Administrators of Karl May heritage defend themselves against allegations. Author was “educator for tolerance and cosmopolitanism”

Winnetou debate
Administrators of Karl May heritage defend themselves against allegations. Author was “educator for tolerance and cosmopolitanism”

Adventure writer Karl May

© Picture Alliance

The directors of the Karl May House and the Karl May Society also commented on the Winnetou debate: They accused the author’s critics of ignorance. Although May was a child of his time, his sympathy was always with the indigenous population.

The head of the Karl May House in Hohenstein-Ernstthal has accused critics of the latest Winnetou children’s books of being very ignorant and superficial. “I would like those who started this debate to pick up and read a Karl May book,” said André Neubert of the DPA news agency. Then they would certainly come to a different conclusion. He regrets that the Ravensburger company has withdrawn the books from sale. In his estimation, the critics are a small, vocal group who are closed to arguments. The whole thing is like patronizing others. The debate annoys him himself, said Neubert.

The world needs more Karl May, not less

According to the historian, Karl May was a critic of colonialism and a pacifist. He was very committed to international understanding. This is particularly evident in the blood brotherhood between the novel characters Winnetou and Old Shatterhand. In view of the current crises and wars in the world, more than less Karl May should be read, said Neubert.

Accusations of racism against the adventure author, who lived from 1842 to 1912, have also triggered a wide debate about how to deal with historical depictions of other cultures. The Karl May Society and the Karl May Foundation published an open letter entitled “Is Winnetou done?” and started a petition. The Karl May Museum in Radebeul now spoke of a “Winnetou cancellation”.

Sympathy goes to the indigenous population

The authors of the open letter responded to the argument that May “allegedly represents an outdated racist world view and romanticizes or conceals the genocide of the indigenous population of America”. As a German writer of the 19th century, May was “inevitably shaped by the habitus of a colonial age,” the letter says. Ethnic stereotypes that were common at the time and a Eurocentric perspective were contained in his early texts in particular. “It is the task of literary and cultural studies to work out these critically and to trace them back to their sources.”

Another argument put forward by the authors is that May shared the time-related world view with practically all authors of the past. “What is special about Karl May is that in his portrayal of the ‘Wild West’, the narrator’s sympathy is with the suffering indigenous population right from the start.” Their dignity and human qualities would be embodied in ideal figures like Winnetou. The tragic destruction of their material and cultural existence underlies all of May’s North American stories.

“Educator on Tolerance and Cosmopolitanism”

“Other locations – in South America and South Africa, in the Middle and Far East – oppression and economic exploitation, slavery and violent missions with their motives and consequences are repeatedly drastically demonstrated and unequivocally condemned,” it said. Arrogant contempt for non-European cultures, racist language and religious intolerance are consistently characteristics of Karl May’s negatively drawn antagonists. As a result, the author undoubtedly worked as an “educator of tolerance and cosmopolitanism” among his readers over several generations.

The Ravensburger company had withdrawn several of May’s books from sale due to allegations of racism. With the “Winnetou” titles, the “feelings of others were hurt,” the company justified its decision on Instagram. Hundreds of users of the social media platform then expressed their lack of understanding and accused the company of censorship or giving in to criticism. But there was also support for the decision.

May’s work translated into 30 languages

Karl May has Saxon roots. He was born in Hohenstein-Ernstthal and died in Radebeul. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages ​​and published in around 50 countries around the world.

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DPA

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