Diary
30.3.2009
From September 1st to September 14th, 2008, 24 German and African students went on a round trip of Germany. On the first day of the programme the overall topic was German history from the end of the Second World War.
September 1st, 2008
On the first day of the programme the overall topic was German history from the end of the Second World War. The first presentation was given by Prof. Dr. Christoph Kleßmann (University of Potsdam (em.)) who spoke about German
-German history from the end of the Second World War until reunification. He pointed out that German history after the world war was shaped by the Cold War and the confrontation between the Western capitalist states and the Eastern socialist states, especially between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Another important aspect of the presentation was the relations between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). These were strongly linked to the national question: if and how the two states, that make one nation, can be reunified to a single state.
At the end of his presentation, Prof. Kleßmann illustrated the reasons for the collapse of the GDR and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Among other things, he mentioned the economic crisis of the GDR as well as the strong role of the dissidents and the civil rights movement. Further, the professor explained that the Soviet Union did not intervene in the reunification process because of internal reasons, especially with regard to Gorbatschow's reform policy. Later, Prof. Dr. Manfred Görtemaker gave a presentation on the German history since reunification. He gave a brief lecture of the causes, effects and consequences of the reunification. Most importantly, he said that there were internal and external factors around this process of reunification.
Prof. Görtemaker (University of Potsdam) asserted that the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Europe and the quest by the East Germans for equity brought about the reunification. According to him, the GDR was faced with a serious economic crisis and this by and large increased the discontent in the populace and the growth of dissident movement. At the prospects of a unified Germany, there was a huge euphoria and a high level of expectations among the citizens, especially from East Germany. However, there has since been a disillusion on both sides as the expectations have not met reality.
Picture Gallery: The first day in Germany (© bpb)Furthermore, Prof. Görtemaker explained the structural and administrative changes from the "Bonn Republic" to a new "Berlin Republic". He claimed that there is an increase in German responsibility with regard to the reunification of Europe, especially brokering the acceptance of the East European states. As an expression of the new role of the reunified Germany, he said, Germany is getting more involved in world issues, e.g. peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan or at the Horn of Africa.
After the lunch break, we were divided into two groups to discuss more about German history with both professors. One important topic that rose up was the policies of the GDR/FRG and now the reunified Germany towards Africa. Previously, there was a competition between the two states for the support of African countries. The GDR and the FRG had divisive interest in Africa concurring to their different political systems, as Prof. Kleßmann noted.
The significance of Marshall plan for the development of post-war Europe was discussed in detail. A participant asked if the Marshall plan could be relevant in the African context or can serve as a model of development for Africa. As a conclusion, the participants agreed that the Marshall plan was difficult to implement in Africa because of the difference in culture and rates of development. The situation in Europe was quite different since the European countries were already highly industrialized before the implementation of the plan. Therefore, Africa first has to develop or maintain a common identity, in particular getting united around economic blocs.
In the evening, the participants played an interesting intercultural game called "Baffa-Baffa". The group was divided into two different cultures with their own habits and customs. Each participant was invited to the other culture in order to experience the different norms and rules. The end result was that it was difficult to get used to each other before knowing the other culture's principles. The goal of this game was to create awareness of the differences in the mode of conduct of different communities and to learn how to overcome stereotypical beliefs. After the game, we shared our different experiences on the stereotypes we have been confronted with.
Victor Oteku, Julian Bergmann
