In this series, we will interview Germans from all around the world about their German identity and their general ”german-ness.” Everybody will receive the same questions, which will allow you to gain a better understanding of how we Germans really are.
Who are you?
I am Martin, married with two sons, and I live in Berlin.
Where were you born?
In Cameroon, but we left Cameroon when I was three months old. I grew up in Lima/Peru, La Paz/Bolivia, and a small village near Bonn, the former capital of Germany. My father worked for German Development Aid organizations.
Where do live and how (1-Zimmer-Whg/house...)
I live in an apartment in the city, pretty much in the heart of former West Berlin.
How old are you?
I’m in my fifties. Yikes! It does feel weird to write that.
What do you work?
I am Head of Communication at an employer’s association.
Have you lived in other German states? Where, how long why?
I have lived in North rhine-Westfalia, on the western end of Germany, for a long time – near Bonn, as mentioned before, and then in Bonn itself for more than 15 years. I got my college education at Bonn and commuted to my first jobs in Düsseldorf and Cologne from there.
Do you speak a German dialect and if so how often? Do you understand some?
No, I don’t speak one. My father is from the Saar region and can switch to his native dialect the instant he steps over the border, but does not speak dialect at other times, and neither does my mother, so – growing up abroad – I did not acquire one. I do understand Rheinisch (the local dialect in Bonn and Cologne) and the Saar dialect, as long as they don’t dive in too deep, but I wouldn’t dare to pretend to speak it.
What other languages do you speak and how well and why?
I like to think I’m halfway fluent in English – I had advanced English classes (“Leistungskurs”) in school, I managed to get the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in English Lit at university (I pursued this degree on top of my main degree in economics), and I spend a year at the econ department of Indiana University in Bloomington, IN.
My Spanish, which I spoke just as well as German when I was a kid, is very rusty, unfortunately – I tend to understand way more than I can speak myself, and my accent is not too German.
I had Latin at school, but you don’t really speak that.
I picked up a little bit of French, enough to survive, but not enough to read a paper.
What do you think is your responsibility towards the community?
Good question. I guess most of all to make sure that there IS a community. No man’s an island, no woman either. Now my part is to not only raise my own children to be decent people but to be a part of the community – where I can. Be it by being part of the parent-teacher association, for example, or by taking the time to talk to the neighbors… basically, really, by caring about the community.
What is the government’s responsibility towards you?
That question can cause a long rant about political beliefs, so I’ll cut it short: to uphold and to enforce the rule of law, be of support to those who need help, and, yes, to spend my money wisely and to the long-term advantage of the society.
What is Germany’s biggest challenge?
Germany has a rapidly aging population, and the consequences of that are widespread. It touches on so many aspects that it’s impossible to overestimate the problem. That is not to say that many other issues exist and are very serious as well, but I rate this one highest.
What is the world’s biggest challenge?
Climate change is one, but the mismanagement of the poorest countries’ governments as well.
Do you feel “German guilt” for the
· Shoah/Holocaust
· Second World War
· First World War
· Other atrocities (which)
Yes and no. I don’t feel guilt, because it’s nothing I did (just as I don’t take pride in, say, Beethoven’s Symphonies). But I do feel ashamed and, most of all urged to keep the memory of that.
Do you define yourself as a German or otherwise (for example German, Berliner, etc)?
As German. Or to some small part even as a Hoosier.
Do you consider yourself a European?
Yes.
What does the EU mean to you?
Oh. Well. I love that we have grown together in Europe. My grandfather was put in a truck and driven across the border to kill Frenchmen, I can walk across the border between the Saar region and France to have dinner in France. We travel to Barcelona or Amsterdam or Warsaw just as naturally as my grandparents did from their village to the neighboring village. That’s what the EU means to me, and you might say that I love the idea of an EU. However, that is obviously heavily glossed over. In real life, the EU implements too many policies that are utterly against their own ideals, and even out of their explicit jurisdiction, so that I very much begin to resent the EU. Since I am involved to a small degree in the actual EU affairs, maybe I’m the wrong person to ask here.
Are you religious and if so, which one do you subscribe to?
I grew up as a protestant. I’m no longer part of the church (for one thing, I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state, and especially the protestant church in Germany is way more focused on political issues than in theological ones in my mind), but in my own way, I still consider myself Christian.
Have you ever been part of the German military? What are your feelings towards the German Bundeswehr?
Yes, I have. Back in my day military service was still mandatory for all males. I did not enjoy it, but it was – and is – a necessity.
What is “typisch Deutsch”?
That question!
What is the German identity?
There are probably 83 million different answers to that.
What is the best thing about Germany?
Can I say “my wife and my children”, or is that too corny? On a more serious note, then: It’s a place where, for the most part, you can live in peace.
And what is the worst thing about Germany?
Our past. But there really are many, many places far worse to live in today.
What does the German Reunification mean to you?
A lot! I was born in the late sixties, so to me, Germany had always been divided. Reunification was a goal that no one really believed it. It was very moving to witness a moment you realize – while it’s happening – that it’s historical.
What does the DDR mean to you?
It‘s a reminder of how lucky those of us living in the western part of Germany were – pure luck of being born into a territory formerly occupied by the US, British or French forces, rather than the Russian. In a roundabout way, it means coming home as well. My mother’s family is from Berlin, they fled after the war just before the Wall was built.
Is there a difference between “Ossis” and “Wessis”?
As a whole? No. And it’s getting harder to tell where one’s from, as it should be. Of course, our family histories differ, but they all differ.
What should everybody know about Germany?
Lederhosen are folklore from Bavaria, not actual daily attire; a kebab is way more typical for German food than Sauerkraut. And the reports of overwhelming efficiency are greatly exaggerated, sadly.
What should one know before coming to Germany?
Don’t expect to improve your German. Many Germans switch to English the second they identify your accent.
My youngest son at a memorial service. His elementary school is built on the ruins of a synagogue. The parting classes pick a holocaust victim, one that lived in the neighborhood, from the archives and research their lives, then commemorate this victim by adding a stone with their name to the "remembrance wall" that stands on the school ground. It's a mandatory school project for all 6th graders, and it's way more educational than your average history lesson. We love the school for doing this. (more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/27/little-known-holocaust-memorial-built-german-schoolchildren/)
The ambivalence of Germany in a nutshell. It's the beautiful backwater city of Weimar in Thuringia. Some of the greatest artists of Germany (or even, arguably, humankind) have lived here - Goethe, Schiller, Herder, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Liszt, and others, The Bauhaus was founded here) - and yet, the Buchenwald concentration camp was right here as well.
My favorte place in Berlin - Lake Schlachtensee.
Martin, Berlin
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