die zeit
the gdr kids of namibia
2010in the GDR, 400 namibian children had been raised to become part of the socialist elite. In 1990, they had to return to their african home country, which suddenly believed in capitalism. what has become of them?
two men who were born in namibia and think in german. they grew up together in the GDR, have the same memories, share the same history.
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today, one of them is a successful manager;
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the other one is a day labourer.
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once a week, paul cleans the flat of a music manager.
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he earns one euro per day.
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if he cleans the car as well he earns 6 euro per day.
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he lives on this for a week.
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“katutura” is the name of the township where paul lives, “place where we don’t want to live”.
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“you will be part of the elite! you will build up namibia!”
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again and again they resonate in his head,
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the sentences they have shouted at him so often.
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paul and his cohabitants in the tin shack.
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the centre of windhoek.
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the times of german colonialism are still omnipresent.
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a german tourist with himba women
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today, paul’s former schoolmate
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patrick hashingola and his daughter live in a better neighbourhood of windhoek
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where the houses have swimming pools, the fences are two metres high
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and half of the neighbours are white.
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he works as a manager at the windhoek brewery.
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okavango river
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abel shafa shuufeni,
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the tutor of the namibian children in the GDR,
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,told them over and over, “you have to learn in school.
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you have to work hard. You have to be the best!”
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the logo of the SWAPO, the namibian liberation movement.
