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„Gerd Meuer, Urviech des Afrika-Journalismus und – Optimist…“
Rupert Neudeck (Gründer des Komitee Cap Anamur/Deutsche Notärzte e.V. und Vorsitzender des Friedenskorps Grünhelme e.V.) in: epd Entwicklungspolitik, 15/2005
Wole Soyinka:
Zitat aus „IBADAN“, dt. Übersetzung bei Ammann, Zürich, 1998. S. 480-481:
„Ein wilder Kerl vom deutschen Rundfunk namens Gerd Meuer trotzte der xenophobischen Reaktion gegenüber ausländischen Journalisten und verblüffte, irritierte und unterhielt die Polizisten, bis sie es schließlich lernten, mit seinen unvermuteten Besuchen zu leben. Einmal durchbrach er ihr jüngstes „Unterlassungsurteil“ mit einem Picknickkorb, der ein von seiner Frau zubereitetes Menü enthielt. Gefangener und Gefangenenwärter genossen die exotischen Leckereien, während die Ermittlungsbeamten weiter nach Zeugen fahndeten, Aussagen aufnahmen und nach Verbindungsleuten suchten...“
"I look at Gerd Meuer – he is at home one moment here and one moment there...It has never occured to me that there is a problem, or that there is something special about anybody striving towards two or three or four multiple worlds.
It is a very Eurocentric thing...“
in: „Wole Soyinka on Identity“, from a conversation with Ulli Beier, Iwalewa-Haus, University of Bayreuthj 1992, page 1
Gerd,
S.L. Akintola used to say, during the persistent move against his regime - 'If the chickens do not lay in the Western Region, they blame SLA. If there is a drought, they blame SLA. If the rains ruin their crops, they blame SLA.... If their wives are not impregnated or, being duly impreg., deliver daughters instead of sons, they blame SLA....
That's the way it goes. If WS does not show up somewhere, they must blame GM. What is life without someone to blame? However.....
Widmung: "For the one + only Gerd YoruBabarvarian Wole Soyinka"
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 200600:16:46 +0200
Subject: Order of the Ultimate Consumation
From: SOYINKA...
To: GerdMeuer@...
To: Herr Gerd Meuer of the Barvabarian Tribe, The Dark Forest, Germany
Gerd,
A year or two after my return from prison, after a post-rehearsals supper provided in his apartment - just behind the Arts Theatre and thus most suited for assuaging late-night hunger and thirst - plus other fleshly assignations - was born the Order of Ultimate Consumation, consisting of three eternal members - Femi Johnson, Doig Simmonds, and myself. Doig incarnated this order with three insignias ( a kind of neck-rope with owo eyo as centrepiece, three in number, to be kept by each of the trio until death did us part. At each reunion, we flashed these insignias and put them round our necks. Femi was first to break this link. I surrendered mine to a Venezuelan poet/dramatist in Bilbao(?) - it was in Spain, I recollect that was where Seamus Heaney and I first met. In a spontaneously inspired gesture - on my way to the airport - I put it round her neck, and assured her that as long as she kept it on, she would recover. She did.
Well, only a month ago, the two survivors, Doig and I, met in London, where he turned in his insignia, saying that I should be the custodian of the last, since I'd given mine away for a worthy cause of which he fully approved at the time. I have it in my travel bag.
Right, so much of the potted history of the OUC, details of whose founding may be inaccurate, since we were all, as may be imagined, drunk at that time of the night.
When I - and you - were last home on these grounds of the birth of the OUC, I only briefly glimpsed the haunch of proscuitto that you had smuggled across immigration into this same land. Only three days ago, on arrival, did I get round to slicing a bit off it and - egeremititi! - was I knocked back by the sheer size of it? Nothing close to OBJ's smuggled cargoes, but he was in a class by himself. Objectively assessed, also below the smuggled eta by this member through Italian customes, but definitely a venture of which OBJ would have been proud to acknowledge as a feat of emulation worth rewarding.
Taking into consideration additional proofs of commitment, such as your invasion of my cell at Iyaganku in the old Western Region Wetie days, with hampers of Indonesian food, and your valiant emulation of the spirit of Femi Johnson, OB Laulau, Universal Trencherman etc. of immortal memory, and subject to, but confident of the approval of our surviving brother, Doig Simmonds, I hereby induct you into the ORDER OF THE ULTIMATE CONSUMATION, the ceremony of which shall be performed on my next visit to Heidelberg with a haunch of bacon and/or rod of salami across your epaulettes, with all rights, priveleges, and responsibilities thereof etc. etc.
Wole Soyinka
Akinlatun of Egva
Akogun of Isara
Commanderie de la Dive Bouteille of St Nicolas et Bourgeil
etc etc
Founding Member, ORDER OF THE ULTIMATE CONSUMATION
Ilija Trojanow:
"Widmung vom 'Weltensammler': Für Gerd! Afrikaner par excellence! Ilija Trojanow"
Langston Hughes:
Widmung vom Altmeister der Harlem Reniassance Langston Hughes:
"My second life to Gerd Meuer - Sincecerly Langston Hughes Dakar, April, 1966"
(auf dem "Festival des Arts Nègres" - Dakar, Senegal)
Francis Bebey:
Widmung von Francis Bebey: "Pour Gerd Meuer "Le Meilleur", mon frère, mon ami. Francis Bebey"
Ahmadou Kourouma:
Widmung von Ahmadou Kourouma: "A Gerard avec mes... amicale. micale parce le lecteur et un ami. Ahmadou Kourouma"
Camara Laye:
Widmung von Camara Laye: "á mon Ami Gerd bien amicalement Camara Laye"
Taban lo Liyong:
Widmung von Taban lo Liyong: "Gerd, Either you are an Eating Chief - or you are an Eaten Chief from Eating Chief Taban lo Liyong"
Tchicaya U Tam'si:
Widmungen von Tchicaya U Tam'si: "Pour Gerd Meuer, mein lieber Freund, avec joie et fraternité Tam'si" und "A Gerd Meuer pour l'integrer à l'.... (d'etre???) poete de ses amis - Tam'si"
Patrice Nganang:
Widmungen von Patrice Nganang: "a mon frère découvert d'une manière qui nous fait encore …. Patrice Nganang pour le Meilleur! Gerd" und "Dear reverred brother, I have learned ... much from you; I have taken ... much from you; I have ... ... much through you, without your knowledge. Thank you so much Patrice Nganang"
Tsitsi Dangarembga:
Widmung von Tsitsi Dangarembga: "Dear Gerd, That was very well moderated. Warmest wishes Tsitsi Dangarembga"
(Entstehungsgeschichte: Im Rahmen eines der von mir konzipierten Afrika-Programme in der Münchner Muffat-Halle war auch eine Talkshow mit Afrikanerinnen vorgesehen, die natürlich - gender-correct - von einer Frau moderiert werden sollte. Doch Barbara Dieckmann fiel wegen Magenverstimmung aus, so dass ich in letzter Sekunde als Moderator einspringen musste.
Tsitsi kam mit ihrer 'eigenen' Übersetzerin angereist, die ich ihr dann ausredete: "Tsitsi, das kostet uns nur kostbare Zeit. Ich mache das schon alles - zusammenfassend - alleine."
Ich moderierte an:
"Meine Damen, wie Sie sehen können, bin ich weder Frau noch schwarz. Wenn Sie möchten, können wir es trotzdem gemeinsam versuchen..."
Wir haben es dann gemacht, und dann schrieb Tsitsi diese Widmung.) |
