This year marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. To celebrate the event, The Eyes invited French photographer Stéphane Duroy who has repeatedly explored Berlin since his first visit in 1979. The European politician of German origin Daniel Cohn-Bendit offers a counterpoint with his recollections of 1989 and reflections on Germany today, a quarter of a century later.
Where were you when the Berlin wall fell?
I was in Frankfurt watching television. And the most incredible thing happened! The then spokesperson for the East German government M. Schabowski was giving a press conference evoking the event… and all of a sudden someone gives him a piece of paper, and then he said: “Well, I have just been informed that access to the West is now open, as I speak, immediately, from 8 pm on.” So this is how the wall collapsed, quietly.
What were the first words that came to your mind? And what feelings?
The feeling was incredible, unimaginable. We were totally flabbergasted. If I had pretended six months prior that the Berlin wall would fall six months later and that East Germany would collapse, no one would have believed me. It was something really amazing!
Twenty-five years later, would you say that West Germany gobbled up East Germany?
West Germany did not gobble up East Germany, but it is true that the unification was established under the conditions defined by West Germany. In fact, East Germany totally collapsed, imploded, and there are still some nostalgic people who believe that East Germany was a fairer society; but in the end, the political, social and economic system of West Germany imposed itself.
Is the dream of 1989 dead?
No, I believe that German unification brought an undeniable freedom to the people of East Germany. So sure, life in a capitalist society also has its harsh moments; it is true that many East Germans have had to adapt culturally, and that was not easy. But in the end, the dream of a unified Germany did occur.
Extract from the conversation with Daniel Cohn-Bendit by René Daligault and Guillaume Lebrun
