Sirka Facklam writes from her own experience about  Leipzig in autumn 1989

The town of Leipzig has always been known as MESSESTADT (City of trade fairs), BUCHSTADT (City of books), MUSIKSTADT (City of music) among others, but in autumn 1989 another title was attributed to the East-German town for the role it played during the turbulent times of change in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR): HELDENSTADT (City of heroes).  1989 was the year when the communist leaders of the GDR wanted the people to celebrate with pomp and propaganda the 40^th birthday of the Republic. But a large part of the population spoiled these plans and dared to express their frustration about their living conditions, the limited freedom and the dilapidation of the historic city centres. Many people decided to leave the country and applied for an AUSREISEANTRAG - an official permit to move to West Germany, a step, which was usually coupled with repression and reprisal.  

In 1989 people who had applied for their AUSREISEANTRAG started to meet every Monday at the NIKOLAIKIRCHE (Nikolai Church) in Leipzig to pray together to feel some solidarity and support. This same NIKOLAIKIRCHE would soon become the symbol of opposition and change in the political landscape of East Germany.   It was evident that Monday after Monday more people gathered despite the tight police chain around the church as the MONTAGSGEBETE (Monday prayers) quickly became not only a meeting point for people who wanted to leave the country, but also for people who were longing for democracy within the GDR and who finally decided to make their voices heard. In fact, on October 2^nd, 1989 the rumour spread among the people of Leipzig that for the first time, a large group of people will leave the NIKOLAIKIRCHE to take to the streets of Leipzig. The atmosphere in the city was tense. Police in riot gear, police trucks and plain clothes secret service officers (STASI) were present everywhere. Nevertheless people were forming a procession of a few thousand demonstrators and marched along the RING, a ring road that encloses the historical city centre. The demonstrators chanted SCHLIESST EUCH AN! (March along with us!) and KEINE GEWALT (No violence!) while they passed the heavily guarded main train station. Shortly before reaching the RUNDE ECKE (“Round corner”, the head quarter of the Leipzig secret service STASI) the police violently broke up the demonstration and arrested many demonstrators.  

The unfounded and defying reportage in the press about this event during the next days made people even more furious and willing not to accept the situation any more. The tradition of the MONTAGSDEMONSTRATION was born and the town was waiting in anticipation and anxiety for the events on the following Monday, October, 9^th 1989, two days after brutal clashes between demonstrators and police during official festivities. It was evident though that the people were ready to join the demonstration on Monday despite the possible consequences of violence and reprisal.  There was a ghostly atmosphere in the town on the afternoon of October 9^th, as a lot of people hurried home after work not to get caught in the events, many shops closed early, the streets were partly deserted apart from the enormous police presence in the town. There was a rumour that the police were armed and would use force that evening. Hospitals were ordered to be prepared for the worst.  

Nevertheless an enormous number of people gathered around the NIKOLAIKIRCHE after the MONTAGSGEBET and an overwhelming number of 70.000 demonstrators took to the streets of Leipzig that evening chanting slogans like “WIR SIND DAS VOLK” (We are the people!), KEINE GEWALT!, WIR BLEIBEN HIER! (We stay here! – as opposed to those who wanted to leave the country). There was a feeling of immense solidarity and optimism that this demonstration of people’s power must eventually lead to more democracy. The police kept back and after a while the voice of Kurt Masur, the conductor and artistic director of the world famous GEWANDHAUS ORCHESTER and a very respected personality in Leipzig was heard via loudspeakers reading an appeal supported by many famous Leipzig personalities to ask everyone to refrain from violence and promising that they will do everything in their power to start a dialogue with the government to bring around the much desired changes. This appeal was met with relief and the demonstration did in fact end peacefully and the press coverage next day was already much more realistic and truthful.   This demonstration on October 9^th  in Leipzig set the signal to many more MONTAGSDEMONSTRATIONEN not just in Leipzig, but all over East Germany, leading to the MAUERFALL (fall of the Berlin Wall) on November 9^th and the events culminating in the unification of Germany on October 3^rd, 1990, barely a year after the people of Leipzig took to the streets.

Lora Spiteri
Head of School at Fgura Primary B
Member of the German-Maltese Circle since 1976
Interviewed by Ingrid B. Kidder

When I asked Ms. Lora Spiteri whether she would agree to be interviewed, she shook her head and replied that she had led a perfectly normal life, adding: “nothing special to talk about”. Of course, I would not believe her and the following page will tell about her strive for perfection, which was underlined with a whole folder full of all sorts of performance certificates and awards. 

Lora was born and lived in Zejtun all her life. She had a very happy childhood, developing soon a love for books. The introduction to reading was most probably started when she used to visit her mother’s aunt who was a head teacher and who had many books, thus creating a milieu of learning and reading. While her home and village language was Maltese, her English as a “foreign” language continued to broaden when she attended the Maria Regina Grammar School in Blata l-Bajda. She passed her Oxford O Levels and later a private matriculation in Mathematics and Maltese. The Teachers’ Training College was her next aim from where she graduated in 1967, and started teaching in a primary school immediately thereafter.  

For some nineteen years she taught subjects like Italian, as well as Textiles and Design (Needlework) in different secondary schools until she became Head of the Department of Textiles and Design and Home Economics in Secondary Schools in 1975 which post she held for thirteen years. In 1987 she was appointed Head of School at Kalkara Primary School. Later she was posted as Head of School at Zebbug A and at Ghaxaq Primary School. At present she is the Head of School at Fgura Primary B. 

And one day in the early seventies she had what she called the “exotic idea” to learn German. She even remembers the first spark for this:  She was attending one of her numerous summer courses at different Universities in Italy, offered by the Italian Embassy for teachers of Italian. Among her newly made friends there were German speaking students, who of course chatted away in their home lingo. Lora felt left out and instead of blaming the others for not speaking Italian, she decided she simply had to learn German. And her first and initial lesson took place there and then in a Cafeteria at the University of Perugia. “Guten Morgen” being her first idiom. The word “ich” came much later because: “I could not pronounce it however much I tried - with and without laughter.” But she has learnt it in the meantime!  

Immediately on the return from Perugia she enrolled in her first course at the German-Maltese Circle starting October 1974, and she loved it. The enjoyment of getting close to another language exited her, and her progress was fast and steady led by Dr. Conrad, then teaching most of the classes at the German-Maltese Circle. Already in 1975 with her very rudimentary knowledge of German she went on her first trip to München and Stuttgart together with just one other young girl friend. Thirty years ago this was quite an achievement! 

Although being a full-time teacher, the urge for learning never left her, and she enrolled at the University of Malta for a BA in Italian and Classical Culture and Civilisation, graduating in January 1982. Two years later followed her Diploma for Teaching of Home Economics. In 1985 together with Father Dr. Debono she accompanied a group of 25 young ladies on a German exchange trip to Lohr am Main (in the Spessart). Between 1991 and 1993 she was awarded three bursaries for German studies given by the Council of Europe for teachers , at the Akademie für Lehrerfortbildung (College for further education for teachers) in Dillingen an der Donau and in 2003 in Meissen. She also participated in seminars organised by the German-Maltese Circle for teachers of German.   

For a number of years Lora was the Examiner for the London O-Levels for the oral tests in German and Italian. From 1995 to 1999 she taught evening classes for German for adults at the Maria Regina Junior Lyceum in Blata l-Bajda. Today Lora still attends conversation evenings at the German-Maltese Circle and whole heartedly promotes the German language during the “Language Day” at her school. 

It was nearly superfluous to ask what her hobby would be – obviously dealing in any conceivable way in the German language, and travelling. She has been in various cities in Germany and other capital cities all over Europe where she is fascinated by their different cultures. Yet, asked if a magic wand could transfer her today to a place next to heaven, her answer came spontaneously: Freiburg at the foot of the Black Forest.  And her most sincere wish: “I would like children to genuinely interest themselves and develop a love for a foreign language which for them would be a solid bridge to other cultures and other peoples.”

Nowhere else has English influenced a language so much as it has in Germany. English words are commonly being turned into verbs, while many Germans are opting to use English phrases rather than a German equivalent.  A group of concerned Germans, who find the "unrestrained use of Anglicism extremely annoying," are trying to hold back the tide of Denglisch (deutsch + englisch).  The German Language Association [VDS], based in Dortmund, not only laments the takeover by English, but also chides the unrestrained use of English to Germans.

In the May 29 edition of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Executive Committee Chairman of Deutsche Bank Josef Ackermann was quoted as saying "Wir sind nach wie vor committed in Deutschland,".  With wealth and power, Mr. Ackermann, a Swiss, can probably get away with almost anything. But it didn't escape the critics of Denglisch. 

Phrases that make up day-to-day German include "Fast Food," "dänce (also dance)," "brainstorming," "shoppen (for to shop)," "close of business (C.O.B.)," "congratulation" and even "button-down-Hemd (shirt)."  Another perpetrator of really bad German is Microsoft. The German version of Windows Defender, an anti-malware program, simply uses very bad German (and English). On the installation dialogue, it says: "Windows Defender Wird Installing / Die gewählten Programmfeatures werden installed. / Bitte warten Sie, während Windows Defender installs wird. / Dies kann mehrere Minuten dauern."  While most Germans can and will understand English, butchering German (as well as English) is inexcusable.

The German Language Association maintains an up-to-date Anglicism index which lists hundreds of English words and phrases that are either borrowed directly or morphed with German declensions and conjugation.  The word "space," for example has been morphed into "abgespaced" which means "to flip out" or "to go nuts." "Shop" has become a noun and a verb ("shoppen"), while phrases like "reality show," "reality soap" and "real time" have been imported directly. 

Mr. Ackermann, the Deutsche Bank chair, is not alone. "Currency" and "currency peg" are being used widely instead of their German equivalent.  Granted, German words tend to be long. "Cut and paste" would be "ausschneiden und einfügen." "Vanity [number | plate]" would be "personifizierende [Telefonnummern | Kennzeichen]."  The Web site of a popular prime time show, "TV Total" on the ProSieben network, offers little hope for the survival of German. Their navigation menu contains "Show," "Downloads, "News & Termine," "Backstage," "Community" and "Shop."

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