1st Birthday Monetary Invitations

From real and not quite real Germans

how well it would be if the wall had not fallen?

A visit with compatriots in Lima




entrance arch to the GDR



The 3rd October 2009, the day of German unity, I have spent this year in the GDR. I boarded a minibus with the words "Alemana" am the "arco" and got out through a black-gold-red bow in the "República Democrática Alemana" occurred. There I walked up the only paved street, and asked me what it's like, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Mauer, to live in the GDR. Nothing easier than a few East Germans to question it.

"I am a 100% German," laughs Francisco Cárdenas, all the mentioned here Pancho. "This is manufactured and born here." He looks slyly to his mother, who comes straight from the kitchen. "It's true, Mom, right?". "Yes," confirms this. "When we came here there was nothing, just sand are. You are one of the first children who were born here." Pancho Cárdenas is now 24 years old, in sweatshirt and tracksuit, he leans against the Eingagstür his house. On the ground floor a few computers to see, with the internet car earned their mother would add something. Pancho other hand, has been a business. "I am a businessman. Buy rolls and rolls and spread them in all the corner shops around here." Business was good, Pancho, although he worked 12 hours a day, but he could not complain. In general, it was a lot of things have improved in the last 10 years, says his mother. The

with the "better" is all a matter of perspective. I find it rather hard behind the unpaved side streets, everywhere recognize the outstanding air power and telephone cables or the stray dogs an emerging area. But if it is remembered that there was absolutely nothing 25 years ago, not a single house, no only water-let alone power line, then you have to pay respect to the GDR.

The DDR, which I believe it is in the south of the Peruvian capital Lima, where because of the poor quarters have captured over the past 30 years, the sand hills around the city. Their names all sound promising: cloverleaf, city of the Redeemer, New Hope, Indoamérica. The "East" should not really, "DDR" hot, original, 25 years ago. associated with so much hope was the GDR on the other side of the Atlantic because even then not for young Peruvians in search of a piece of land.

Crisólogo Lago is one who can still remember, in what 25 years ago happened. A few yards up the main road he has his little shoe store. By hand he makes the shoes yet, a hoop in red leather child's shoe is its showcase, and is waiting to be picked up. The shoemaker, in work uniforms told. "We had young families formed a housing association, an agent had promised us a piece of land here in the then undeveloped south of Lima. Saved them all on their land, had her little house. To the agent with their money it made, and decided the damaged homeowners to occupy wild land. "Federal Republic of Germany" should be glad their neighborhood that they wanted to sit in the desert. The Federal Republic was at that time, in the 80's, when rich country. And one of them, it was fate, then working as a chauffeur in the (federal) German Embassy in Lima. If one child, so the district to be established, named after the sponsor, then the device .... perhaps in a generous mood This was the simple hope that people associated with the naming of West Germany. access that the message of the FRG occupants of land to build their houses under the arms would be with money.

"But why is then called the East district and not Germany?" Crisólogo Lago smiles easily, he almost forgot the story. "Our leaders got into a dispute and the group split up." The one took his men and occupied a new sand hills, one kilometer south of the planned "BRD". And since the name "Germany" was already taken, he had the idea to call the district "DDR". Finally had the time, 1984, real and existing and supposedly alive and kicking.
As godmother, but proved to be the GDR at that time somewhat stingy. A few leaflets was what everyone wanted to contribute the former East German representative office in Lima for the welfare of the self-appointed ward.

"And you, are you also German," Aleman ", I ask a group of children who come straight from school. Have their blue school uniforms, after all, black, red and gold strands. The three boys and the girls look at me clueless at. "Of course not, we are Peruvians. But you are born here, in the German Republic? Yes ...... only now they have realized the ambiguity of the question. From the other Germany, the Germany side of the Atlantic know it nothing. Not even that the Peruvian football idols Claudio Pizarro and Pablo Guerrero kick in Germany, or that "Bayern Munich" and "Hamburger SV" have something to do with Germany. Why its own district is named after a foreign country, they do not know well.

your teacher, Maria Ochoa, however, can be had well remember the first years of colonization, run "at that time as we have hundreds of meters to fill a bucket of water because there was no water. "brooding it is but if it is to give the correct name of the neighborhood." Is the German Democratic Republic or only German Republic? "The" República Democrática Alemana "turned into an identity crisis, when the Wall fell and the GDR sang across the Atlantic and quietly went down. The then President Fujimori, so know some older residents to report, I then visited the district and advised them, rename it yet. Therefore, the doubt whether it for now still the Democratic Republic is, or whether the "democratic" because it would rather leave the school should have ...... opt for the latter. It's called simply "Alemana" German. The minibus, which tear up the hill praise their places with "Alemana" at. The GDR has become a synonym for all of Germany, at least here in the south of Lima.

leaves the "Federal Alemana", the Federal Republic. The fact there is even one kilometer to the south, and younger a week as the GDR. The Federal Republic squatters had more luck with her godmother. A sign above the kindergarten of the "Republica Federal Alemana" bears witness to the willingness to donate some German. Otherwise, the FRG has remained small, a handful of houses wedged between the neighborhoods Valle Saron "and" The Clover "is all of what the Federal Republic has stopped. In a side street carries a class a typical Peruvian dances. Dances from the Andean highlands, where there came from the parents and grandparents of the children once. The girls hit the dance with a rope around him, as skilful "Cowgirls", the guys have to create it, come close to her dance partner, without getting the rope is wiped. With great enthusiasm bouncing around the 5-grade students on the road. "Do you know that today is your national day?" Big surprise, then laughter, it must be a joke with. Whatever it is actually yes.

The German unit hopes no one here, everyone has settled into his neighborhood, the East Germans Germany and the Germans. Only the postman, the suppliers and taxi drivers would be helped if they find the address "Germany", would not end up in the wrong part of Germany.




dancing children in Germany


kindergarten in Germany


Crisólogo Lagos, the shoemaker of the GDR


Pancho Cárdenas, Young entrepreneurs in the GDR

Indian Women Boob In Saree

biting back the dog the gardener

A comment on the recent carnage in the Peruvian Amazon

On 5 June conceded a unit of the Peruvian police force, the road blockades, indigenous demonstrators on the through road in the Peruvian Amazon region had built. It conducted a massacre that killed 24 policemen and at least 10 indigenous people and some 150 people were injured. The rapporteur of the UN for indigenous issues, James Anaya, and many other national and international agencies have been an objective awareness of the events required.

Some backgrounds may already be named.

all began one and a half years. President Alan García of the largest daily newspaper published in an article of Peru from his own pen, in which he announced his strategy for the development of Peru: the use and exploitation on a large scale of the natural resources of Peru in the high and lowlands. Peru could already be much further, García wrote at the time when its people are like the dog the gardener from the same plot of Lope de Vega position would. He wanted to eat his bowl is not empty, but let no one else approached his food. So did the Peruvians, according to Garcia, and in particular the backward indigenous Peruvians and others that would cover her yesterday communism today with an environmental cloak, if it were the use of the wealth of Peru. While at first mainly a (ben) through the series outcry of opposition intellectuals of the capital went to the indigenous people of the Amazon region soon became aware that Alan García would not let it stay with the announcement. In the so-called "Leyes de la Selva" (jungle law) he had a legal basis for the broad-based licensing of timber, oil, gas and water reserves of national and international investors.
Last year (200) organized the indigenous people of the Amazon region, however the first time a protest. they had not been asked, namely, how they are imposed from above Entwicklungsstragie their habitat. This is despite the signed by Peru ILO Convention A consultation provides compelling.
The protest last year was no use. The government was determined to impose its policy. Three months ago, agreed the indigenous peoples of the entire Amazon lowlands again to go on strike. That is, they blocked the main routes between the lowlands and capital, and he cut it from the oil supply.
The government was not ready for a dialogue, and sent for two months the police. Because of the capital Lima ran out of oil and therefore the light. In this context, the aforementioned massacre occurred.
until a week later, on 17 June, and after strong protests from Germany and abroad, according to Garcia, the government finally. Alan García publicly admitted was wrong, the indigenous people not to have asked in advance. On 18 June, he pulled two of the "jungle law" back. The Tieflandindigenas had won!

What do these protests and the victory of the indigenous people:

• The Indigenabewegung Peru with these protests, the first time become a national player in Peruvian politics. In contrast to Ecuador and Peru, an indigenous movement in Peru until then was not visible. •
's 350 000 indigenous people of the extremely sparsely populated rain forest (Selva) are far better organized than the numerically far superior Quechua and Aymara indigenous people of the highlands. In fact the lowland indigenous In recent decades, unnoticed by the capital organized and consolidated.
• An indigenous movement - come together in the highland and lowland indigenous people - is in development in Peru. End of May was held in Puno on Lake Titicaca, the Latin American Indigenous Summit. Important is the alliance of lowland and highland indigenous.
• Joint meeting of all indigenous people was and is the threat to their living space by the state and private exploitation of natural resources. Increasingly, however, indigenous people connect with their own concepts to the public. Especially with the concept of the "good life" (Buen Vivir), the indigenous people against a substantive point to make radical Modernisierungsstragie the Peruvian Government.
• Alan García has sought to Evo Morales and Hugo Chávez for the protests of indigenous people to blame. In fact, neither Evo Morales, Hugo Chávez has yet to do the Peruvian opposition Ollanta Humala to be causally related to the protests of the Amazonian indigenous. There is more of subsequent opportunism of the left politician Alan Garcia in turn allowed a convenient blame. The relations between Peru and Bolivia on the one hand have worsened by the conflict to a head the conflict in their respective policies.
• The conflict may be settled for now with the turn-government protests flared up sein.Neu in other parts of the country, however, show that indigenous groups now feel encouraged with their demands - z.Bsp. against the granting of mining concessions - also to get to the public. The conflict over the right model for development and modernization of Peru will continue, with a stronger indigenous group. In this sense, we may also be interested to see how the indigenous movement presents itself as a political player in the presidential race 2011th
• A word to the church: the Amazon region is one of the most sparsely populated regions of Peru and, in the eyes of the capital to the poorest and most backward. Maybe just because there been the progressive bishops not to Opus Dei and Sodalitium supporters exchanged. They and their pastorates and prelatures were just too small. That is, the most progressive Catholic bishops of Peru can be found today in the Selva.Bereits in April the 9 bishops had supported the protest of the indigenous people of the Selva against the "jungle law" in a public communique. As a facilitator and monitor for compliance with human rights, the Church is there estimated. To what extent they are used as a content conversation partner in the development of an alternative model of development of indigenous people remains to be seen.
• background of the controversial "jungle law" were the provisions of the free trade treaty between the U.S. and Peru. In these days of free-trade agreement between Peru and the EU is being negotiated in Brussels. Although various groups have called for a suspension of negotiations (including the Plataforma Europa Peru various solidarity groups and the information center Peru), these will continue.
• The Federal Republic of Germany provided substantial support for the newly established Peruvian Ministry of the Environment and is therefore of an influence on the development strategy of Peru.

More info at: www.infostelle-peru.de