October 2007 - Nr. 10
German National Holiday Celebration in Toronto
There
were representatives from some local German organisations and a slew of
media representatives, as well as quite a few other citizens, more than last
year. All surrounded the freshly painted flagpole, which now was a fitting
fixture for the proud black, red and gold colours of Germany.
Both
Tony Ruprecht and Consul General Holger Raasch pointed out what a special
moment this was and how the German community in Canada deserves to be
celebrated for
its
contributions to this nation. Equally wonderful is the knowledge of having
an unnatural boarder gone from the midst of Germany. The Day of Unity has
this name for just that reason.
| Raising of the Flag | |
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On this very evening a reception at the location of the future consulate location was held to commemorate the historic background of this monumental event that held such promise for so many. Surely, there are as many points of view as there are people that actually experienced those days. For us here in Canada it was euphoric in a sense that was not quite real. The Goethe Institute held a Forum with history professors from around the globe. A French Professor was worried about the words being used and how careful one has to be about what to say.
Words? My word: We are making history and are not writing a chanson - that was my sentiment.
Just the night before the wall fell I had written to my cousin in East Germany and told him to demand that the wall be opened and the next morning I heard to my surprise that it had actually happened. No one knew how. In fact, this was not known until much later.
The important thing is that it did happen, even if not everyone is happy with the details of the result. A lot of good things resulted from it.
To read the Consul General's full speech and see more pictures go to www.echworld.com, where 2 weeks after publication you will find a completed version of Echo Germanica.
Sybille Forster-Rentmeister
