'Du, Jude' is a depreciative word in German. I've heard it exchanged more between teenagers of different backgrounds in different parts of Berlin, including the high-end Western side neighbourhoods.
I am referring to a reality of the 2000s, the time when I started my German experiences, and also had enough language knowledge to grasp different nuances and jargon.
In his autobiographical book - in German - the Israeli-born rapper Ben Salomo - Jonathan Kalmanovich - witnesses his experience as he landed in Schöneberg's Berlin in the 1980s, as a small child. The dream of the perfect multicultural understanding was shattered once he entered the teenage years, as his football companions coming from different backgrounds started to ask THE QUESTION: 'Where are you coming from?'. The friendships suddenly turned into a fight - yes, that real physical fight - for survival.
And the story goes on. He created the popular Rap am Mittwoch/Rap on Wednesday events where various hip-hop artists had the chance to play. Himself, he built up a musical brand focused on spreading understanding and peace - Ben Salomo means in Hebrew the 'son of peace' - and his songs are sharing stories about what does it mean to live in Germany, to be Jewish and how to take on religious belief - very light, bitte.
The hip-hop landscape in Germany is not race neutral and anti-semitism is often rampant and sometimes also rewarded. The popularity such rappers enjoy explain maybe why Jewish children are often beaten and bullied in German state school - and in private ones as well, as recently happened in the famous JFK. The fact that this situation is taking place for decades and only gets more visibility because of social media, doesn't change the fact that proper education and pro-active measures failed to be taken.
Who known, maybe rap can change something...
No comments:
Post a Comment