“Where Do You Come From and When Are You Going Back to Your Country?” A Diasporan Reflection on Identity Crises of African Immigrants in Germany

Authors

  • Francis Machingura Biblical Studies, University of Bamberg, Germany
  • Jesca Mushoperi Machingura Zimbabwean Journalist and Theatre Artist

Abstract

What is identity really? What gives a person identity? Is it birthplace, colour, gender or legal papers that prove who a person is? Can identity be acquired by integration? These are some of the questions that this paper seeks to answer in the context of African immigrants in Germany. It is also important to note that most of the immigrants have a lot of unanswered questions in relation to identity. This paper is motivated by the conditions of Afro-Germans who have learnt to live with the following questions: 1) “Where do you come from or Woher kommen Sie?” 2) “When are you going back to Africa or Wann werden Sie zuruck zu Ihrem Land?” These two questions will guide this paper in its reflection on the identity crises of African immigrants in Germany. Empirical data was gathered through random and unstructured interviews with thirteen Afro-Germans in Bayern. The paper also makes use of secondary literature obtained from newspapers, published journals and academic texts that deal with immigrants.

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Published

2018-11-23

Issue

Vol. 1 (2011): Identity

Section

Articles

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