Dr. Marion Detjen publishes article “Kampf um Lohn und Wahrheit” (Struggle for Wages and Truth) for ZEIT Online

Dr. Marion Detjen wrote an article for ZEIT Online titled “Kampf um Lohn und Wahrheit” (Struggle for Wages and Truth), which outlines the demands of justice from former Mozambican contract workers in the GDR. The article tells the story of former contract worker David Macou and his colleagues, who have been fighting for justice from both the German and Mozambican governments since 1990.

Between 1979 and 1989, around 17,000 Mozambican contract workers arrived to the GDR; however, large parts of their salaries were used to pay Mozambique's state debts to the GDR, without the workers’ knowledge. Detjen explains that after German reunification in 1990, the Mozambican workers were exposed to massive racist violence, described in the article as “pogroms,” especially in the region of Hoyerswerda in Saxony. The Federal German government then used that violence to make the workers agree to their ‘voluntary’ deportation to Mozambique. The so-called Madgermanes are now seeking recompensation for what many describe as “moderner Sklaverei” (modern-day slavery).

Read the full article in ZEIT Online.

Post Date: 11-08-2023