More than 20,000 young people from Mozambique worked in GDR factories in the 1980s, including in Thuringia. MMost of them were forced to leave the country in the reunification period. Many have still not received their full wages and regularly demonstrate for their rights in downtown Maputo. This multimedia exhibition brings together twelve perspectives from former contract workers from Mozambique – the so-called Madgermanes. They reflect on their individual experiences in Germany. Their videos and photographic self-portraits were created in Mozambique in 2025, under the direction of photographer Sabine Felber and in collaboration with the artists Kátia Manjate and Kayesun Assis. On the occasion of the exhibition opening, Victor Faustino (Mozambican Association in Thuringia), cultural studies scholar Josepha Kirchner and photographer Sabine Felber will discuss the consequences that the agreements between the socialist »brother countries« had on the lives of people who met in the GDR some 40 years ago.

There will be a guided tour for children aged 4 and over on 22 August (10 – 10.45 a.m.) and on 5 September (4.15 – 5 p.m.). Admission is free.

As part of the Kunstfest programme, the film screening → »The Homes We Carry« (24 August) and the city walk → »Traces of Contract Labour in Weimar« (24 and 30 August) also explore contemporary perspectives on the history of Mozambican-German migration.