THE
RISE AND FALL OF THE WALLS…
Walls
are built to protect and walls are built to divide and alienate. During the
second world war, Ann Frank and her family could survive a little more behind
the walls until the German Nazis found out about their refuge and demolished
the door and sent them to the concentration camp.
A
month ago, Germany commemorated the fall of the Berlin war. Fall of the Berlin
war also meant fall of a ongoing dictatorship in Berlin. At that time, The
Soviet had taken a large part of the East Berlin after a fierceful war. On the
other hand, The US, France and Britain had taken control of the West Berlin.
One of the few structures that had remained was The Brandon Brigade which later
sadly served to divide the West and the East berlin.
Post
war Berlin was a wasteland and a lot of refugees streamed to the West as the
West was more prosperous and there were better job opportunities. Later on the
government in the east which was worried about losing all qualified people to
the West decided to build a wall and this way prevent people to pass to the
other side.
The
decision was made in a short time. On August 13,1961 at midnight, The soviet
started to build a wall to stop the refugees going to the West Germany. The
building of the Wall was a long procedure. They first used stone and brick and
later on used better materials to strengthen it. Thousands of families and
relatives split apart and a lot of people got wounded and killed in their
attempt to pass to the other side. The Soviet had hired many border guards to
look out and they had poured sand on the ground to detect the footprints of the
possible escaper.
Imagine
that you have found a good job on the other side of the Wall and you cant go to
your job. Imagine relatives, lovers who were condemned into not seeing each
other again. You could see lots of graffities of protest which painted
and then immediately cleaned by the border guards.
Finally
on 9th November 1989, after a civil unrest in the East Germany and the erosion
of The soviet in Poland and Hungary, the East government ordered the fall of
the wall and people celebrated it by sitting on the walls and even taking
pieces as a souvenir. Later on this helped the reunification of the East and
the West Germany.
One
wonders why mankind never learns lesson from the grim history and why history
keeps repeating itself. Let’s hope to see walls built for the sake of
protection not division and what about the walls that we build inside our
hearts and in years we strengthen it with the cement of hatred, sensitivity,
grudge and doubt when after all it is a short life. Can’t we all live in
happiness and trust?
[GITA ASSEFI]
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