Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. When I look back on my childhood, my youth, my period as a student and my time as a dancer and choreographer — then I see pictures. They are full of sounds, full of aroma.
And of course full of people who have been and are part of my life. These picture memories from the past keep coming back and searching for a place. Much of what I experienced as a child takes place again much later on the stage. The war experiences are unforgettable. Solingen suffered a tremendous amount of destruction.
When the air raid sirens went off, we had to go into the small shelter in our garden. Once a bomb fell on part of the house as well. However, we all remained unharmed. She thought I would be safer there. I had a small black rucksack with white polka dots, with a doll peering out of it.
It was always there packed ready so that I could take it with me when the air raid siren sounded. I remember too our courtyard behind the house. There was a water pump there, the only one in our area. People were always lining up there to fetch water. This was because people had nothing to eat; they had to go bartering for food. They would swap goods for something to eat. My father, for example, swapped two quilts, a radio, and a pair of boots for a sheep so we would have milk.
The little lamb had been slaughtered. It was a shock for me. My parents had a small hotel with a restaurant in Solingen. Just like my brothers and sisters, I had to help out there. I used to spend hours peeling potatoes, cleaning the stairs, tidying rooms — all the jobs that you have to do in a hotel. But, above all, as a small child I used to be hopping and dancing around in these rooms.
