A Deterritorialized History: Investigating German Colonialism ...

Broader cultural production in Germany was similarly inflected by the colonial
experience. In 1908, the composer Walter Kollo wrote Das kleine Niggergirl, a music
hall ballad that dove into the contemporary political debate on racial miscegenation by
revelling in the transgressive sexual proprieties of the colonies. 74 Exhibitions of
paintings of colonial scenes involving punitive raids and meetings between German and
African leaders were also in vogue during the colonial period. Pictures such as these
adorned advertisements, postcards, popular journals and syndicated art throughout the
period. 75 Some artists journeyed to Africa to capture the essence of their subjects and
brought an awareness of African artistic styles back to Germany. In this vein, the work
of Ernst-Ludwig Kirchner had substantial impact upon contemporary art. 76 Similarly,
voyages to Africa by pioneers of Germany’s budding film industry introduced African
motifs to German cinema. 77 Additionally, propaganda by the “colonial academics” such
as Max Weber, Hans Delbrück, Werner Sombart and Gustav von Schmoller did much to
advance the cause of colonial expansion. 78 In literature, popular books by writers like
Ernst von Weber, Karl May, Wilhelm Hübbe-Schleiden, Carl Peters, Hans Grimm,
Friedrich Fabri and Frieda von Bülow popularized and valorized the colonial
experience. 79 As John Short indicates, there was a substantial and diverse readership of
such colonial literature. 80 Through these cultural expressions, a continual portrayal of
alterity was communicated. 81 This art frequently conveyed the image of empty land and
hostile natives in obvious hopes of encouraging the German extension of commerce,
Christianity and civilization. 82 Additionally, a developing awareness of African culture
led many African motifs to be incorporated into an Afro-German culture. 83 These
cultural efforts marked the establishment of difference and syncretism in German culture.
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