The Restoration of The Berlin Wall---Art and Commemoration Combined
Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009
by Sandra E. Graham
My Books and Articles
Actually, it isn't the entire Wall that is being restored, but a three-quarter mile section that has remained (more or less) standing since the wall's historic opening in the late 80's. The section of wall will become a symbol for future generations, a symbol of freedom' in a manner of speaking---as East met West for the first time since the Wall's construction in 1961.
The painted wall "is a document that allows future generations to picture for themselves what the wall meant," Mayor Klaus Wowereit said at an inauguration ceremony for the restoration.
Kani Alavi, head of the East Side Gallery Artists' Association was the driving force behind the restoration project and said that the Wall as an East Side Gallery would, " stand for democracy and human rights."
The Berlin Wall was originally constructed to keep East Germans basically captive in their own country. According to statistics, 3.5 million East Germans left for the West before the construction of the Wall in 1961, totaling 20% of the entire East German population. And most of these emigrants were young and well educated-leading to what officials of East Germany dubbed "The Brain Drain".
The creation of the Wall had important implications for both German states. By stopping the exodus of people from East Germany, the East German government was able to reassert its control over the country: in spite of discontent with the wall, economic problems caused by dual currency and the black market were basicly eliminated, and the economy in the German Democratic Republic began to grow. On the other hand though, the Wall proved a public relations disaster for the communist sector as a whole. Western powers used it in propaganda as a symbol of communist tyranny, particularly after the shootings of attempting defectors (which were later treated as acts of murder by the reunified Germany).
It is planned that on November 9, 2009, Berlin will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with a "Festival of Freedom", during which over 1,000 foam domino tiles over 8 feet tall will be stacked along the former route of the wall in the city center and toppled.
In the United States, the German Embassy is coordinating a public diplomacy campaign with the motto "Freedom Without Walls" to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. And that, I think, says it all---" Freedom without walls!"
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)good article. the world IS to small to have walls!Amen to that, Miss Brittany! However, with the ever increasing threat of terrorism, our borders need to be vigilante.Sandra
Sorry Sandra, I have to disagree with your statement about the economy of the GDR growing after the wall went up. I've been to Berlin both before and after the wall came down. The former East Berlin was known as "Dark Germany" after the wall came down. Why? Because there had been basically no upkeep on any of the buildings, many of which were stone or stucco. The buildings were nearly black with grime. Some of the buildings that had formely housed people were vacant, and open to see or go inside. Ghetto like conditions barely describe the condition they were in.You are so right about the world being too small for walls. Robert Frost said it best many years ago; 'Walls do not good neighbors make.' The human race seems to have a very difficult time remembering that.Thank you, Joyce. You may well be right about Germany's economy at the time--that was just information (or mis-information) that I was given. And I'm sure most governments never really tell the world the truth about their situations. I have never been to Germany, although I would like to go, as my Grandmother was German.Thanks for reading and commenting.P.S. Welcome to Searchwarp.Sandra
I agree to your artical, and the world is small and we dont need a bunch walls.god articalP.S i love U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1Thank you, Miss Cheyanne. Good to hear from you again. Thanks for reading and commenting.Sandra
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