Biography of hans massaquoise
•
Hans Massaquoi
Afro-German-American author (1926–2013)
Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-01-19)January 19, 1926 Hamburg, Weimar Republic |
| Died | January 19, 2013(2013-01-19) (aged 87) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | |
| Language | German, English |
| Citizenship | |
| Notable work | Destined to Witness |
| Children | 2 |
Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi (January 19, 1926 – January 19, 2013[1]) was a German-American reporter and author. He was born in Hamburg, Germany, to a German mother and a Liberian father of Vai ethnicity, the grandson of Momulu Massaquoi, the consul general of Liberia in Germany at the time.
His autobiography Destined to Witness: Growing up Black in Nazi Germany was published in 1999 (in English). Its German translation was published the same year, as Neger, Neger, Schornsteinfeger: Meine Kindheit in Deutschland. The title references a racist rhyme with which schoolboys taunted him in 1932. The German version was ada
•
Hans Massaquoi dies at 87; wrote of growing up black in Nazi Germany
Hans Massaquoi, a former managing editor of Ebony magazine who wrote a distinctive memoir about his unusual childhood growing up black in Nazi Germany, died in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday, his 87th birthday.
He had been hospitalized over the Christmas holidays, said his son, Hans J. Massaquoi Jr.
Inspired by the late Alex Haley, the author of “Roots,” Massaquoi decided to share his experience of being “both an insider in Nazi Germany and, paradoxically, an endangered outsider.” His autobiography, “Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany,” was published in the U.S. in 1999, followed by a German translation.
Massaquoi was born Jan. 19, 1926, in the port city of Hamburg. His mother was a German nurse and his father the son of a Liberian diplomat. When his grandfather was recalled to Liberia, Massaquoi’s father decided to return to Africa too, but his mother insisted on staying behind.
Living wit
•
Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany
This is the biography of Hans Massaquoi. The son of a white German nurse and wealthy Liberian, he describes his experiences and survival in Nazi Germanyt a time when being different often meant death.;Born the grandson of theiberian ambassador to Germany, he lived a life of luxury. At the age ofhree his grandfather and father were forced to return to Liberia, at whichoint unwelcome reality intruded for both him and his mother - crampedpartments, no hot water or electricity, and the constant spectre of racistiolence.;But his sudden drop in status was only the beginning of hisardships. For the 12 long years of Hitler's rule, Hans was dehumanized andevalued by Nazis. Lving in constant fear of death, either from Gestapoxecutioners or Allied bombs, Hans miraculously stayed alive until Britishroops liberated Hamburg in 1945.;The story of how Hans survived physicallynd psychologically in a country consumed by racial hatred is a com