Untitled

LATVIJAS UNIVERSITÂTES RAKSTI. 2004. 666. sçj.: LITERATÛRZINÂTNE, FOLKLORISTIKA,
MÂKSLA, 68.–74. lpp.
Homeliness and Loneliness in Afro–German
Women Narratives
Vientulîba un ilgas pçc mâjâm afrovâcu rakstnieèu
literârajos darbos
Aija Poikâne (Latvia–Germany)
Holder of the DAAD scholarship,
University of Dortmund/Germany,
Emil–Figge–Strasse 50, 44227 Dortmund,
e–mail: apoikane@hotmail.com
The term “Afro–Germans” often causes surprise and misunderstanding in the society of
“white” Germans. The notion “Afro–Germans” was introduced at the end of the 20–th century
(in 1984). With it women of African origin who were born in Germany in racially mixed
families wanted to express their protest to racism and discrimination in everyday life. The
main aim of Afro–German women was to create an identity of their own thus avoiding racist
definitions, such as “mulatto”, “coloured” or “bastard” used by the society of “white” Germans.
Speaking about the creation of Afro–German identity and literature, it is important to
note the influence of Afro–American culture and literature. The aim of this work is to analyse
and compare Afro–German and Afro–American literatures as well as to investigate the meaning
of the notion of “home” in both literatures.
Keywords: Afro–German, African Americans, home, boundaries, women literature.
The notion of Afro–German literature may not be familiar to many people inside
and outside of Germany. Cultural and literary initiatives of Afro–Germans that began
in the 1980s arose as a response to the experience of marginalization. Excluded from
the participation in the dominant white German society and perceived as strangers in
their own homeland, Afro–Germans try to define their identity and search for role and
home in German society. In 1984, together with an African American poet, Audre
Lorde, black women living in Germany developed the term “Afro–German” which signified
an affirmation of a double identity and quest for home. The fact that the term
“Afro–German” was developed together with Audre Lorde suggests that African
American literature presided in a sense over the birth of Afro–German identity and
literature.
Therefore, I want to explore the differences and similarities between African
American and Afro–German literatures. My comparative analysis will involve the
texts of Audre Lorde Zami and May Ayim’s poem “schwarz weiss monolog” (“black
white monologue”) as well as the personal history of Ayim, included in the ground
breaking book Farbe bekennen. Afro–deutsche Frauen auf den Spuren ihrer
Geschichte, (Showing Our Colors. Afro–German Women Speak Out) produced in
1986. The main focus of my analysis will be placed on the notion of home for I consider
this category to be one of the most crucial features in African American and
Afro–German texts. This statement, however, requires some explanation. African
slaves, brought to the New World were homeless, therefore black people had a ne-