64th edition – Wonderland – Pike & Hurricane

The beauty of who we are

Eman Said Omran — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 10:49:49 +0000

If you have plans for exotic travel, then book a flight to South Asia, Pakistan, in particular. Once you arrive in Pakistan, prepare yourself for an interesting road trip on the famous Karakoram highway, where you will be surrounded by serene nature and breathtaking mountains all the way to the Gilgit Baltistan region. From Gilgit Baltistan, take a shorter ride to Hunza Valley, the land of apricot orchards, peaches, apples, mulberry, walnuts, and grapes. The land of glacial streams and forests of poplar trees. In Hunza Valley you will get to meet the famous Shukrat Bibi, the protector of Hunza cultural heritage and one of the guardians of its identity.

Ms Shukrat Bibi’s shop at Karimabad.
Photo credit: Eman Said Omran

Shukrat Bibi is an 86-year-old artisan who uses her needlework to preserve the cultural heritage of Hunza Valley. She owns a small shop in Karimabad, the capital of Hunza Valley. The shop looks like a safe cave made of rocks. At the shopfront, one can see colourful handmade products, decorated with exquisite embroidery hanging on the door. An enchanting sight that lures you into the shop where you will find many more treasures of meticulously handmade beautiful embroidery. Shukrat Bibi uses her magical needle to sew traditional dresses, handbags, colourful caps and festive accessories.

Ms Shukrat Bibi in front of her shop at Karimabad
Photo credit: Eman Said Omran

At the entrance of the shop, Shukrat Bibi sits with her needle in hand. Dressed in the traditional Hunza attire and wearing a colourful Hunza cap, she welcomes national and international visitors into her world. She has a warm and friendly demeanor, an air of serenity. Hanging on the wall behind her a newspaper article is displayed about her precious work. She sees the article as a sign of appreciation and acknowledgement that she is keeping her Hunza heritage alive and flourishing (The Express Tribune). Inside the shop, one sees the Presidential Pride of Performance Award, an award granted by the President to recognize people with “notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, and nursing”. Shukrat Bibi’s award clearly acknowledges Pakistan’s gratitude for her hard work in “keeping the delicate art of do sutti karhai (embroidery) alive in the region”.

The Presidential Pride of Performance Award, 1992.
Photo credit: Eman Said Omran

At the age of 10, Shukrat Bibi’s mother taught her the art of embroidery. Now, Shukrat Bibi at the age of 86 has passed her skills and talent to hundreds of women in Hunza. The skills which she has passed on to them have contributed to their financial independence and they have become members of her cavalry fighting to preserve Hunza culture. Shukrat Bibi takes great pride in her efforts to keep the culture of handmade embroidery of Hunza alive and hopes that her students will continue this tradition.

Nowadays, the world has become a village. Today, the exotic Hunza Valley is a famous touristic spot not only for Pakistanis but for international travellers alike. Visiting Hunza brings benefits not only for the travellers themselves lucky enough to see it but for the district itself and for Pakistan as a country. However, it is important that the Hunza Valley retains its identity and unique charm in this age of globalization. Hunza Valley is blessed to have inhabitants like Shukrat Bibi and all of her students. A talented group of women who love their culture and identity and are proud to share their timeless history in our modern, globalized world.

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Wonderland – Impressions from Malmö

Tania L. — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 16:40:01 +0000

Fall colours in Folkets Park.
Taken at Café Jesusbaren …
… the Café is very quirky, artsy and homey.

These were taken while walking around the Seved neighbourhood in Malmö at sunset. It’s one of the infamous neighbourhoods in Malmö, but there are pretty corners that will catch your eye, and also, great street art.

Photographer: Tania L.

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Tender Ideas

Tim Klaenfoth — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 16:25:44 +0000

I still haven’t come down

Down from where I wanted to be days ago

From where I could have been years ago

And from where I should have been forever ago

I don’t hear a thing anymore

But the beat of the marching drum

Headed down the path to a future so vivid

Glistening much brighter than this one ever could

By Tim Klaenfoth

Picture by our photographer Tania L.

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The China Dream – A Utopia of Chinese World Hegemony?

Franziska Fink — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 16:08:28 +0000

These days it is easy to fall into a bad – or even a hopeless – mood. One just has to open a newspaper to be immediately reminded of the desperate state our world is in. Michail Schwanetzkij, a Russian satirist, famously coined the phrase “Crisis is our normal state”, and, unfortunately, he was not joking for once.

Trade wars, the Taliban in Afghanistan, a rise in populism, Covid-19 – to name a few – the worsening of the climate crisis lingering in the back… The world as our parents used to know it, is falling more and more apart at its seams. The postulation that each kid will once have a better life than their parents, a premise long uncontested, does not hold validity anymore these days.

But there is another promise, another vision of world order – pledging peace, prosperity and harmony – this time coming from the East. China has ambitious plans to restructure the world as we know it. Recently, the voices of Chinese politicians have become louder and adopted a more assertive tone, in propagating a promising new world, with China at its centre. Xi Jinping does not leave out any opportunities to proclaim the realization of the “China Dream”: “We must make persistent efforts, press ahead with indomitable will, continue to push forward the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and strive to achieve the Chinese dream of great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”

Xi’s ideas are often said to be associated with the book China Dream: Great Power Thinking and Strategic Posture in the Post-America Era in 2010 by Liu Mingfu, a retired Chinese colonel. In his best-selling book, Liu tells the story of how China will reassert its righteous place as the world’s dominant power and what life under Chinese hegemony would look like.

The “China Dream” and the possibility of a global Chinese hegemony could sooner turn into reality than one might think. China has been consistently and carefully rising among nations in the past thirty years. Starting in the 1990s, China began experiencing double-digit GDP growth. Even at its lowest GDP growth of 2,3% in 2020, the year of the Covid-19 related financial crisis, the Chinese economy is still expanding, making it one of the only G20 countries to not go into recession. By comparison, while the USA still has a higher GDP than China, its annual growth rate has been unstable and never exceeded one digit. The latest estimation is that the Chinese economy is on course to surpass the GDP of the US by 2028 or 2029.

Drawing on its economic advantage, China is developing and modernizing its military. By 2049, right on time for the 100th anniversary of the PRC, the People’s Liberation Army should be transformed into a “world-class” military.

All of these ambitious goals strive towards one thing only – the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Among Chinese decision-makers, the Western discourse of “China’s rise” is a sensitive issue, because in their eyes, China is not “rising”. It is simply reasserting its rightful place as a major power, as it used to be centuries ago. This narrative is derived from China’s past, ancient texts and cultural virtues. Texts by philosophers like Confucius and Mencius introduce the possibility of a different model of leadership, that of ‘true kingship’ or ‘humane authority’, known as Tianxia. It is a form of leadership that does not rely on hard power, but rather on cultural attraction and “winning the hearts of the people”, as well as on voluntary submission. So when Chinese politicians and key strategists speak of the world’s and China’s future, they are often referring to this narrative reassuring that China’s rise will not threaten the stability of the existing international system and in fact, will actually lead to greater global stability. This is because China will behave very differently than the US, as it will mainly rely on political power that is rooted in virtues and personal morality of the leaders.

However, Chinese officials are often accused of “selectively remembering” Chinese history to serve their political objectives and that they purposefully reconstruct China as an overly benevolent center of East Asia. Adversaries, such as scholar Teufel-Dreyer claims that “supporters of the revival of tianxia as a model for today’s world are essentially misrepresenting the past to reconfigure the future, distorting it to advance a political agenda that is at best disingenuous and at worst dangerous”.

Leaving all of this aside however, if it came true, what would life under the Chinese Dream look like? Amongst the consequences of the rising China narrative is a view on ‘Otherness’ that advocates conversion rather than coexistence. The best way to understand the establishment of a harmonious world is with the Confucian idea of “cultivating the self, regulating the family, governing the state, and pacifying the world”. This means that a wang ruler (sage king) “brings peace to the world” by first “cultivating his own moral value”, then the moral values of those he rules over.

Another influential ancient philosopher, Mozi, presents an even more radical approach, based on his notion of universal love. Mozi notes that all people have different opinions; therefore, when individuals act purely out of self-interest and rulers act only in the interests of their own nation, conflict arises. The emperor, if benevolent, unifies the opinions of state leaders and through them all the people. Yet, this involves not just a radical reordering of people’s preferences but the construction of new identities, such that all become part of “one world, [with] one dream”. This process of “harmonizing the world”, requires hence the complete erasure of difference in the world. It requires the creation of new identities such that all belong to the new harmonious world order, leaving little room for those who may not wish to belong.

By Franziska Fink

Related articles:

A Vision for the World with Chinese Characteristics

One Belt, One Road – China’s Path to the West

Photo credits:

“Xi Jinping at the EP” by European Parliament is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

US National Archives & DVIDS – GetArchive | PH1 WINSTON C. PITMAN, USN, Credit: U.S Navy

“Confucius” by JayPLee is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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Christiana – A Wonderland come true?

Runa Ziegler — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 15:46:09 +0000

What for some appears to be the ultimate dream-come-true wonderland might for others be the worst nightmare. Christiania, a community in Copenhagen, most certainly is one of the places on which opinions differ.

Christiania lies in the heart of Copenhagen – only about 35 kilometers from Malmö University – and used to be a military site. In the 1970s, the area started to be used by a social fringe group and slowly turned into what it is today: an alternative society or so-called “Freetown”. The community is based on anarchism and commits to self-governance; in practice, that means that housing is publicly owned and financed through crowdfunding. The property on which all of Christiania is built is owned by a non-profit organization that is financially supported by people all over Denmark. Because of this, the area is not affected by the speculations of the real estate market and does not partake in the ups and downs of the market economy. The living situation of Christiania’s inhabitants is therefore much more secure in regards to reliable and affordable rent prices.

Even though the property is shared and owned by a non-profit organization, residents are allowed to make any changes they want. They are not only encouraged to develop their own living space but also to partake in upholding the community: In several workgroups – like infrastructure child-care, press office, and economy – the population of Christiana can contribute to current projects and help in advancing the overall project.

Moreover, the Freetown has its own institutions and mechanisms for road works, garbage collection, and providing care-taking for young children. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Christiania still are a part of Copenhagen’s society as large parts of the community work in Denmark’s capital, go to schools there and use infrastructure that Christiania doesn’t provide – like hospitals. Many of the people who don’t work in Copenhagen work independently in the arts sector.

But the wonderland that Christiania portrays for some people is being more and more disturbed by police raids. A part of its self-governing structure is that Christiania has a liberal attitude towards soft drugs. Despite this fact, the Freetown was left in peace for a long time. This has changed during the past few years and there are rising tensions between the inhabitants and the police.

Apart from this recent development that makes Christiania appear less like an attractive place to live in, another question that remains is how much Christiania is scalable and if it can be a model for other communities. On the one hand, it seems like self-governance is a form of community that is supported by many young people as it gives them the freedom to participate in their community and customize their own space. Besides, the fact that Christiania’s renting prices are independent of the fluctuations of the market prevents gentrification and makes housing affordable – even in Copenhagen.

On the other hand, critics of the project make the point that it might not be economically sustainable for cities to have communities like Christiania.

If you want to dive deeper into the topic and listen to inhabitants of Christiania addressing those issues, ckeck out this YoutTube video.

By Runa Ziegler

Photo credits:

(CC BY 2.0) taken by brooke | Scott Raymond | Flickr

(CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) Christiania, Copenhagen | One of the many creative spaces wi… | Flickr

(CC BY-NC 2.0) Christiania | Christiania, Copenhague, Dinamarca. Más inform… | Flickr

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“I’ve been looking for freedom”, or have I?

Tim Klaenfoth — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 09:29:46 +0000

The German Democratic Republic (GDR) was an ambitious project. Good intentions intertwined with bad ideas and the harsh reality of a global capitalist economy, and what resulted was an economically weak espionage state that ensured “safety” and public peace through all means necessary. Stuck in constant competition with its economically more successful neighbor state, East-Germany had to forcefully fend off migration out West and used heavy propaganda to combat the issue. Nonetheless, rumors of a better future out West reached the masses, and some risked their lives to flee the regime. After the reunion, which was really the Federal Republic of Germany (FGR) overtaking East-Germany, all the crimes committed by the regime came to the light of day, and the West felt reaffirmed, further strengthening a too straightforward, tainted view of the dynamic between the supposed capitalist utopia and backward socialist country.

In later years, however, the real difficulties of the East-West relationship started permeating the one-sided narrative of the Great West and came to show a strong ambivalence towards a newly united Germany, especially among East Germans.

What is nowadays too often excluded from the conversation, is the fact that many people remember their time in socialism fondly. The idea of a “wonderland” out West simply doesn’t hold up for many people, especially considering that after the reunion, the East has been steadily dealing with a weak job market and slowed economic growth.

The following interview presents this complicated emotional state about having left a heavily controlled environment very well. I asked to talk to my former kindergarten teacher, someone who, for obvious reasons, influenced me a great deal. She is a woman that wears her heart on her sleeve, is grounded in the most likable way, and is representative of a generation victim to an emotional turmoil in the years past 1989, which were previously unseen. Feelings of insecurity surfaced for her once the wall came down, and the safety that was once self-evident seemed to fade, whilst at the same time seemingly opening up many new doors, and further complicating the lives of many Germans, who, as a nation, were still smitten by the impact of World War II.

Pike & Hurricane: Just briefly for our readers, who are you?

Schmitt: My name is Regine Schmitt, I am 55 years old, and a kindergarten teacher here in Berlin. I was raised in what used to be East Berlin and was about 21 when the wall came down.

P&H: How would you describe your childhood?

S.: Whew, my childhood was really, how I should say, happy? Yeah. I grew up very sheltered, let me say it that way. I have two sisters, one older, one younger. My parents were both working.

First day of school in East Berlin for Schmitt.

P&H: What did they do for work?

S.: My mother was a kindergarten teacher, too, and my father worked for the “Deutsche Reichsbahn” (East German Railway). I went to school for ten years, as you used to, and then did vocational training to become a kindergarten teacher, which is what I really wanted to do. So yeah, I had a good childhood. We traveled a lot, as my family is originally from the Baltic Sea, and so we always went there over the holidays. I can’t really say anything negative. Especially as a kid, I didn’t really see any of that, all the things that were happening in the world.

P&H: What was your financial situation like?

S.: Nowadays, I would say average, middle class. We weren’t rich, but also not poor. But we had what we wanted, and even had a car, which was really something at that time. Being mobile and all that.

P&H: How did you and your family view the West back then?

S.: We learned a lot in school about how the West is full of Capitalists, people are exploited, and everything is just not as nice as it’s always presented on TV. That’s what I learned in school, you know? I was really scared, well, not scared, but I felt bad for those people. They don’t have it as nice as me, I thought. They don’t grow up in as secure of an environment. They always suggested to us, that we’re being protected from Capitalism and all these bad people.

P&H: Did you experience anything positive about the West?

S.: Yes, they had many things that I didn’t have. Like candy, or when you saw advertisements on TV, you’d see all these toys. All these colorful, bright things, I didn’t have all those. But I also can’t say I missed any of that. I had toys, too, like dolls and stuff. But sometimes you’d see the commercials and think: “Oh wow, that’s pretty”. I also knew that I’d never have those things, so I just took it at face value. That’s fine too, I thought.

P&H: Did you ever think the wall would come down, and you’d be here in West Berlin?

S.: No, no, never. Not even in my dreams. I wasn’t really politically active or anything, like some other people, were. Even when I was around 14, 15, 16, I didn’t really think about these things. Many others were much more engaged with it than I was, but that really wasn’t me. I was happy to graduate, to learn a profession, and that made me content somehow. But I would have never thought of the wall coming down.

Schmitt in front of the Fernsehturm. Once a symbol of communist power; now one of Berlin’s most popular tourist attractions.

P&H: But then it did come down, how did you feel?

S.: Good question. I have thought about this a lot if I’m able to somehow summon those feelings again. I can still remember being at home and I really couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t scared, but I really didn’t know what’s coming next. I grew up sheltered from everything, everything was “good” so far. We didn’t have a lot of things, but we got used to that, so I had no idea what all this meant now. Insecure, is the best way to put it. The next day, when I went to work, I realized that a lot of colleagues didn’t show up anymore. They just left. They left their families behind. There were even cases, where you would only see the father of a child anymore because the mother had left to head out West. And I just thought: “How could they? Just because some wall came down, how could you leave your family like that?” I couldn’t understand it, it was surreal.

P&H: What is your stance on the common stereotype that all East Germans wish the wall was still standing?

S.: No, I really don’t think that way. Sometimes one might say that nonchalantly, but I really can’t say that. Everyone is responsible for their own life, and if I want to live well, I have to act on that. That’s my view on it. Complaining about how everything used to be better, I really wouldn’t do that.

P&H: We just wrapped up German Unity Day in early October, does that day make you feel any kind of way?

S.: No, not at all. Back in East Germany, we had all these “mandatory holidays”, where you’d have to go somewhere, dress nicely in your blue FDJ (Free German Youth) shirt and march, wave, and all that, and I never liked that. I’m really happy those things don’t exist anymore, and now I’m just happy to have a day off. I’m not sad, or anything. I just take it as it is.

By Tim Klaenfoth

Related articles:

Back to the Roots

The Case of the Mistaken Identity

Photo credits:

Featured image: Raphaël Thiémard from Belgium., CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Picture 1 and 2: The pictures stem from the private collection of Regine Schmitt.

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