Semra Ertan (31 May 1956 – 26 May 1982) was a Turkish migrant worker and writer in Germany who, in protest against

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

, specifically, the treatment of

Turks in Germany Turks in Germany, also referred to as German Turks and Turkish Germans ( or ''Deutschtürken''; , also known as ''Gurbetçiler'' or ''Almancılar''), are ethnic Turkish people living in Germany. These terms are also used to refer to German-born ...

, set herself on fire in a

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

marketplace.

Biography

Semra Ertan was born on 31 May 1956, in

Mersin Mersin () is a large city and port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of Mediterranean Region, Turkey, southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of the Mersin Province (formerly İçel). It is made up of four district governorates ...

, Turkey. She was the daughter of Gani Ertan and Vehbiya Ertan, who lived in

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

and Hamburg as foreign workers. She moved to Germany at the age of 15, with her sisters following a little later. In addition to working as an interpreter, she wrote more than 350 poems and

political satire Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics. Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned. Political satir ...

s. Devoted to

lyricism Lyricism is a term used to describe a piece of art considered to have deep emotions. Its origin is found in the word ''lyric'', derived via Latin ' from the Greek ('), the adjectival form of ''lyre''. It is often employed to relate to the capab ...

, one of her most notable poems, "Mein Name ist Ausländer" (My name is foreigner), was published in Turkish school books. She also published books in Germany regarding the "emotional and physical effects that loneliness, deprivation, and alienation have on immigrants". A few days before her 26th birthday, Ertan called the broadcaster

Norddeutscher Rundfunk (; "North German Broadcasting"), commonly shortened to NDR (), is a public broadcasting, public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR broadcasts for the German states of Lower Saxony, ...

to announce she would be committing

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

self-immolation Self-immolation is the act of setting oneself on fire. It is mostly done for political or religious reasons, often as a form of protest or in acts of martyrdom, and known for its disturbing and violent nature. Etymology The English word ' ...

. She explained her motive as a response to growing xenophobia in Germany. The public self-immolation occurred in the early morning hours at the intersection of Simon-von-Utrecht-Strasse and Detlef-Bremer-Straße in Hamburg's

St. Pauli St. Pauli (Sankt Pauli; ) is a quarter of the city of Hamburg belonging to the centrally located Hamburg-Mitte borough. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the nearby Landungsbrücken is a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pau ...

quarter. Ertan doused herself with of gasoline that she had purchased at a petrol station that morning and ignited it. Coincidentally, a police unit was marching past the marketplace at the time and attempted to smother the flames with blankets. However, Ertan died in hospital due to extensive burns. Ertan's perception of increasing xenophobia was confirmed by statistical data and sociological studies. In November 1978, 39% of Germans demanded that foreigners return to their home countries, while two months before Ertan's death, 68% of West Germans were of this opinion.Harenberg, Chronik des 20. Jahrhunderts. S. 1183 (in German) In addition, violence against foreigners in 1982 was no longer an isolated phenomenon. Furthermore, foreigners were increasingly excluded from social life in the country, and contact with them by the Germans was avoided to the extent possible. With unemployment and housing shortages in Germany, migrant workers were increasingly seen by Germans as competitors to the workplace and living space.

Legacy

German novelist Sten Nadolny credited the genesis of his 1990 novel ''Selim oder Die Gabe der Rede'' (Selim or the Gift of Speech) to Ertan's suicide. The novel's protagonist, Ayse, is a fictionalized version of Ertan. German investigative journalist

Günter Wallraff Günter Wallraff (born 1 October 1942) is a German writer and undercover journalist. Life Günther Wallraff was born in Burscheid as the son of a Ford worker and a factory owner's daughter. After attending high school, he trained as bookselle ...

dedicated his 1985 book ''

Ganz unten ''Lowest of the Low'' or ''Lowest of the Low: the Turkish worker in West Germany'' is the English translation of German journalist Günter Wallraff’s book ''Ganz unten'' (“At the very bottom”), originally published in Germany in 1985. The b ...

'' (The Lowest of the Low), which examined his experience posing as a Turkish guest worker in Germany, ''inter alia'', to Semra Ertan. ''Semra Ertan'', a 2013 documentary produced by Cana Bilir-Meier, screened at the

International Short Film Festival Oberhausen The International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, founded in 1954, is one of the oldest short film festivals in the world. Held in Oberhausen, it is one of the major international platforms for the short form. The festival holds an International ...

and received the Innovative Film Award at the YOUKI International Youth Media Festival Austria.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ertan, Semra 1956 births 1982 suicides People from Mersin Turkish emigrants to Germany Interpreters Migrant workers Turkish women poets Suicides by self-immolation 20th-century Turkish poets 20th-century Turkish women writers 20th-century Turkish translators Suicides in West Germany