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During the South
African Border War, SWAPO solicited material 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 SWAPO guerrillas came from
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that existed up to 2007 was a place where they regularly met. Up to today, the concept of "GDR children" is a meaning that continues to have significance. As some of them went to good schools in
Namibia and still have a good command of the German language in a country with a strong German influence,
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On 18 December 1979 the first group of about 80 children arrived in the snowy winter in Bellin. Some were between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. Besides medical and general support it was agreed that German should be the medium of instruction for those in pre-primary and primary school. Between 1979
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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 to 31 August 1990, landing in a homeland alien to them. The consequence was cultural shock: Though these youth were seen by the Namibian people as
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The first group of children that went in 1979, and were called later the "79ers," spent eleven and a half years in the GDR. They went to school, learned German as a mother tongue, and basically grew up with a German lifestyle. German and
Namibian teachers tried their best to sustain the Namibian
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The children were mostly pre-school war orphans. Some of them were selected from families of SWAPO functionaries, reportedly without the consent or consultation of their family members. The government of GDR saw the education of these children as one of their contributions to the international
225:/ Ethnological Museum in Berlin traces the history of the "GDR children". In photo collages and video interviews, some of them and their children look at their biographies, in which African and European perspectives intersect in many ways. Exhibition concept: Dirk Neldner. Opening Sep. 2021.
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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.
398:. 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,
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For the GDR children of
Namibia, it meant a conflict between two home countries and two cultures, and a fight for two identities. Many of them returned into poverty and struggle instead of the expected leadership positions.
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In the process of the children's homecoming to
Namibia, the concept "ex-GDR children" was casually used along with the term "Ossis of Namibia“, as they sometimes regarded themselves as "
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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 care.
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There are a number of theories regarding the unexpected repatriation; at that point, an established parent committee requested the return of these children, as a
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they stand to have good career opportunities. Unfortunately some still experience difficulties in the search for their own sense of home, culture, and identity.
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Today most of the ex-GDR children describe themselves as "Omulaule", a word in
Oshivambo that means "black" or "black man". They call their everyday language
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in
November 1989, Namibia attained its independence. The event culminated in the repatriation of Namibian children and teachers from the GDR back to Namibia.
42:, the children of hundreds of Namibian refugees and political exiles were resettled and educated in the GDR from 1979 onwards. They were repatriated upon
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songs, and traditional cooking. In the GDR, social and tertiary education was of utmost importance for the children. The education for the SWAPO
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aimed to place most of these youths in elite leadership positions for the development of the country once Namibia achieved its independence.
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246:(Fakultät Medien) developed a documentary film . They got a prize for the Landeszentrale for political Education Thüringen, in 2003.
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281:, Documentary film from K.-D. Gralow, R. Pitann and H. Thull., 2004–2007, Production: Pitann Film+Grafic, First screening NDR 2007
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and 1988 a total of 430 black children came to the GDR. Due to inadequate space, the groups from 1979 to 1985 were moved to the
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Paul, Jasmin; Rattay, Carla (11 January 2013). "Was wurde aus den DDR-Kindern?" [What became of the GDR Children?].
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396:„We had seen a black person“. The integration of Germans and Namibian around the SWAPO-Childrenhome Bellin 1979 - 1990
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381:„The GDR-Namibia-Solidarityprojekt School of Friendship – Possibilities and limitation intercultural Education“
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In the temporary exhibition "Ansichtssache(n) : The German in me is Indirect" at the
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to GDR for medical treatment. The GDR offered what was termed "Solidarity Consignment“ to
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https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/programm/dauerangebot/exhibition/ansichtssachen-51638/
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Mukaiwa, Martha (12 September 2015). "'Oshi-Deutsch': Vivid documentary theatre".
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and their native country's formal independence from South Africa in 1990.
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Vor falschen Spendensammlern warnen, Allgemeine Zeitung, 16 February 2010
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people regarded them to be "amazingly German“, though as black people.
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533:"Neue Schau entpuppt sich als Flop, Allgemeine Zeitung, 1 March 2010"
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Hercules Viljoen geht auf Distanz, Allgemeine Zeitung, 4 March 2010
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38:, also known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR). During the
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Ossi-Club und Karnevalsverein, Berliner Zeitung, 10 October 2006
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The „GDR-Children“ of Namibia. Homecomers in an unknown country
486:[GDR Children from Namibia: The play of their life].
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Documentaryfilm-Zyklus von Lilly Grote & Julia Kunert:
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200:. Their organization continues to operate under the name
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On 12 September 1979 Nujoma's request was granted by the
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Marco Mahler: Kuckucksland, Tinte & Feder, 2016,
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Onesmus. White Children with a black skin in Namibia
107:) was identified as a safe home for the children.
132:culture with the teaching of traditional dances,
484:"DDR-Kinder aus Namibia: Das Spiel ihres Lebens"
440:"Oshi-Deutsch, ein Verein und viele Geschichten"
368:. Klaus Hess Verlag, Göttingen / Windhoek 1999,
255:, 1997 Documentation, 52 min. ARTE & Mdr
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383:. BIS-Verlag, Universität Oldenburg 2009,
326:Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek 2009,
95:. Jagdschloss Bellin, a hunting castle in
324:God's Child. How the GDR changed my life.
296:Oshi-Deutsch - die DDR-Kinder von Namibia
204:, but it is currently largely dormant.
16:Namibian children raised in East Germany
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347:Child Nr. 95. My German-African Odyssee
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292:Oshi-Deutsch - The GDR Kids of Namibia
30:) is a colloquial term denoting black
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658:Namibian expatriates in East Germany
613:Oshie-Deutsch, Bilder und Geschichte
99:, a village ten kilometers south of
618:Website of the Freundeskreis ex-GDR
148:A few months after the fall of the
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653:Foreign relations of East Germany
638:German people of Namibian descent
413:. Betzel Verlag, Nienburg 1996,
409:Ingrid Brase Schloe, Kay Brase:
668:Namibian expatriates in Germany
345:Lucia Engombe, Peter Hilliges:
623:Omulaule - A documentary movie
298:Namibian-German coproduction,
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34:children that were raised in
482:Pelz, Daniel (8 June 2016).
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271:Oshilongo Shange – My Land
244:Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
663:Germany–Namibia relations
364:Constance Kenna (Hrsg.):
349:. Ullstein, Berlin 2004,
648:South African Border War
643:Ethnic groups in Namibia
322:Stefanie-Lahya Aukongo:
40:South African Border War
253:The Ossis from Windhoek
20:GDR children of Namibia
519:5 October 2011 at the
279:The Ossis from Namibia
105:Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
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28:DDR-Kinder von Namibia
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359:Ullstein-Taschenbuch
240:Omulaule means black
202:Freundeskreis ex-DDR
182:Ossiclub of Windhoek
118:School of Friendship
44:German reunification
266:Staßfurt – Windhoek
61:South West Africans
465:Allgemeine Zeitung
445:Allgemeine Zeitung
264:, StaĂźfurt, 1990
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539:on 2 October 2013
389:978-3-8142-2176-2
300:Theater OsnabrĂĽck
248:Webseite zum Film
208:Current Situation
93:Central committee
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262:Inside – Outside
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36:East Germany
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242:, from the
229:In the arts
150:Berlin Wall
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632:Categories
426:References
307:Literature
217:Exhibition
103:(today in
65:Sam Nujoma
543:6 October
198:Oshivambo
172:Aftermath
134:Oshivambo
595:See also
517:Archived
340:Sachbuch
122:StaĂźfurt
57:Cassinga
32:Namibian
361:25892).
180:". The
138:Pionier
111:Arrival
101:GĂĽstrow
50:History
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338:62500
336:Rororo
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302:, 2016
273:, 1992
194:German
157:symbol
97:Bellin
24:German
286:Plays
234:Films
178:Ossis
82:]
545:2010
415:ISBN
400:ISBN
385:ISBN
370:ISBN
351:ISBN
328:ISBN
314:ISBN
196:and
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