Den Bajazzo ernst nehmen? (Do we need to take the Bajazzo serious?)

• Main Author: Ursula OLLENDORF
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Editura Institutul European Iasi 2015-12-01
• Series: Polis: Revista de Stiinte Politice
• Subjects: refugees; Syria; Federal Republic of Germany; cultural environment; role-play; Thomas Mann
• Online Access: http://revistapolis.ro/documente/revista/2015/Numarul_4(10)2015/editorial/4.%20Ursula%20Ollendorf.pdf

The large numbers of refugees that are currently fleeing from Syria and other war zones don’t have much of a choice. Regardless, if it was a spontaneous decision out of fear for their lives in Syria or if they are on the run for many years already, the culture and language of the country of their destination is unknown to them. On the other hand, the huge amount of refugees is an enormous, not only organizational burden for the Federal Republic of Germany. One of the foremost tasks is to teach the German language to these human beings in order to enable them to express their needs, as requested by the European reference frame for languages, but also to help them to understand their new cultural environment. Using a case study this article examines whether role-plays are suited to support individuals who are often traumatized by war in finding a new identity while learning the new language. Although the role-play used here as an example was created under less severe circumstances, the experiences gained in southern Italy are serving as a basis for discussion using dialectal elements from the native language of the learner and a playful approach to the old and the new society. The scope of this work is limited to examining the role-play with respect to elements of Comedia dell’Arte and to assess its usefulness for language didactics by using Johan Huizinga’s findings on the importance of the play in its culture-creating function. Thomas Mann’s character in the story „Der Bajazzo” with its self-irony and with Pagliaccios typical nimbleness creates the link that makes it easier for individuals from other cultures – in the case of southern Italian protagonists often seemingly illogical and absurd re-actions – to better understand the rather rational German mentality, and at the same time allows them to embrace these foreign elements which can be seen as an important quality.