Date of Award

Spring 5-3-2024

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Major

German Studies

First Advisor

Julia Assaiante

Abstract

Many parts of our being are attached to how we identify and with whom we identify. Theoretically, how we identify is based largely on one’s own choices, but such freedom is not always the case. Unfortunately, identity is often imposed upon one by the surrounding racial and ethnic majority. Like many non-white people in a white environment, this was the case for the German poet and activist, May Ayim. May Ayim (1960-1996) was born to a white German mother and a black Ghanian father. Although Ayim spoke German, grew up in Germany, and was fully acculturated into German society, she moved through German society as a foreigner. Ayim’s racial and cultural identity were incompatible with one another. In order to combat the German socially defined concept of “German-ness,” Ayim and a group of black German women began the Afro-German movement.

This thesis discusses the concept of Black racial and cultural identity within a German context. Through an understanding of German colonial history and the German politics of identity, this thesis will make clear the catalyst for the Afro-German Movement. The Afro-German Movement was created and led by black German women, and it was sustained by their will for self-identification, self-determination, and sense of belonging in their own homeland. This movement broke down walls through creative mediums, such as music and literature. May Ayim, one of the leaders of the Afro-German Movement, used poetry to voice her experiences and identity as a black woman in Germany. In this thesis, I examine the Afro-German identity in Ayim’s poems, and how it has been translated into English. More specifically, I examine the intricacies of the Afro-German Movement through the analysis of language in Ayim’s poems. Language and translation act as the bridge between cultures, a main goal of the Afro-German movement. Therefore, through the examination of translation and language, I can fully uncover the impact of the Afro-German Movement. Finally, I present my own English translations of five poems written by May Ayim.

Download

Share

COinS