people as „Germans“ the Namibian German
people regarded them to be „amazingly German“, but still as black people.
For the „GDR-Children of Namibia“ it meant a conflict between two home countries, and between two cultures and a fight for two identities.
Today most of the Ex-GDR-Children describe themselves as „Omulaule“, a word in Oshivambo that means „black“ or „black Man“. Their organization continues to carry the name Freundeskreis ex-GDR,and is still existing but due to lack of attention not many of them come to the Freundeskreis.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n children that grew up in GDR. During the liberation struggle of SWAPO against South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n occupation of Namibia they were relocated from 1979 onwards from various refugee camps to GDR and only came back in 1990 at the onset of Namibian independence. They were mostly unprepared for their return.
Most „GDR-Children“ are part of Freundeskreis ex-DDR organization. The official language of the organization is Oshi-Deutsch, a mixture of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Oshivambo.
History
During the liberation struggle, SWAPO solicited humanitarian assistance from around the globe, which they got in the form of education, health, arms and funds. Between 1960 and 1980 hundreds of Namibians came to GDR and were offered academic education. In 1978 many wounded soldiers came from CassingaCassinga
Cassinga is a former town in the Huíla province of southern Angola.The transliteration Kassinga is also commonly used, with the "K" being a mutation of the original Portuguese name either by German miners, or by indigenous people in whose language the letter "K" is also common...
to GDR for medical treatment. GDR offered „Solidarity Consignment“ to South-West Africans. Sam Nujoma
Sam Nujoma
Samuel Daniel Shafiishuna Nujoma is a Namibian politician who was the first President of Namibia from 1990 to 2005. He led the South-West Africa People's Organisation in its long struggle against South African rule and took office as President when Namibia obtained independence on 21 March 1990...
turned again to the GDR and other socialist countries after the Cassinga massacre and asked again for children to be taken out of the SWAPO-Refugee camps for safety, support and for caring for the children.
On 12 September 1979 Sam Nujoma request was granted by SED
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
's Central committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
. Jagdschloss Bellin, a hunting castle in Bellin, a village ten kilometers south of Güstrow
Güstrow
Güstrow is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany the capital of the district of Güstrow. It has a population of 30,500 and is the seventh largest town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Since 2006 Güstrow has the official suffix Barlachstadt.-Geography:The town of Güstrow is located...
(today in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) was identified to be a safety home for the children.
Arrival
On 18 December 1979 the first group of about 80 children arrived in the snowy winter in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Some were between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. Besides medical and general support it was agreed that German should be the medium of instruction for them in Pre-Primary and Primary School. Between 1979 and 1988 a total of 430 black children came to GDR. Due to inadequate space, the groups of 1979 to 1985 were moved to the School of Friendship in Staßfurt
Staßfurt
Staßfurt is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on both sides of the river Bode, approximately northeast of Aschersleben, and south of Magdeburg. Pop. 23,538....
.
The first group of children that went in 1979 and were called later the „79er“ spent eleven and a half years in the GDR. They went to school and learned German like their mother tongue and basically grew up in a German life of style. German and Namibian teachers tried their level best to sustain the Namibian culture with the teaching of traditional dances, Oshivambo songs, and traditional food recipes. In the GDR, social and tertiary education was of utmost importance for the children. The education for the SWAPO-Pionier aimed at placing most of these youths in elite leadership positions for the development of the country once Namibia achieved its independence.
Repatriation
Few months after the fall of the Berlin WallBerlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
in November 1989 Namibia attained its independence. The event culminated in the expulsion of Namibian children and teachers from GDR to Namibia.
There is a number of theories regarding the unexpected repatriation and at that point, an established parent committee requested for the return of these children, as a symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
for a new Namibian government and to nullify the rumours that the SWAPO-Children were kidnapped. The repatriation of these children took place from 26–31 August 1990 and as home comers they landed in country alien to them. The consequence was cultural shock: Though these youth were seen by the Namibian people as „Germans“ the Namibian German
German Namibians
German Namibians are a community of people descended from ethnic German colonists who settled in present-day Namibia. In 1883, the German trader Adolf Lüderitz bought what would become the southern coast of Namibia and founded the city of Lüderitz...
people regarded them to be „amazingly German“, but still as black people.
For the „GDR-Children of Namibia“ it meant a conflict between two home countries, and between two cultures and a fight for two identities.
Aftermath
In the process of the home coming to Namibia the concept „Ex-GDR-Children“ was unintentionally used and the talk of „Ossis of Namibia“, they regarded themselves sometimes as „Ossi“ . The Ossiclub of Windhoek that existed up to 2007 was a place where they regularly met, and supported its naming convention. Until today the concept „GDR-Children“ is a meaning that outgrew them a long time. While some of them went to good schools in Namibia and still command the German language barrier in a country with a strong German influence, they stand having good career opportunities. Unfortunately some still go through difficulties of the search for their own home, culture and identity.Today most of the Ex-GDR-Children describe themselves as „Omulaule“, a word in Oshivambo that means „black“ or „black Man“. Their organization continues to carry the name Freundeskreis ex-GDR,and is still existing but due to lack of attention not many of them come to the Freundeskreis.
Current Situation
Since end of 2009 a group of Omulaule came under the spotlight through bad behaviour especially in Windhoek. They started collecting money in the form of donations for an apparent historical expedition from German tourists. Such expedition or project was never planned.Film Reception
- Omulaule means black, from the Bauhaus-Universität WeimarBauhaus-Universität WeimarThe Bauhaus-University Weimar is a university located in Weimar, Germany and specializes in the artistic and technical fields. Established in 1860 as the Great Ducal Saxon Art School, it gained collegiate status on 3 June 1910 and received its present name in 1996...
(Fakultät Medien) developed a documentary film . They got a prise for the Landeszentrale for political Education Thüringen, in 2003. Webseite zum Film - The Ossis from Windhoek, 1997 Documentation, 52 min. ARTE & Mdr
- Documentaryfilm-Zyklus von Lilly Grote & Julia Kunert:
- Inside – Outside, Staßfurt, 1990 Staßfurt – Windhoek
- Oshilongo Shange – My Land, 1992
- The Ossis from Namibia, Documentary film from K.-D. Gralow, R. Pitann and H. Thull., 2004–2007, Production: Pitann Film+Grafic, First screening NDR 2007
Literature
- Stefanie-Lahya Aukongo: God's Child. How the GDR changed my life. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek 2009, ISBN 3-499-62500-8, (Rororo 62500 Sachbuch).
- Lucia Engombe, Peter Hilliges: Child Nr. 95. My german-african Odyssee. Ullstein, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-548258-92-1, (Ullstein-Taschenbuch 25892).
- Constance Kenna (Hrsg.): The „GDR-Children“ of Namibia. Homecomers in an unknown country. Klaus Hess Verlag, Göttingen / Windhoek 1999, ISBN 3-933117-11-9.
- Jürgen Krause: „The GDR-Namibia-Solidarityprojekt School of Friendship – Possibilities and limitation intercultural Education“. BIS-Verlag, Universität Oldenburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-8142-2176-2.
- Uta Rüchel: „We had seen a black person“. The integration of Germans and Namibian around the SWAPO-Childrenhome Bellin 1979 - 1990. Published from the Landesbeauftragten for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for materials of the safety and security of the GDR. Landesbeauftragter for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for materials of the safety and security of the GDR, Schwerin 2001, ISBN 3-933255-11-2.
- Ingrid Brase Schloe, Kay Brase: Onesmus. White Children with a black skin in Namibia. Betzel Verlag, Nienburg 1996, ISBN 3-929017-74-1.