Sow, Die schwarze Madonna, 2019

Categorized as 200-level course, 300 or 400-level course, Black German Studies, Lesson Plan, Noah Sow, Race & Ethnicity

Frame and Preparation


Die schwarze Madonna: Afrodeutscher Heimatkrimi 

Conceptual Frames and Background

  • Krimi
  • Road trip genre 
  • Mother-daughter relationship, alleinerziehende Mutter
  • Black German
  • German schools
  • Contemporary literature
  • City vs. country

Introduction

Fatou, a department store detective, is taking her daughter Yesim from Hamburg to Altötting and Neuötting to see where she grew up. On the way, they discuss their divergent plans for Yesim’s secondary school. The narrator, through the mother and daughter’s argument, addresses how race, skin color, and class inflect the characters’ lives as women, workers, and students. Fatou wishes that her daughter will go to a Gymnasium, both because her talents suit her for Gymnasium but also because Fatou knows from experience that life without an Abitur is difficult, with low pay. As they arrive, they note an environment in which attitudes toward refugees (and POC) are not uniformly welcoming, particularly relative to Hamburg. 

Text and Discussion


  • How do the characters navigate the stereotypes and social expectations (of race, class, education, work, etc.) placed on them?
  • Why does Yesim not want to go Gymnasium? And what does that say about expectations – generational, societal, racial?
  • How is “Heimat” or “home” defined by the characters and the narrator?
  • How do concepts of race and class intersect with urban vs. small town environments?