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“important today”
Why Ravensburger did something good with the Winnetou debate
The young chief Winnetou (Mika Ullritz) in a scene from “The Young Chief Winnetou”. The film, which hit theaters on August 11, has been the subject of criticism. He serves racist prejudices and uses a colonialist narrative style.
© Marc Reimann/Leonine Studios/DPA
Ravensburger Verlag stops the children’s book “The Young Chief Winnetou”. The reason: The feedback from the users showed “that we hurt the feelings of others with the Winnetou titles”. Niklas Ennen from the organization “Survival International” supports the decision.
The debate is in full swing – from ex-Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who revealed himself as a Winnetou fan, to actress Uschi Glas, who considers the ban to be excessive, many prominent figures have commented on it. Niklas Ennen works for “Survival international”, his organization works closely with indigenous peoples, runs campaigns and fights for people’s land rights, for example. Ennen says in the 347th edition of the podcast “important today”: “We are pleased that the discussion was initiated, that we are talking in society about how we represent indigenous peoples. And at the same time, that says a lot about how much the stories of Winnetou and books by Karl May have shaped our image of these peoples in Germany.”
“Winnetou” books leave out part of the story
With the criticism of the publisher, there is always the argument that the books are about friendship and solidarity, everything is very positively charged. But that’s exactly the problem with it, agrees Niklas Ennen: “You have to say very clearly that the white settler society treated the indigenous population of North America terribly, there was a transmission of diseases, the indigenous population was brutally wiped out and finally to genocide.” And this part of the story is left out, so completely wrong images form in the minds of children and young people.
threat from mainstream society
Around the world, around 370 million people of indigenous origin live in around 70 countries. They often have a different lifestyle, a very close connection to their country and a close bond in groups. Indigenous peoples are repeatedly pushed aside through interference by mainstream society. “Christian missionaries believe that they are allowed to go into indigenous areas to proselytize, which often involves the transmission of diseases and the extermination of these people. Another big problem is land grabbing, which we usually see in large-scale resource extraction or infrastructure projects, that the land is appropriated or stolen by indigenous peoples and that too is based on a colonial or racist assumption that these people should be given a certain amount of development and that they themselves do not know how to manage their areas,” says Niklas Ennen on “important today”.
© TVNOW / Andreas Friese
Podcast “important today”
Sure, opinionated, on the 12: “today important” is not just a news podcast. We set topics and initiate debates – with attitude and sometimes uncomfortable. Host Michel Abdollahi and his team speak out for this star– and RTL reporters with the most exciting people from politics, society and entertainment. They let all voices have their say, both the quiet and the loud. Anyone who hears “important today” starts the day well informed and can have a well-founded say.
Human rights also apply to the indigenous population
Good coexistence is possible, but human rights must be respected and these peoples must also be perceived as contemporary societies. Central to indigenous peoples is the right to self-determination, that they can decide for themselves how they live and then, crucially, their land rights.
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