By Suzanne Sprague
Frankfurt, Germany – [Ambient sound of a clock striking twice. Then, a German tour guide says, "We are standing on the historical central square of Frankfurt."]
Suzanne Sprague, KERA 90.1 Reporter: For centuries, this small, cobblestone corner of Frankfurt was an international trade destination, drawing merchants from as far away as southeast Europe and the Mediterranean. Today, Frankfurt is the economic heart of a reunified Germany, but the cultural diversity that comes with this globalization isn't an easy concept for some Germans to accept.
Albert Magen, Frankfurt City Council: It's hard for them to understand that their city is no longer the old German city it has been for centuries.
Sprague: Albert Magen is a member of the Frankfurt city council. He's also the city's point man on immigration. Magen says his job is two-fold: to help the city's 150,000 non-German residents blend into the local culture and... Magen: ...to make the Germans understand that there are people from very, very distant countries and cultures who also have the right to live here and, for example, to practice their religion.
Sprague: Frankfurt has a painful history on this subject. 10,000 Jews were murdered here in 1933, and it was from Frankfurt that a young Anne Frank and her family fled to Amsterdam. Today, the predominant minority group is Turkish Muslims, who make up more than 10% of the population. And a city-funded promotional video acknowledges the deep-seated prejudices here.
Excerpt from City of Frankfurt Video: In Frankfurt, Germans and non-Germans are also trying to find a common identity. But it often seems that not even peaceful co-existence is yet possible. [Woman speaks in German and then is dubbed in English.] "I get angry with foreigners because they make too many kids and they take many things away from the German people like jobs and apartments."
Sprague: Germany has long been a destination for refugees and migrant workers. In fact, more than 7 million of the nation's 82 million residents are from another country. But only recently have political leaders begun to use the phrase "immigrant country" to describe Germany. Frankfurt was a bit more pro-active. In 1989, the city government set up an office for multicultural affairs to assist with integration, spending up to $2 million annually. The office is considered a national model. It mediates inter-cultural disputes. It teaches German to foreign-born children and stay-at-home moms. And, it assists a sort-of phantom city council made entirely of non-German residents, called the Auslander Parliament.
Helga Nagel, Frankfurt Department of Multicultural Affairs: There's a special body elected of the different immigration groups living in Frankfurt. They have 36 members. They can't decide anything, but they can advise the city parliament and politicians.
Sprague: Helga Nagel is the deputy director of Frankfurt's multicultural office. But she is lukewarm on the Auslander Parliament's future.
Nagel: The last elections, only seven percent of foreign citizens did go to the elections, so it's not very representative; and it reflects a little bit the importance or the unimportance of the body.
Sprague: Despite this, city leaders believe their efforts with immigrants are both progressive and effective. After all, Frankfurt has not seen the violent clashes between immigrants and native Germans that other cities have witnessed. But many foreigners still don't feel welcomed in Germany.
Refugee: It's not too bad and it's not too good.
Sprague: This 21-year-old man, who asked that we not use his name, is a political refugee from Sierra Leone. He arrived in Berlin illegally and may still be deported.
Refugee: It's not too bad in the sense that I'm still alive; and it's not too good in that I cannot find anything to do here in town. I'm not allowed to work, and I'm only allowed in a small sector of area to live.
[Ambient sound of subway coming into a station.]
Sprague: On the streets and subways of Berlin, you can hear people speaking half a dozen languages, but you won't see as many people of color as in the United States. Last year, Germany reported a 59% increase in far-right, anti-Semitic and racist crime. The government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, however, is trying to reverse both those statistics and the country's attitude toward immigration. Last year, Germany relaxed its citizenship laws. And earlier this month, a national commission recommended accepting up to 50,000 new permanent residents each year.
Jack Janes, Executive Director, American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, Johns Hopkins University: And that is a start for something that was always a taboo subject because as soon as you have a quota, then you suddenly recognize the fact that you, by definition, admitted the fact that the country is a land of immigration.
Sprague: Jack Janes is the executive director of the American Institute for Contemporary German studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C. He is confident Germany will accept more immigrants if for no other reason than it needs the workers.
Janes: Because the German demography of the last 20 years has cut severely into the indigenous population, and if they don't have any growth from immigration, then they're going to be faced with a most shrunk national population that is going to cut into their national budget.
Sprague: Germany needs a well-educated and highly-skilled immigrant population. But it faces the same obstacles as the United States in providing that education: language barriers and drop-out rates.
[Ambient sound of a crowd of students at a school.]
Sprague: At alternative schools, like the Carl von Ossietsky Oberschule in Berlin, immigrant students who had trouble in the traditional German schools are given another chance. Mechthild Pieper is a teacher here.
Mechthild Pieper, Teacher, Carl von Ossietsky Oberschule: Maybe we take a bit longer to do their exams, but we try to support them, not only in the teaching methods but also in the way we try to speak to them and in the way we support them when their families say, "Oh, you'd better go and find a job." That's something that is one of our principles - to help those who are at a disadvantage.
Sprague: Those who struggle like Ozler Uzuner. Ozler and her family left Turkey for Germany when she was seven. She's now a 21-year-old aspiring journalist with inquisitive brown eyes. And in contrast to the experiences of many other immigrants, Ozler says her time in Germany has been peaceful. She says her peers are more curious of her background than prejudiced against it.
Ozler Uzuner, Immigrant Student: They can come to me and ask me something if they want to know about Turkish people to about religion or about everything. I never had some problems being a Turkish girl or being born in Turkey.
Sprague: Ozler's story may encompass the current German government's hopes: a young multicultural and open-minded generation. But this vision also faces numerous political challenges. Immigration promises to remain an emotionally-charged issue in next year's national elections. For KERA 90.1, I'm Suzanne Sprague.
*****
Suzanne Sprague's reporting is made possible in part by a fellowship from the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Photo: Frankfurt City Hall/Deborah Yasinow