Migrants came into the GDR as students, contract workers, and refugees. They were often delegated by their governments to learn a trade and then assist with the development of their country of origin. They came primarily from socialist states which were considered friends, like Vietnam, Mozambique, Cuba and Angola. The web documentary “Eigensinn im Bruderland”, (“Obstinacy in the Brotherland”) is dedicated to their expectations and experiences in the GDR, and asks about their strategies to implement their own ideas for the future. The presentation places its emphasis on contract workers from Mozambique.

Ibraimo Alberto came to the GDR from Mozambique as an 18-year-old in 1981. He wanted to study Sports, but was put to work in a Berlin meat factory instead. Today, he is a social worker in Berlin.

Orquídea Chongo came to the GDR in 1980, also in the hope of pursuing her studies. She was trained as a specialist in textile fabrication at the VEB Thüringer Obertrikotagen Apolda. Today, she is a careworker in Berlin.

Julia Oelkers, journalist and documentary filmmaker from Berlin, with a focus on contemporary history, racism and migration.