Germany’s n-word race debate – BBC
Seven-year-old Timnit Mesghena is an avid reader. In the evenings, she and her father like to sit on the sofa in their flat in Berlin and read to each other. They present an easy picture
Seven-year-old Timnit Mesghena is an avid reader. In the evenings, she and her father like to sit on the sofa in their flat in Berlin and read to each other. They present an easy picture of family happiness.
One of their favourites is the classic children’s book, The Little Witch, an enchanting tale of a witch who flies and birds who talk.
But one day they reached page 94, and a difficult word came up. It wasneger, describing a black boy. It is true that it can mean “negro” in German, but it also means the utterly offensive “nigger”. When the book was written, the former may have been true – but now it is more like the latter.
Timnit’s father, Mekonnen, had no doubts. He is black, originally from Eritrea, and found the word completely unacceptable.
“It made me very angry,” he says. “I know that people use that word to insult me or to give me the sense of not belonging.”
Read More: Germany’s n-word race debate
akalom March 14, 2013
Hello Shetet Aynbel,
I partially agre with you, Shetet Aynbel. Right, I agree, brother Mekonnen, that beautiful timnit’s father, should fight in the democratic and relatively highly democratic platform for his right and compatriots (black Germans) right. I like his spirit and sense of justice and I applaud him for that, what a brave man! However, I responded, the moment I saw aan article written, or rather posted, about racism and wanting to look like white people in Egypt and so on.
Bother Shetet Aynibel,is Eritrean web site and its purpose is not( or limited to Germany or any other country)thisbut mainly for sharing experiences and translating this experiences for the betterment of Eritrea and Eritreans. There will always be Eritrea and Eritreans in the back of our minds whenever we encounter injustices and discriminations.
According to the article above, Timnit’s father, Mekonnen, had no doubts. He is black, originally from Eritrea, and found the word completely unacceptable. He says,“It made me very angry,” he says. “I know that people use that word to insult me or to give me the sense of not belonging.” SENSE OF NOT BELONGING! Those are some serious and deeply meeningful words that hit me hard. That’s why I had to go back to my background and reflect. If I am guilty for that, I would rather be guilty than be silent with a feeling of injustice in my consciousness.
Remember,most probably when we were back home, we never felt we were blacks; now all of a sudden we found ourselve’s among more lighter(whiter) colored people(or colorless) and started to feel uneasy about that. This world is about RELATIVITY.
Wish you all the best.
Keren March 14, 2013
akalom you have some good points, but are you serious we have to be realistic here it is normal to feel that a person does not belong after migrating to foreign place. In Eritrea we call Eritreans who came from Ethiopia Amche, and Eritreans from western country Beles ( Beles is seasonal fruit that is available fro short time and disappears quickly). If we made Eritreans who comes from overseas feel they do not belong in their own country, why are we so offended by some remarks of not belonging or words that describe our look and individuality. If someone identify me as black/ brown thats fine with me because thats what I am and proud of that color. Lets encourage our children to be proud in their own skin what ever thier color is.
fshaye tesfu March 14, 2013
አታ እዛ ቆላዓ እንታይ ገራትካ … ከም አዲአ ወላዲታ ርግአት ሽብቅቲ ከላስ ተስተማስል.. ብዝተረፈ አንጻር አሳያስ ዘይትቃለስ አብ ክንዲ አንጻር ጀርመናውያን –
Harnetna 2013 March 14, 2013
The question not mean Mr Mekonen should not ask his rights,
but the question is that,
Harnetna 2013 March 14, 2013
The question not mean Mr Mekonen should not ask his rights,
but the question is that, AS AN ERITREAN, DOES THIS PERSON FIGHT FOR THE CRIMINAL GANGS IN HIS OWN COUNTRY ? that is the question.
if he does, he has also a big right to ask the Germents, but If he is one of Isaias is shoe lickers, that would make him shame.
He should be the fighter for his own people and country which are become slave of HGDF and rap of Arab racist criminals.
yebio woldemariam March 14, 2013
Kudos for Mekonen and Timnit. Your stance against the racist word is correct in every respect. Although Timnit is too young to understand she and her dad are fighting on behalf of the black race that continued to be victim of economic exploitation and human degradation for the past 500 years. Well done Mekonen, Eritrea is too far for you and Timnit to bother about it. You are as German as the Afrikaner in Bloemfontein is a South African.
Akalom March 15, 2013
Hello keren,
I am not against him voicing his concern or asking for justice and respect. Actually, I am on his side. Injustice is injustice wherever it is or in any color, shape or form it comes. I do admire him for bringing that to peoples’ attention.
I just want to Eritrean compatriots to talk about our struggle or issues at home that needs proper understanding and solving in a harmonious and civilized way instead of wasting our time by pontification or talking about other countries’ issues. The question that will follow is, “how about serious issues happening in our own backyard(Eritrea)?” Mekennon has done his job, he is a hero in his adopted country. What about us?
We need a lot of Mekonnens in Eritrea. Remember, we have a “Mekennon” in each of us; ‘coz he is just like us and one of us. Think about it. let’s follow his footsteps, I say.
tesfai abrham March 15, 2013
Mekonnen as a journalist and his wife as a former Tegadalit should concentrate more on the burning issues of burning Issayas instead of wjshi washi…. anChwa Tsedefet dmu teAanqefet
Sami March 15, 2013
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights
OCBlues March 15, 2013
Rather recently, the Los Angeles Times, where I live, has begun to use the insult, “nigger”, without blocking out the word with hyphens or asterisks as any respectable publication would. [It’s interesting to note here that they very, very aggressively carefully censor any negative comments against the state of Israel or Netanyahu by deleting many comments that their regular Israeli propagandists, like “Shoshana Rubin” finds “offensive”.]
Today, a columnist, Sandy Banks, was writing about the overhaul of the word “Negro” in the U.S. Census, and the evolution of the pronoun, from “colored” to Negro to “black”, and so on. I attempted to make a comment but I was blocked from the site:
This was my comment:
“The headline, Long Live ‘Negro’ makes no sense. The editor may have been flustered or embarrassed at the subject matter, or trying to mask their contempt.
Meanwhile, the latimes, has started to spell out the, uh “Black” perjorative (N*****), instead of using dashes as any respectable publication would. So, we know how your paper feels about YOU, don’t we? 3,500 uses in LA Times stories, and that MINUS Detective Fuhrman during the O.J. trial. And when a reader object to the slave-time insult, the comment can be censored!
And, one of the strangest things I’ve ever observed in my time: the hiphop generation has won a “victory”. There are 17,000,000 sites with the N-word in the title, and many twitter pages. Is it any wonder they can be shot down like no dog would, and very, very few people – uhm, including OTHER n******s — bother even to object? ? ?
sami March 17, 2013
Dr Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.