When he passed away in 2019, Theodor Wonja Michael was widely considered to be the last survivor of the first generation of native Afro-Germans. (Liverpool) As he discusses in the interview embedded above, Michael was born to a Cameroonian father and white German mother in 1925. (shwarzrotgold)
He survived World War II by acting in German colonial films in attempts to avoid being sent to a concentration camp. (Black Central Europe) From my research of Black Germans during the Holocaust, it is clear that Michael’s decision to begin acting was not an uncommon one. Black Germans saw an opportunity to stay alive, and many, including Michael, did.
The stories and legacy of Theodor Wonja Michael have become important to the field of Black German studies because of the long and illustrious life that he had as a scholar and activist after the war. For example, despite the circumstances under which he was introduced to acting, Michael became a celebrated Shaekespearean German actor during the 60s and He also went back to college and got his Master’s degree from the Institute of Economics and Politics in Hamburg. (Philp)
Michael understood the importance of the public hearing his story directly from his mouth, so he gave lectures and held meet and greets all around the world. He also published an autobiography about his life called Black German: An Afro-German Life in the Twentieth Century.
In an interview conducted by The Washington Post about Michael’s speaking engagement at Howard University in 2000, the survivor makes clear his activist spirit. He says Black people should “be proud of [their] history and of being black, and use the law if something criminal is done to [them]–force these supposed liberal countries to practice what they preach in the law books.”
Watch this interview of Theodor Monja Michael conducted in 2015 by Jermaine Raffington. Listen to the wise and intriguing words of a man who one can no longer talk to in person.
Bibliography:
Afro-German History: DOMiD Archive Acquires Estate of Theodor Wonja Michael. (2021, January 20). DOMiD | Documentation Centre and Museum of Migration in Germany. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://domid.org/en/news/press-releases/domid-acquires-estate-of-theodorwonjamichael/
liverpooluniversitypressblog. (2018, August 29). Black German: The moving and illuminating story of Theodor Michael – An interview with Eve Rosenhaft. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://liverpooluniversitypress.blog/2018/08/29/black-german-the-moving-and-illuminating-story-of-theodor-michael-an-interview-with-eve-rosenhaft/
Philp, R. (2000, October 23). German Of Color. The Washington Post. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/10/23/german-of-color/033ea8d4-3557-408b-8304-53014f901e53/
Schwarz Rot Gold TV. (2015, May 4). Theodor Wonja Michael – Schwarz Rot Gold [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e39TJUbSMts
