Biography and Impact of May Ayim: A Trailblazing Afro-German Poet
May Ayim, a pioneering Afro-German poet, left a lasting impact on German literature and society. Born in 1960 in Hamburg, she co-founded the Initiative Schwarze Deutsche, contributed to the feminist movement, and published notable works like "Blues in Black and White." Despite her tragic suicide in 1996, Ayim's legacy continues to inspire discussions on race, identity, and belonging in Germany.
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+ May Ayim Blues in Black and White
+May Ayims Biography May Ayim was born in 1960 in Hamburg. Her father was from Ghana and her mother was German. She spent the first few years of her life in a children s home before moving in with a foster family. As an adult she studied pedagogy in Augsburg and Berlin. In Berlin she met African American author and feminist Audre Lorde at a poetry workshop.
+May Ayims Biography In 1985 Ayim was one of the co-founders of the Initiative Schwarze Deutsche (ISD, Initiative for Black Germans). In 1986 the book Showing Our Colors was published. For years Ayim was active in the German feminist movement and the Afro-German community. She performed her poetry all over the world, including the US, England and South Africa. In 1995 she published Blues in Black and White. In 1996 she committed suicide.
+History Two countries established in 1949: FRG (Federal Republic of Germany/ West Germany) GDR (German Democratic Republic/East Germany) Berlin Wall (1961 1989) German Reunification (1990) Effects on immigration and asylum policies
+Group Work Get into groups to discuss one poem, which you will be assigned. Discuss the following elements: Discuss the form ( rhyme?, #stanzas, #lines, meter) Discuss the language (metaphors? similes?) Quote one line from the poem that is particularly opaque Discuss the overall meaning of the poem and how that line relates to the poem as a whole. Be prepared to present your discussion to the rest of the class.
How does the added layer of growing up in foster care affect Ayim s experience of being a Black woman in Germany? +
+May Ayims Essay About Re-Unification How does Berlin seem different after reunification? How is German culture changing? Why was Ayim hesitant to be happy about the event? According to Ayim, what is her new position in a re-unified Germany?
+afro-German I und II 1. Who is the lyric persona? 2. Why do we hear nothing from their conversant? 3. How is being German defined in the poem? 4. What kinds of stereotypes do we encounter about Africa? 5. How is the conversant excluded from the German community?
+Germany in Autumn 1. Why does Ayim use ambiguous words like it, she and he? 2. Why does Ayim compare the year 1938 with 1990? What is actually said in these lines? it is not true that it is not true Why are they written in such an awkward formulation? that s how it was
+Is it possible to relate Germany in Autumn to our current political circumstances?
+Group Work Look at the poems Afro-German I und II again. Pretend you are the Afro- German whom the lyric persona is speaking. What would you say? What would be the missing lines to the dialogue?
