Greetings from Africa: German mentality from the perspective of a Tanzanian missionary

ISBN 103872145371, Erlanger Verlag 2012, 190 pages, 15.00 euros.

From "polepole" to "zackzack". Germans are reliable, punctual and naturally infatuated with bureaucracy - that's the cliché. But how do we Germans really tick? Emmanuel Kileo, a Tanzanian pastor, comes to Germany as a missionary and tries to fathom the German mentality with a twinkle in his eye. He allows us to relive everyday scenes from an unusual perspective - from the intimidating authority of stacks of German files to the constant time pressure during the Sunday church service. And why do German journalists always write about the sparse facilities in African schools, but never about the agonising cramped conditions in German school buses? Emmanuel Kileo holds up a mirror to our church and society - because what others think of us counts when we look for what we really are.

To order (see below).

Whiteness as an Ideological Construct in Church South-North Partnerships

ISBN 103872145487, Erlanger Verlag 2014, 308 pages, 19.80 euros.

White people are not colourless ... ... yet whiteness is (still) considered normal in our society- so normal that whiteness becomes invisible. It is assumed and, thus, at the same time excludes everything that does not fit into this "normal" case. The consequences are subtle - sometimes unconscious - discriminatory practices and the ongoing stability of the oppressive relationship between whites and blacks. The victim researches the perpetrator as Emmanuel Kileo, a pastor from Tanzania, Africa, speaks from his own experiences in everyday life, prompting him to investigate the construct of "whiteness". In doing so, he focussed on the relationship between the church's South-North partnerships. As part of a participant observation, he documents how the construct of "whiteness" also impairs joint co-operation in this sphere. Based on his observations, he derives recommendations for action that should enable a genuine partnership of equals. Because, ultimately, God's kingdom is neither white nor black - it is colourful.

 

Order:

Both books are available in the bookshop of the Ludwig-Harms-Haus in Hermannsburg.

Orders by e-mail to buchhandlung(at)ludwig-harms-haus(dot)de or telephone +49 (0)5052 432 99 88 (plus postage costs if applicable).