Prost! to German heritage in the Bay
01 November 2010
This week locals and visitors to Nelson Mandela Bay got a good dose the best of German culture as they celebrated Oktoberfest and the strong German heritage in the Eastern Cape at the local German Club – which has hosted the annual ale festivities for 41-years. Organisers confirmed that this year over 8 000 visitors poured into the club over the weekend to share ale, oompah music and traditional food in celebration of German culture.
“It’s incredible and inspiring to see how this festival has grown and continues to do so each year. This year we were contending with huge rugby games, but still had a super crowd – so, the lure of the Oktoberfest is wunderbar, ja?” joked the jovial Peter Allan, assistant manager of the German Klub, which hosts the second biggest Oktoberfest, after Johannesburg, in South Africa.
Maya Longk, who hales from Cologne and teaches German at St Georges Preparatory, said this was her first experience of Oktoberfest. “Although I’m German, I’ve never been to a Bavarian beerfest, this was my first time. At first I was a bit sceptical, but as the evening progressed I was swaying with the whole crowd to the sounds of the oompah band and enjoying a nostalgic reminder of home,” said Longk. “It was awesome.”
In addition to the general fun that is had at Oktoberfest, Allan also emphasized that it was a unique celebration of the long German heritage in the Eastern Cape. “It may mean draft beer, eisbein, sauerkraut, sausage and pretzels, traditional oompah music, dance and sing-alongs, women in dirndls and men in their lederhosen – but this is all a real part of German cultural heritage.”
Few German visitors to South Africa may be aware of the deep heritage links to the Eastern Cape. But Eastern Cape German heritage and history is extensive, spanning over 150 years, says local historian Dr Keith Tankard, whose forthcoming book, Broken Promises, looks at early 1800s German Settler Immigration programmes.
During the colonial period two waves of German settlers landed on South African shores near East London. In 1857 a group of about 2600 German Legion soldiers arrived and in 1858 peasant farmer families came to increase the number of people and potential wives for soldiers, said Tankard.
Today the names of the small villages they established bear testament to those first settlers trying to make a foreign place seem more like home: Hamburg, Berlin, Stutterheim, Potsdam, Hanover, Braunchwieg, Frankfort and Marienthal. “Interestingly a real left-over of the German heritage is the distinct Eastern Cape accent, which many people attribute to Afrikaans, but actually comes from German ties,” Tankard revealed.
Experts also agree that tapping into colonial heritage through heritage tourism makes good economic sense. “Heritage tourism is growing markedly as international travel has become increasingly possible. It involves visits to historical and industrial sites as well as an appreciation of family roots and history,” explained Richard Haines, Head of Development Studies at Nelson Mandela Metro University.
“Possibilities for growing heritage tourism are huge. Particularly in the Eastern Cape, with only 10 years to the anniversary of the 1820 settlers arrival and just over 150 years of German heritage here, the ripple effects on the economy could be massive, bringing in tourists from around the globe – just as the Birmingham German market and fair, the biggest outside Germany, does in England.
For over 60 years an active German Club has been keeping the traditions of the local German Diaspora alive in the Bay. “Germans have travelled all over the world and integrated into communities in those countries, but we contribute to diversity when we retain traditions, culture, practices and food. For those – German tourists or locals interested in German culture – who want to experience South African Germans in action, the Club is the perfect place to do so,” said Thomas Fuchs, manager of the German Club.
Two German automotive companies have also swelled the German population of the Eastern Cape and built industrial heritage. German automotive giants Volkswagen and Daimler AG – which produces Mercedes-Benz – have made the Eastern Cape their home. This has contributed significantly to the provincial economy and socio-economic upliftment, further entrenching German links to the province, believes Bill Stephens, Volkswagen South Africa communications general manager.
“Events like these contribute not only to tourism, but also to appreciating cultural diversity and the varied history of South Africa. We must commend the members of the German Club for working so hard to give us a small taste of German culture – thank you and ‘prost’,” said Titus Chuene, marketing manager of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism.
Author: Amy Shelver
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