South Africa Program 2017

HUMAN RIGHTS IN GERMANY

Lecture

19.01.2017

As an aspiring Human Rights litigant, I had high hopes and expectations for this particular lecture and I was not disappointed.

The lecture began with the amazing Ms Germana Favognano discussing the popular poem by Martin Niemoller which uses the happenings of World War 2 to warn against keeping silence at the face of injustice and bigotry. This then was followed by an in-depth, insightful and empathetic examination of the so-called refugee crisis in Germany and the rest of Europe. We read articles on this issue and watched videos, while Ms Favognano furnished us with information regarding the political context in Germany as far as it pertained to so-called counter-terrorism measures and the possibility of racial discrimination therein.

The lecture also shed light on some of the socio-political issues faced in modern-day Germany, such as the relative poverty, gender inequality and the sexual violence. However, the positive and inspiring parts of Germany - such as most people's welcoming attitudes towards immigrants - were also discussed.

We also critically examined the rights granted to German citizens in the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany and the possible abuse of such rights, such as in the case of distinguishing between free speech and hate speech. We were also provided with multiple insightful and interesting documents on the issue of Human Rights in Germany for extra-reading and pondering.

The content of the lecture was riveting and well-researched. However, for me, the sensitive -yet passionate- delivery of this topic by the lecturer was the best part. She handled this topic with the level of reverence and empathy that it deserves. I left the lecture more certain than ever that I want to dedicate my life to fighting for those who have been denied and stripped of the opportunity to fight for themselves.

At the end of the lecture, we - the students- delivered presentations in front of the class on certain controversial human rights violations in Germany and I think that this was a perfect way to allow the students to interact with the topic and each other in an educational yet entertaining manner.

For me, this lecture was one of the best parts of the programmes!! I loved every second of being in that classroom.

Inga Samantha Dyanatyi