blog - gObama 2008
Roots & Culture
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Berlin, Germany - 12.00 a.m. local time)
The hysteria of media including Hillary Clinton’s campaign to fear monger undecided voters with pictures is whack. Everyone knows (except her & Bill) that “It’s Obama time” in America.
I found an online text on Mr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. website under the title:“Using our roots against us?” that describes this strategy perfectly: http://www.theroot.com/id/44980
I have now backed up my 800 GB of documentary footage at my co-editor Carsten on his brand new mac G 5. I realized, cycling down there, that he lives in Berlin-Friedrichshain, which is former East Berlin. I looked outside his window and recognized that I once lived around the corner (with my girlfriend) 20 years ago as student. It feels like working on the editing of this film completes a cycle in my life: roots & culture. Big up, yourself as they say... roots certainly not against us!
20 years ago was a time when I had lots of funky dissident friends and was pondering the idea of leaving East Germany forever. But I was deeply in love with a woman and her 3 year old girl child. So I delayed my plans for a year. Not until I saw the complete downfall of the Stalinist communist system, did I act. I got married to a Dutch actress and left before the wall came down in 1989. I do regret of having taken action so late and waited two years to get out. But since I spared myself the victim role of dissidents or complete burn out under capitalist take over (within 6 month) -- nevertheless my transition to a Western life style was not less confusing and sometimes painful. I had solid chances to adjust on my own.
Ironically, after my return three weeks ago (2 month shooting my gObama documentary), I received a letter from the German Federal government allowing me to read my STASI report(secret service files) which have been archived since 20 years in a special federal institute. They found proof of a written 80 page dossier about my life in East Germany( reports about my activities, speeches and conspiracies against the system).
I was previously not particularly interested in this kind of roots & culture. But 2 years ago, when I was writing a script on my father story, I suddenly thought about the painstaking detailed chronicles of my life in the East. I requested a copy and thought seriously it could make a good start to reconstruct some of my amnesia about that crazy time.
If the Stasi report helps you to remember what you did on day X at such and such time, you know you got a problem...I guess I am gettin old... My motives to read this Stasi report are somewhat unclear and I find it bad timing that it arrives now ( as I am editing and thinking about this gObama film).
As we all know, men are not good in multi-tasking. SO I am uncertain if I want to open this can of Stasi worms, that will probably reveal some major disappointments (of friends who spied on me and whom I thought were cool back then). Not that I have kept in touch with any of them. My only two friends from that time are safe...are they? Using my roots & culture against myself? Second thoughts, who knows...
Well, I guess Obama has no problem with his roots & culture picture above from Kenya. It’s just bad timing, when your middle name is Hussein, isn’t it?
By the way, I got similar shots with a turban and jalabia when I visited my folks back home in 1989...roots but culture?