مبروك ليكم/لينا..اعتراف آخر من المجتمع النمساوى..

Quote: Rosen für Omofuma Wir weinen nicht um dich wir weinen um die Sonne der Freiheit, die unterging als zwei Vögel auf deinen Schultern geschlachtet wurden in deinen Augen wurden unsere Träume getötet auf deinen Lippen wurden Wolken gefangen Wir weinen nicht um dich bis unsere Qualen enden trotzdem singen wir unsere Trommeln verstummen nicht wir pflanzen dich in unsere Kinder Es blüht ein Baum, bunt in seinem Schatten singen wir für Gleichheit This poem by Hamid refers directly to the death of Marcus Omofuma who died whilst in police custody in 1999. With political overtones and the feel of a song of solidarity, this poem speaks of a collective sadness at the loss represented by the death of Marcus Omofuma at the hands of an Austrian State authority. However, Ishraga lifts the mood of the poem half way through with a message of hope in the face of persecution. Ishraga uses the first person collective pronoun “wir” in this poem, indicating that her voice in the poem represents the sentiments shared by many others. The central theme of this poem is hope. Wir weinen nicht um dich wir weinen um die Sonne der Freiheit, die Unterging The poem appears to be communicating a fairly political message. Rather than an obituary to Marcus Omofuma, who does not appear to have been personally known to the author, this poem opens by mourning what the death of Marcus Omofuma at the hands of the Austrian police represents to the collective African community in Austria. What this act represents to the African community is the violence of the Austrian police in its attitude and behaviour towards the African population. Not only this, in the trial of the police who were involved in the incident, the officers were given extremely light sentencing. This demonstration of a seeming ambivalence towards violence against Africans is a very significant blow to a population already very aware of the hostile attitudes of the ‘white’ Austrian majority around them. Ishraga uses powerful images from nature to depict the loss that this event represents from her perspective. The image of the people crying as they watch the sun go down is one of great hopelessness, as if the sun has gone down for the last time. The images become more violent, representing Omofuma’s death as the slaughtering of two birds on his shoulders. In his death, he has embodied the death of the dreams of the collective group and an unwelcoming future. in deinen Augen wurden unsere Träume getötet auf deinen Lippen wurden Wolken gefangen According to Hamid in this poem, the death of Omofuma represents a huge defeat in the eyes of the African people who have been struggling for recoginition and respect from a white, European society. The fact that Ishraga should see Omofuma’s death a loss for the African population as a whole shows Ishraga’s belief that Omofuma’s death is as a direct result of Omofuma’s race. In this case, it represents such a great loss bu substitution – it could have been anyone of African descent so mitreated in his place, and follows that it could happen to anyone of African descent in the future. Therefore, dreams of living peacefully and in solidarity with their white Austrian neighbours & authorities were crushed through the event of Omofuma’s death. In the second stanza the poet shows a solidarity with Omofuma personally and puts his death more into the context of the racial struggle of the Africans. Wir weinen nicht um dich bis unsere Qualen enden Here it would appear that Ishraga is saying that the African people can not mourn for him until their suffering has ended, which would appear to imply that Omofuma’s mourning can not begin until the political agenda which his death has raised, has been dealt with. The ‘Qualen’ appears to refer to politcal and social oppression experienced by African immigrants in Austria. What comes next is very characteristic of Hamid’s poems, particularly when dealing with the theme of hope. Oftening in the midst of lamenting the plight of the African population in Austria in a poem, the first half will present a bleak picture of their situation. However, around half way through the poem there will be a turning point, from which the mood of the poem is lifted completely. The mood shift is usually implies a triumphing over adversity trotzdem singen wir unsere Trommeln verstummen nicht wir pflanzen dich in unsere Kinder In the second half of the second stanza, Hamid shows her solidarity with Omofuma and alludes to the strength of the African people. Hamid presents the very evocative aural image of the African drumming to represent their collective protest at Omofuma’s death. The image of “planting” Omofuma in their children is used to express the tribute to Omofuma’s life that the African community will pay by ensuring that his name lives on for generations to come. Particularly interesting in the images chosen by Hamid in this part of the poem is their allusion to fairly stereotypical images held by Westerners of the African ‘Orient’. In the first stanza, Hamid speaks in terms of events in nature to express the sense of loss experienced by the African community at Omofuma’s death. A common assiociation in Orientalist discourse with the African Orient is nature.A western stereotype, which as has been shown, still exists today, is that African people share a special bond with the natural world. Through the use of powerful images from nature to communicate the message in this poem, it appears that Hamid is appealing to these stereotypes in the minds of her German-speaking Austrian audience. Equally, the aural depiction of drumming and singing are two other images closely associated by the West with African tribal traditions. The idea of “planting” Omofuma in their future generations evokes a sense of storytelling. The oral tradition of story-telling is another stereotypical characteristic of people of the Orient in the Orientalis discourse. Hamid, therefore, seems to embrace many images considered, now, fairly stereotypical of the ‘Orient’. The last stanza features, again, stereotypical images of ‘African’ people. The aural image of collective singing evokes the sounds of the harmonious full tones of an African choir. Singing, particularly in times of oppression, is also an aspect of African culture which the West has clung onto as a part of the ‘Other’ African cutlre. The strong ‘African’ flavour of this image is further strengthened by the fact that the singers are depicted singing outdoors under the shade of a tree that blossoms brightly. Es blüht ein Baum, bunt In seinem Schatten singen wir für Gleichheit Here another political message in the poem is conveyed., The united chorus of the African community in Austria singing for equality. In this poem Hamid portrays a tragic loss of hope in the face of the treatment by the Austrian police of fellow African Marcus Omofuma. Hamid, however, shows that through the solidarity of the African community, the “wir” of the poem, this injustice can be overcome, and indeed there is hope for a more positive future. Despite the brutality of the crime and prejudice agaist which Hamid protests, the images of the African protest in the poem are colourful, inspiring and peaceful. Hamid seems to be suggesting that the nature of their protest is at the present time a peaceful one, or perhaps she is calling on fellow people of African descent in Austria to remember their roots and traditional ways and not to answer violence and hatred with more of the same.