Echoes of history ring through pristine German streets

Terry Sarten PHOTO/FILE

"Stumbling is not the same as falling" is from a song of mine and came to mind as I walked the streets of Waldshut-Tiengen in the Black Forest region in the south of Germany.

It is a place where history is evident in many forms. There are guard towers that date from the middle ages, cobblestone streets and beautiful buildings.

One of a visiting delegation from the French partner town of Blois told me it was hard to believe the buildings were so old because they looked so clean and well-maintained compared with many historic sites in France.

As a visiting foreign musician, I was lucky enough to be included in a guided tour of the town arranged for the French participants in the WTpur show produced by my friend Rainer Joerger.

The guide showed us aspects of Waldshut-Tiengen medieval and more recent history. One of the striking features is the Stolpersteine (stumble stones) fixed in the pavement at specific sites. These served as reminders for all who walk over or past them of a time when, under the Nazi regime, many of the local Jewish people lost everything in a sustained programme of persecution. The stones have brass plates showing the names and stories of those who were taken and transported to the concentration camps. These are set in the footpaths marking places where they lived, had their shops and business premises, recording their place in the community prior to the Nazi pogroms.

Although the focus is on acknowledging those who suffered under the Nazis it also serves to remind us of those who live with persecution and fear in many parts of the world today and how we must be watchful so that we do not fall for the strategies that allow such things to happen.

A book by Philip Zimbardo, called the Lucifer Effect, outlines the various human factors that can create an atmosphere in which racism and hatred can be incubated. He describes how the demonising of a group as being "other" can allow them to be treated badly. He writes about organisational structures that fail to enforce moral boundaries, encouraging unethical behaviour as the norm. He also warns of the dangers inherent in anonymity. A uniform, mask or disguise can diminish personal responsibility, allowing people to behave in ways they would never consider if they could be identified. The last of these is clearly evident in the way many use the anonymity of the internet to attack others.

I will fly back to Sydney tomorrow, having performed to audiences in Germany who have clearly enjoyed my songs, seen my share of castles, beautiful old towns and cities and spent time with good friends. I will also return with two new expressions that I can use. One came from a discussion about what we call the nimby (not in my backyard) phenomenon. The equivalent in German is: "wanting to wash but not get wet".

The other relates to when a restaurant meal arrives at your table with too much salt in it. The immediate response is to ask whether the chef is in love and possibly so distracted by romantic notions that he or she, has absent mindedly got carried away with the salt shaker.

Terry Sarten is a Whanganui musician, writer and social worker currently living in Sydney. Feedback: tgs@inspire.net.nz or www.telsarten.com