“It is so easy to tear down and destroy everything.” Nelson Mandela said that. Today we explore the Nelson-Mandela-Schule. It embodies his spirit of peace and rebuilding. The Nelson-Mandela-Schule is located on the Elbe island. It is in the Hamburg districts of Kirchdorf and Wilhelmsburg.
The Nelson-Mandela-Schule is a Stadtteilschule. It includes a high school level. The school also has international preparatory classes 9/10. There is also an English immersion class in 5/6. About 1100 students attend. They come from over 50 nations.
The name Nelson Mandela represents important values. These include anti-racism and anti-discrimination. It also stands for perseverance and endurance. Conviction, reconciliation, and tolerance are key too. The Nelson-Mandela-Schule embraces these principles.
The Nelson-Mandela-Schule actively promotes Black history. The Black History Class is a federal model project. The Federal Agency for Political Education supports it. It runs until the end of the school year 2022/23. This project involves several groups. These are the Friends of the Nelson Mandela School, the Diversity Task Force. Each One Teach One is also involved. It is the Federal Center for Black Empowerment in Germany. Upper secondary students learn about Black history. They explore global and German perspectives. Monthly workshops and study days are held.
Study days focused on German colonialism. The Nelson-Mandela-Schule welcomed Sima Luipert. She is a Nama representative. Students witnessed history in the making. Namibia was once a German colony. The German Reich committed genocide against the Ovaherero and Nama. This occurred between 1904 and 1908. It was the 20th century’s first genocide. The term “concentration camps” was first officially used then. The German government recognized these atrocities as genocide in 2015. However it was not legally recognized. A compensation agreement was offered last year.
Descendants of the victims were not involved in negotiations. They are absent from discussions about the genocide’s place in German culture. Meeting the descendants remains an unfulfilled task. Schools like Nelson-Mandela-Schule are learning centers for this.
Sima Luipert represents the Nama Traditional Leaders Association. She also represents the Ovaherero Genocide Foundation and the Ovaherero Traditional Authority. She is mandated to represent this coalition. The coalition represents most Ovaherero and Nama people. This includes those in Namibia and the Diaspora.
Luipert is a descendant of Witbooi and Fredericks. They resisted German colonial power. Her great-grandmother was imprisoned on Shark Island. Later she was at the Okawayo camp. Sexual violence against Herero and Nama women was common there. Luipert’s great-grandfather was a German soldier. Survivors were mostly enslaved.
The coalition advocates for renegotiating the compensation deal. They want to include victim associations. They seek visibility for the descendants of victims in German history.
The Nelson-Mandela-Schule embodies Nelson Mandela’s values. It promotes understanding, reconciliation, and justice. It is actively shaping a more inclusive future. The school stands as a beacon of hope. It inspires students to become true heroes. They can build a world of peace and equality.