For a number of years ago I had the great pleasure to be with in a program on DR, which was called ‘do you Know who you are’, where I followed the trail of my family tree dating back to the 1600s.
It brought me bl.a. to Ghana, where my great-8 great grandmother was married to the Danish governor.
It was him who was responsible for the export of slaves to the Danish west indies. Seen with today’s eyes, it’s not something you should be proud, but I have it such with it, that I would much rather be curious about it than try to put distance to it.
During the filming of the tv program, I experienced the tremendous privilege it is to know its roots. To get the understanding that someone, as I am related to, have played a role in the story. As a member of the resistance, as the king’s right, which never does, or as a strong woman in a patriarchal society. I would have liked for all, that they were given the opportunity to delve into their own family history.
I have enjoyed to see the ‘Prince Joachim tells’ on DR K. It is so clear, that he is experiencing the exact same joy at the footsteps that his family has put into the story through more than 1,000 years. He does it skillfully, and I am almost moderligt proud of his obvious talent to convey. He is both funny and charming – words that are not often (and it is totally unfair) has been said about the prince.
It is so important to say, is that we all together carry on a story that comes from our ancestors. Knowingly or unknowingly we have become rounded by it, prior to our own existence, and I can be a Gorabet little annoyed with the fact that there is a trend of the time to would push the part in the background or even change it.
Last weekend I had the honor to get to be omviser on the National German exhibition displayed on the occasion of 30 anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. Here I talked to bl.a. with young germans about their relationship to the Wall, and the more sinister side of German history.
Funny enough, they have no greater need to delete or correct on something. They are just so bored of the nazi era as any other, and the gods should know, that it has withdrawn deep traces in the German self-understanding. Only the flag has been associated with tremendous shame and fear of being called nationalist.
Only after the WORLD cup in 2006 was the flag implemented as something that was festive and not the least of which anything of concern to the individual German. Today dare to be proud of his flag and his nation.
And the whims, frankly, in a time where many take distance. Where books are rewritten, and which calls into question the almost any festive occasion: we Have become christians? We can dress us out to the carnival? We can tolerate the platheder in the locker room, when the men’s team has won? I think we have been very ømskindede on the point.
We are so dangerous up in who we are. The identity of the individual is moved up in the first place, and the understanding of what it means to be human in a co-existence of good and evil, is dropped down the ladder.
It is important to choose who or what you are, so the outside world can take the proper precautions, than it is to understand the world we live in. To understand what it means to be human, and accept, that it to be people also contains pain and difficulties. I take nothing away from the the problem of identity runs. I deprecate, in turn, problematikkens extent, which no doubt takes up more of the privileged in countries.
And I think, frankly, it’s about our lack of knowledge of our own history. We have forgotten that we are a tiny part of a larger context, and instead, we insist on the individual’s influence and the right to choose. It seems, frankly, a bit selfish and self-assertive.
Annette Heick
Annette Heick was born in 1971. She is a journalist, tv host, singer, and entrepreneur, and is married to the chef Jesper Vollmer. She is the mother of two sons.
