Josephine Baker was more than an exotic star. An exhibition in Bonn shows that she was committed to human rights and supported her second home, France, in the fight against the Nazis.
In 1936, Josephine Baker traveled from France, her adopted country, to the United States, her country of birth. She was already a European star and had been rushing from success to success as a singer, dancer and actress in France for around a decade. She now wanted to continue as the leading actress in the “Ziegfeld Follies” on Broadway. But as soon as she arrived in New York, it became clear that her status in Paris was of little value in the USA: When Baker wanted to check in at her hotel, the concierge said that there must have been “a mistake” in the reservation – bookings were made by black people undesirable.