The detention camp for illegal migrants on an island near Samos, Greece.
Germany and particularly the city of Berlin celebrates the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Berlin Wall on 09 November next month, also marking the passage of the first generation which has experienced a post-Soviet world since the post-war years of the mid-twentieth century. An acute reminder of this situation occurred recently during earlier October celebrations in Leipzig, which is now a thriving city in former East Germany. It was here that initial protests in late 1989 helped accelerate the demise of the then totalitarian government and an ultimate opening of the Berlin Wall just weeks later.
Now it is often possible to meet "Wende Kinder," or children-currently young adults- from the turning point or changing times; those born from 1989 and immediately afterwards with no personal memory of the Berlin Wall or Soviet-directed period before that. It is a cultural phenomenon that arises as history becomes respective to its living members who can reflect on collective circumstance. It also becomes an indicator as to how the passage of time can and will affect all of us, now living through the early 21st century together, towards the future's future. Paralleling this historic period compels the comparison towards current events and Russian resurgence onto the global stage of attempted hegemony 25 years later, and urges the premise to question if history repeats through adjusted phases.
As a result of German reunification over two decades later, initial promises have predominantly not been met for a thriving eastern Germany due to disparity in employment opportunities which led to large population migrations to the more prosperous West. Additionally, contrasts in national character between both East and West have contributed to each region retaining their unique identities. Essentially, due to the extended simultaneous reign of the two differing German cultures, fundamental differences still outweigh the similarities. Yet, according to an Interior Ministry Report on German Unity released in 2013, despite the national contrasts, eastern Germany is improving in several ways and remains attractive for its returning inhabitants, signaling an appeal towards their origins despite persistent yet slowly improving economic inequalities.
It remains questionable if the social experiment to reunify Germany has become a reasonable success as a consensus about political assurances made a quarter of a century earlier have so far not been able to be fully achieved. A nostalgic movement has also arisen in several locations, longing for the "Ostalgie" of former times while also enhancing a merchandising appeal for the German tourism industry. The prevailing mood within Berlin and beyond during November's historic occasion will underscore the actual and speculative factors driving the world's fourth largest economy, while reflecting on whether or not the bridge between the East and West might ever occur.
DanubeStory tells stories of people and their relationship to the second longest river in Europe, the Danube. Slovakian filmmakers Jana Cavojska and Vladimir Kampf traveled on and along the 3 000 kilometer-long river several times, upstream and downstream, in search of people and practices to tell the story of their country and region. A colorful mix of their lives and livelihoods is beautifully intertwined with the simple story of the river. Despite of the fact that the richest are close to the source of the Danube, and the standard of living goes down with the stream of the river, none of the stories lament a destiny, but rather celebrate this unique mix of lively cultures and practices.
In part 1 of the film viewers will flow downstream in the summer and meet a biofarmer and guardian of a river spring in Germany, a traditional wooden ship builder in Austria, a biologist and underwater photographer in Slovakia, a bridge maintainer in Hungary, an ornithologist in Croatia, a gallery owner in Serbia, a distiller in Bulgaria, a musician in Moldova, a photographer in Ukraine and a frog hunter in Romania.
In part 2 of the film viewers will head upstream in wintertime and meet a hotel manager in Ukraine, a speech pathologist in Moldova, a choir master in Bulgaria, a kayak trainer in Romania, a ferry operator in Serbia, a mercenary soldier in Croatia, a mask maker in Hungary, a shipman in Slovakia, a café owner in Austria and a hat maker in Germany.
This film may also be viewed as a series of 5 minute videos on each character.
Majd takes a 'selfie' with a friend after reaching the Greek island of Samos from Izmir, Turkey.
Migrants climb a hill on the Greek island of Samos following the voyage from Izmir, Turkey.
Majd and two other migrants on an inflatable boat sailing from Izmir, Turkey to Samos, Greece.
Migrants pose for a photo on an inflatable boat sailing from Izmir, Turkey to Samos, Greece.
The receipts Majd received after depositing 8,000 euros at the money transfer office run by the smugglers in Izmir, Turkey on September 18, 2014.
Germany, Hamburg, 26.08.2014, Training unit of first Bundesliga soccer club Hamburger SV (HSV) at the Imtech Arena.
A male supporter of Germany (C) reacts during the World Cup final match against Argentina at the Goethe-Institut Sao Paulo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 13th Jul, 2014. Germany defeated Argentina after extra time at Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A female supporter of Germany (C) reacts during the World Cup final match against Argentina at the Goethe-Institut Sao Paulo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 13th Jul, 2014. Germany defeated Argentina after extra time at Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Brazil, Salvador da Bahia
Portuguese National Soccer Team player Cristiano Ronaldo sings the Portuguese National Anthem before the match, Portugal vs Germany, FIFA World Cup, June 16, 2014.
Fifa World Cup 2014 in Brazil, Salvador da Bahia, Arena Fonte Nova, Germany vs. Portugal, German National Team Coach Jogi Löw watches the match.
Despite Germany’s reputation as an environmentally conscious nation, the country has been quietly ramping up its production of brown coal in recent years. As mining companies buy up land and dig vast open-pit mines, natural areas are being desecrated and inhabitants of nearby villages are being forced from their homes. Now, residents in nine villages in the eastern state of Brandenburg fear for the future of their homes, as the very land their houses are built on is being bought-up by Swedish mining company Vattenfall.
Brown coal is considered by many to be the black gold of the 21st century. After oil, coal is the world’s most important energy source, which makes mining it a highly lucrative business. Germany is the biggest brown coal producer in world, far ahead of China and the United States. In 2013, they produced over 162 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from brown coal. Currently, Germany’s coal production is at a 25-year high and shows no sign of slowing down. Some coal industry experts are even calling the recent surge in production a “brown coal renaissance”.
East German-Western 1960s period symbology including 20 year commemorative GDR (German Democratic Republic) Soviet issued envelope,1969.
GDR (German Democratic Republic) 40 year anniversary symbol with period postcards and news clipping of the era. Berlin Wall will open one month after this anniversary passes marking the end of the country's existence.
Video about : Conference on youth awareness on the importance of their role in the transition process to reach the goals of the revolution, knot conference sponsored by Germany and organizations "ringing Yemen".
Aida cruise ship in the port of Hamburg, Germany.
Preparing supper. UNHCR’s refugee camp in Kharaz is home to 19 000 people, mainly Somali refugees who started to flock to the country when civil war broke out in Somalia in the early 1990s.
Akafete Omar, 29, fled poverty and political persecution in the Oromo province in Ethiopia in 2009. But, like many of his compatriots, he was captured, tortured and pressed for cash when he reached Yemen.
An Ethiopian man shows a picture of a young woman who was captured, raped and forced into prostitution. She was released after three months’ captivity, but was so badly injured that she later died in hospital.
The arid shores of Yemen’s south coast are the first things that greet the thousands of refugees fleeing from Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti. The area is rife with smugglers, traffickers and criminal gangs preying on the vulnerable migrants. On a clear day, the coast of Africa is visible from the Bab el-Mandeb Transit Centre.
The arid shores of Yemen’s south coast are the first things that greet the thousands of refugees fleeing from Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti. The area is rife with smugglers, traffickers and criminal gangs preying on the vulnerable migrants.
Ethiopian migrants and refuges receive information at Bab el-Mandeb Transit Centre, where new arrivals are registered and given a welcome pack. Asylum seekers are transferred to Kharaz Refugee Camp, run by the UNHCR.
The majority of new arrivals have left everything behind and only carry the clothes they wear. In some cases, they don’t even have shoes.
Red Crescent’s building at the Bab el-Mandeb transit centre. ”During the summer months the refugees are in very poor health. Many suffer dehydration on the journey across the sea,” says Dr Abdulwahab Al-Ghorbani, director of YRC’s Taiz branch.
New arrivals take a few minutes’ rest outside Yemen Red Crescent’s building at the Bab el-Mandeb transit centre. ”During the summer months the refugees are in very poor health. Many suffer dehydration on the journey across the sea,” says Dr Abdulwahab Al-Ghorbani, director of YRC’s Taiz branch.
New arrivals take a few minutes’ rest outside Yemen Red Crescent’s building at the Bab el-Mandeb transit centre. ”During the summer months the refugees are in very poor health. Many suffer dehydration on the journey across the sea,” says Dr Abdulwahab Al-Ghorbani, director of YRC’s Taiz branch.
The arid shores of Yemen’s south coast are the first things that greet the thousands of refugees fleeing from Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti. The area is rife with smugglers, traffickers and criminal gangs preying on the vulnerable migrants. On a clear day, the coast of Africa is visible.
UNHCR’s refugee camp in Yemen is home to 19 000 people, mainly Somali refugees who started to flock to the country when civil war broke out in Somalia in the early 1990s.
New arrivals take a few minutes’ rest outside Yemen Red Crescent’s building at the Bab el-Mandeb transit centre. ”During the summer months the refugees are in very poor health. Many suffer dehydration on the journey across the sea,” says Dr Abdulwahab Al-Ghorbani, director of YRC’s Taiz branch.
Fairouz Hassan Haji’s kidnappers were armed and forced her at gunpoint into prostitution. Weapons are a part of everyday life in rural Yemen.
A truckload of East African refugees arrive at UNHCR’s camp in Kharaz, south Yemen. Every day, around 50 new arrivals reach the camp. In 2012, an estimated 107 000 people – mostly Somalis and Ethiopians – came to the shores of Yemen. Some stay in the country, while others try to make their way to Saudi Arabia.
The migrants from the Horn of Africa hope to reach affluent Gulf States, like Saudi Arabia, for work. But their dreams are often quashed and many end up in the refugee camp in Kharaz, without any economical means to leave.
A truckload of East African refugees arrive at UNHCR’s camp in Kharaz, south Yemen. Every day, around 50 new arrivals reach the camp. In 2012, an estimated 107 000 people – mostly Somalis and Ethiopians – came to the shores of Yemen. Some stay in the country, while others try to make their way to Saudi Arabia.
UNHCR’s refugee camp in Yemen is home to 19 000 people, mainly Somali refugees who started to flock to the country when civil war broke out in Somalia in the early 1990s.
The new arrivals’ centre at UNHCR’s refugee camp in Kharaz, south Yemen. Many of the refugees suffer post-traumatic stress and receive counselling, shelter and food while their asylum applications are being processed.
Children play football between a block of houses in Kharaz refugee camp in south Yemen. The camp is home to 19 000 people, mostly Somali refugees who fled to Yemen when civil war broke out in the early 1990s.
The Danish Refugee Council, DRC, patrols the coast along Bab el-Mandeb, the strait separating Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Every morning and afternoon, the team drive the eight mile stretch together with Yemen Red Crescent staff.