After having seen Dachau and Flossenbürg concentration camps, visiting family, and writing to countless archives in 2015, 2016 was a rollercoaster ride. Here are some of the things I experienced and saw: Continue reading The quest for Jan van Boeckel continues in 2017
Long ago the conclusion of one of my theses at university was that understanding and overcoming racism and prejudice can only be achieved by friendship, by learning to know the ‘other’. Continue reading Learning to listen
Below are the posts written up to now related to the quest for Jan van Boeckel. They are presented in the order in which they were written, and the order in which I gained insight into the events in his life. If you are searching for the posts in the chronological order of Jan’s life they can be found on Jan van Boeckel’s Timeline. Continue reading Posts in the Quest for Jan van Boeckel
so far away in silent graves they lie waiting to be heard my perspectives formed by empty spaces my freedom paid with loss blood bonds pull … Continue reading letting his/story be
In the past couple of days so much information is coming in about my uncle Jan van Boeckel that I can just about keep up with reading and making sense of it, but am not yet able to write it all down. Continue reading More than expected…
…..The wooden arch at the camp entrance is gone but there is still a stone guardhouse. And there are still guards ….. Continue reading Visiting Wildflecken – in the footsteps of Kathryn Hulme
As internet is not readily available and I’m travelling a lot I will not be able to post much the coming days. I’m following the footsteps of Kathryn Hulme and visiting Wildflecken. l’m also seeing Dachau (something I’ve been putting off) … Continue reading Following in the footsteps of…
It can get hot in Frankfurt. It can get so hot that the heat wraps around Continue reading “Endless summer in Frankfurt: open-air events”
A shipyard welder during the second world war, Kathryn Hulme joined the relief movement via the UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) in Europe in 1945, after a few weeks training in France. Continue reading Kathryn Hulme working in a DP-camp near Frankfurt 1945 – 1949: Finding humanity in a homogeneous stream
Germany is intensely focussed on the large influx of refugees crossing its borders. It is challenging for the authorities to adjust to the high numbers and to deal with the xenophobic demonstrations and hate crimes taking place. But there is another side to the story. Recent … Continue reading Refugees, Germany and the rest of the world
Like Amsterdam with its developments along the IJ, Frankfurt is modernising the Main riverbanks. On either side of the river a boulevard stretches Continue reading “Frankfurt Main riverbank development and the ECB tower(s)”
Frankfurt is a green city and trees are an integral part of the landscape. I’ve already described the Palmengarten and the Botanical garden, which both have wonderful specimens, as do the big parks. Continue reading “Silent witnesses”
During the past couple of days I was lucky enough to have close encounters with nature . Yes really – I had more than one confrontation with wild animals. For someone who grew up among the Big Five in Kenya, wildlife … Continue reading Close encounters with wildlife
Frankfurt – as does the whole of Germany – carries a heavy historical load. There were 26.000 Jews living in Frankfurt in 1933, the second largest Jewish population in Germany, playing leading rolls in the financial, cultural and scientific worlds … Continue reading Shadows and wounds
Song 1: Fragmented reality, the vulnerable, emotional, human experience within city landscapes, a moving ode to a love song …… how to describe Doug Aitken’s Song 1? … Continue reading A loving portrayal of modern landscapes and human vulnerability
mogromo 