Excitement!!!
Some time ago I was contacted by a journalist who likes my art and wanted to interview me for an article in the magazin ‘afrikapost – Magazin für Politik, Wirtschaft und Kultur’. I agreed, although I have to admit that I was so nervous and almost said no.
Now the article is published and I am so grateful for a wonderfully written portrait of my art and me. Thank you, Tobias Döpker, editor of the Mannheimer Morgen Newspaper for taking the time and interest and for summing up the long interview in a perfect way!
So writing today’s post is made very easy for me, as I have the kind permission to share the article with you! Unfortunately for all my English-speaking readers, the article is in German. I am afraid you will miss out this time. I am sorry about that!
But, according to my site statistics the German readership of my blog and webpage has increased tremendously in the past two years and is actually leading in numbers, so here is a small special gift to all of you who are fluent in the German language. 🙂 Viel Spass beim lesen!
Please click on the image to be taken to a readable PDF version.
Magazin spread of the article in the Afrikapost Magazin (2/2014/Juni)
I hope you enjoyed the article! I would love to hear your thoughts about it!
Imke Rust 
Liebe Imke, was für ein schöner Artikel. Macht sehr neugierig auf Dich als Künstlerin. Herzlichen Glückwunsch dazu und zur Ausstellung im Februar! Alles Liebe
Danke Jutta. Ich freue mich, das der Artikel neugierig macht und ich so gutes feedback bekommen. Mehr kann sich eine Künstlerseele ja nicht wünschen. Liebe Grüsse!
Grrr… WordPress giving me issues about long comments again!!! My reading of German was never great but I think I made my way through it and understood (I hope) most of it.
Enjoyed the article, well written, interesting to read about you from another perspective. My only complaint — wish they showed more of your art! 🙂
So happy that you could manage reading the German. It is so nice to have a different perspective and another person, than only hearing what I have to say about my art. It is so difficult to get magazines to show more of the artworks, but knowing this, we could at least manage to slip in 1 1/2 works into the portrait picture 😉
Maybe you can split your comments in half? That way I could read all that you have to say, which I love so much. I am so grateful that we have met in this virtual world!
Ah, yes, split in half is a good idea except I couldn’t remember what I actually said 🙂
One comment was in regards to white African in Berlin and white German in Africa… I’m a first generation American, my parents and older brother born in Germany, and I often felt not American but not German. When I visited Germany I never felt more American but in America I never felt more German, never felt quite a part of either. Between two worlds, as the article points out for you, but I’ve always felt from reading your stuff that you felt “home” was in Namibia. Or do you never feel quite part of either?
Thank you for sharing your story. So interesting how you can relate! Yes, I always felt home to be Namibia and it will probably always be. But I also have realised recently that just because a place is where you grew up and feel comfortable because you know it and love many parts of it, it does not mean that you always feel ‘at home’. I feel and am Namibian. But as a white Namibian (in fifth generation) we have always been haunted by the debate of not belonging and being desendants of the evil colonialists… and just physically looking different to what people generally expect an African to look like.
I started to question what ‘home’ means for me, and realised that I cannot really connect it to a place or country, but rather to a feeling of belonging. Which might be more about being with kindered spirits than in a certain place.
I agree with that idea of being with kindred spirits as opposed to a specific place as being “home”. I have most of my happiest memories as a child being in CT yet I do not feel home here, or as if I belong anymore.
Seattle is where I feel happiest because of the environment — surrounded by water and mountains, gorgeous scenery wherever you go. It is also the closest I’ve ever come to feeling like I ‘belong’, which is probably another reason I long to return.
Sometimes though I wonder if I actually “belong” anywhere.
Oh Imke, das ist aber schön. Wie gut, daß Du nicht nein gesagt hast! Liebe Grüß Elke
Sent from my iPad
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Vielen Dank, Elke!