Gentleman´s letzte Station seiner Afrika-Tournee: Äthiopien, Addis Abeba.  Über Ethiojazz, Eindrücke und Schuhgröße 44.

Der Deutsche, der dem Land der Rastas den Reggae bringt

Hassan is a young Ivorian.  He tried several times to reach Spain. When we talked he just came back from a try that didnt work out. The night that awaited him he tried once again with the same team.

The first time he tried with an "all-inclusive" boat. It was expensive. He payed around 500 Euros. But the organisator didn´t keep his promises to have had payed the military so that they could pass easily. Still they made it up to the water. But they were seen by the military and were caught on the water.

Once he tried a diffrent strategy: to swimm around the fences. They payed a guide, which he says was one of the good once cause he managed to bring them up to the water. Each time there was a control point or militaries in the woods checking for people to keep from crossing, the guide talked to the military and the four Ivorians sneeked around them and waited for the guide to join them again. When they reached the water though dogs started to bark and the military started to search for them. So the guide said it´s better to turn around.

Each time he tries, he prefers being surprised by a call saying : it´s today." This way he cant be mentally prepared and dissapointed in case it doesnt work out the day previewed. Organiziers dont give appointments anyway. This way they avoid rumours, mouth-to-mouth propaganda and bad luck in case somebody gets to know about the plans.

For the last time, so last night and the night ahead, he tries together with a brother of somebody he got to know on the football playground. It´s an Ivorian so he didn´t need to pay so much like last time.

He believes by now, he could even organise for himself. He knows somebody who is in Germany now who managed with five poeple and all in self organisation. 

Normally when he gets a call, he is very impatient and his heart beats fast. But this time around he was relaxed. He was sure it would work. "But since it was not for yesterday it will work out today"

Why it didn´t work out and how his movie went: next time

Encore&Encore

The night of attempt.

They gathered together and went to the bush to walk to the water. They were 12 all together. When they wanted to punp the boat they realized the pump was missing. The four Sengalese who were with them took the material and wanted to go search the pump Hassan was suspicious and went with them after discussing with them why they would need to take all with them just to look for the pump. On their way he was asked whether he was Senegalese too. He said, no, why? They responded: they wanted to run and try on their own leaving the others behind. Hassen was shocked, called the organisator who himself came and chaised them. While he went to store the material the rest of the group had to run and hide from moroccan military.

Hassan says, the organiser this time is a very good one. Meaning he is trust worthy. He didn´t promise Europe. But he promised for them to reach the water. Everybody has his life-jacket.  And thought he has people executing his orders (like taking people to thw woods) he took the responsibility to come and pick them when the situation got hot. They dont have to pay until he keeps his word to reach the water. And that´s what they are going to do the following night again.

One thing though troubled Hassan: He was doomed to take the position to shovel the water from the boat because he tiny. For him it´s a humiliation. He decided to show that he can paddel as well as the others. And only when he gets tired they can change position. The boat, he says means: one for all and all for one. It´s the heart and the force that determines the succes.

ANightOfAttempt

What, if he had a european Passport? He would want to go to Brasil, USA and most of all the Venedig. He sees this place as something out of this world and would like to visit it to see with his own eyse how this town built on water is in reality.

You need to keep the image of what the Europeans want to see. An illegal cannot arrive with headphones and a phone. That doesn´t fit to the image of a clandestin. It´s therfore not alwys because you couldn´t efford a ticket for the plane that you end up a clandestin. For things to change he things procedures should be facilitated. Getting a Visa is just out of reach. Not only the price which reaches up to 4500 Euros. But also the criterias to get a Visa are for many impossible to reach. That´s why he took the road. And that´s why a lot of other people also decide to go via the mediterranean.

Dreams&KeepingTheImage

"Das Motive für alle, die eine Aufenthaltsgenehmigungen beantragt haben, war Arbeit zu finden. Ich habe ein Jahr damit zugebracht eine Arbeit zu finden. Ich habe es bei Call Center versucht, bei  Unternehmen und auch auf Baustellen. Ich habe überall gesucht. Aber bis heute habe ich immer noch keine Arbeit."

Gabriel Travail

"Das (Resto) war eher eine kleine Nische. Aber ich musste trotzdem 3000 Dirham (300 Euro) bezahlen. Da kannst du dir vorstellen, wie viel ich verkaufen musste. Und das war während einer Phase, wo man Subsahara Afrikaner ausquartiert hat. Während sie gegessen haben, hat man ihnen den Löffel aus der hand genommen und sie verhaftet. Mitten aus meinen Resto heraus. Also musste ich schließen. Ich wusste einfach nicht mehr, wie ich die Miete bezahlen sollte.“

Gabriel Resto

"Wir kommen gerade von der Barriere. Es hat wieder nicht geklappt. Die Marokkaner riegeln die Grenze immer mehr ab. Sie haben sogar Messer und Knüppel Jedes Mal, wenn wir es versuchen, gibt es Tote. Warum? Wir kommen nicht, um mit den Marokkanern Krieg zu führen. Wir sind hier, um nach Europa zu kommen.  Es gibt Leute die verlieren ihr Leben allein wegen der Stacheldrähte um die Zäune. Ich habe mehrmals mitgemacht. Und ich habe meinen Freund, meinen guten Freund, den ich seit der Heimat kenne, verloren. Er ist direkt neben mir gestorben."

Ghetto

"Mein Bruder wollte auch hier her. Ich habe gesagt: Ok, wenn du darauf bestehst. Aber ich empfehle dir über Libyen zu gehen. Da dort Krieg herrscht musste er dort Bomben, Kalachnikows und  Granaten verladen. Wenn du diskutierst, töten die dich. Er ist so gut wie nie aus dem Haus gegangen, weil draußen die ganze Zeit Krieg war. Manchmal ist er gar nicht raus und hat zwei Tage einfach nichts gegessen. Da gab es ein Internetcafé. Von da aus hat er mich angerufen und gesagt, dass er nichts hat. Meine Mutter musste also Geld bei Reunion einsammeln, um es dann meinem Bruder zu schicken."

Libyen

Alle Welt rätselt was die Zukunft mit Trump bringt. Für Afrika sind die USA neben Europa und China der wichtigste Partner. Was erwartet den Kontinent? 

Ich habe mit Robert Kappel über die möglichen Konsequenzen einer Trump Regierung für Afrika gesprochen. Er ist Ökonom und Politologe am GIGA Institut in Hamburg. Sein Spezialgebiet ist die Entwicklung Afrikas, die Afrikapolitik Deutschlands, Chinas und den USA.

Alles anders, alles neu? Was bedeutet Trump für Afrika?

Nun haben wir es in den SWR geschaft. Die Geschichte von mir, einer Deutschen und einem Kameruner, die eigentlich überhaupt nicht besonders wäre, wären wir nicht eine Deutsche und ein Kameruner, deren Wege sich an den Toren Europas am Grenzzaun in Marokko getroffen haben. Wie alles begann, wie es weiter ging und wie es ist: hier zum Nachhören.

Die Rosenhecke ist der Stacheldrahtzaun

Der neue Trand Twerken ist jetzt auch in Mitteldeutschland angekommen. Und das Radio berichtet sogar darüber.

Twerk - Kurs

Everything is subjectiv. And therefore the most authentic when it comes from the mouth of the one concerned. 

As a freelance journalist i try to fill the informational gab with people´s personal experiences and views on issues that are discussed about on a bigger scale.  If it's politics, life issues or music. 

Everyone has his/her own perspective. By listening we create understanding and erase streotypes, judgment, segregation, double standards. 

Fanny Kolumna

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