|
Over a decade since reunification and the fall of the Berlin
Wall, and after much rebuilding and regeneration of the former
GDR, a strange cultural phenomenon is arising throughout Germany
and indeed across Europe. A rose tinted nostalgia for the
days of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the former
Communist state of East Germany, is resurrected amongst Germans,
some of whom are too young to even really remember the days
of Socialism rule. The term coined for this current trend
is Ostalgie, a nostalgia for the East.
Ostalgie in the movies and television
This cultural resurgence manifests itself in various forms
and through a variety of media. Perhaps the biggest example
is the nationwide broadcasting of the television programme
called the GDR Show, hosted by Olympic Skater Katrina
Witt. In the show much remeniscing takes place between former
GDR residents, poets, writers and musicians each expressing
their views about East Germany, Communist Ideals and the state
of change in contemporary Germany.
German film industry has also increased the exposure of Ostalgie
on an international scale. Wolfgang Becker's internationally
acclaimed film Goodbye, Lenin won the Lola award for
best German film in 2003. During the film the audience learns
of how Alex's mother - a staunch supporter of the GDR and
the Communist Party - slips into a coma before reunification
in 1989. Eight months after the wall comes down she regains
consciousness but is desperately weak, the doctors advise
that any sudden shock might send her deep into a coma once
more. Alex decides to hide the developments of the past eight
months from his mother, and within the confines of their small
family flat he maintains the existence of the GDR. The film
pays fantastic attention to detail, and whilst gently mocking
of the pre-unification East Berlin has a certain fondness
for all it depicts. The film was a success throughout Europe
as were films which preceded 'Lenin' with a similar Ostalgic
theme. Peter Trimm's Go Trabi Go shows a family from
Saxonny naively set out on their first foreign holiday driving
over the Alps and into Italy, similar is Leander Hausmann's
debut Sonnenalle during which the iconography and obsession
with detail is incredible.
Who are the Ostalgie afficionados?
Ostalgie is not only supported by those who used to live in
the former GDR, indeed the most avid followers were probably
too young to remember the wall, let alone the actuality of
living within the GDR. Ostalgie is very much a youth culture
involving fanatics from the 'trabant generation' - named after
the much celebrated, cult Trabi car. The Trabant car
built in the GDR was the communist response to the need for
an affordable car during the shortages that ensued after separation.
The Trabi boasts a two-cylinder engine and a plastic body!
The cult of the Trabi has become a phenomenon in itself and
the car finds itself a collector's item and an icon Europe-wide.
U2's Achtung Baby album cover featured the Trabi car.
Each June, Germany hosts a three-day Trabant Festival attracting
over 35,000 visitors and many bands and performing acts including
the likes of Joe Cocker! Much beer and wurst are consumed,
and the Trabi owner enjoy track racing during the day. Maximillian
Spohr's A Car for a Dollar is an extended documentary
about the Trabi phenomenon depicting this event.
Where to buy Ostalgie gear
The 'trabant generation' passion for all things East is fuelled
by the abundance of new boutiques and shops supplying replica
and original GDR products, produce and memorabilia which are
springing up across Germany. N(Ost)algie is a thrift-store
in Hamburg (Former West Germany!) which recycles household
refuse from Dresden, selling old ornaments, furniture and
clothing to Hamburg consumers as genuine GDR products. To
reiterate the authenticity of the GDR ideal, Lenin's 'Complete
Works' can be found next to the cash register.
After reunification the 'Save the Traffic Light Man' campaign
fought long and hard to preserve the traffic light men (Ampelmaenchen).
The East Berlin symbols are characterised by the jaunty green
walking man with his brimmed hat and the red 'don't walk'
man with his arms outstretched. Replicas of these symbols
have found themselves in shops and market stalls (including
Camden Town in London).
GDR Nightlife
Ostkost in Berlin's trendy Prenzlaurberg is a grocery
store that only sells East German produce. It's an Ostalgic
Aladdin's Cave, the shelves lined with Vita-Cola (Eastern
twist on soft drinks - with added vitamin C) and Rotkaeppchen
(a sparkling, East German white wine.)
Should you wish to visit Germany and really want to experience
the Ostalgie vibe, the place to head is Ostzone in
Mitte, Berlin. The ceilings of this Berlin club are plastered
with portraits of Karl Marx, and the clientele are dressed
in their FDJ shirts (Free German Youth) and red scarves, dancing
with their Ampelmaenchen pendants.
Whilst at the Ostzone club check the audience or performance
area for signs of the Easty Girls, an Ostalgie twist
on the spice girls distinguished by their GDR school uniforms
and their 'Pioneer' red scarves.
German supporters of the Ostalgie phenomenon are keen to insist
that the movement is based purely on obsession for the iconography
of the East and not a desperate longing for separation once
more. In recent poles 11% of former GDR residents believed
that life before reunification was better, Ostalgie therefore,
whilst not based on desire for the ideals of the East, manifests
itself as an immerging commercial market for Germany on a
domestic and international scale.
|
