Rhetorical Analysis Of Surviving In The Metropole '

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In his article, “Surviving in the Metropole: The Struggle for Work and Belonging amongst African Colonial Migrants in Weimar Germany,” Robbie Aitken discusses the obstacles and hardships concerning political legitimacy and employment in Germany after the First World War. After Germany lost its overseas protectorates as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, the lives of African colonial subjects living in Germany became jeopardized, with the majority unable to return to their homelands in Africa since they were no longer considered German colonies. Throughout the article, Aitken uses Cameroonian Manga Akwa as a lens through whom the audience can gain insight into the hardships Africans in post-WWI Germany faced. By consistently drawing on Manga Akwa’s story as the primary example in this article, Aitken is able to portray the lack of stable living conditions, unemployment, and citizenship complications that plagued colonial Africans in Weimar Germany. …show more content…

Additionally, since Germany’s colonies were taken away the end of the war, the majority of the former-colonial Africans in Germany were unable to return to Africa. As a result, Africans had to find accommodations in Germany and try to carve out lives for themselves amidst the unexpected predicament. Aitken claims that Africans, like the German working class, were constantly moving around due to the difficulties of paying rent and finding cheap lodging. Drawing on Madka Akwa’s experiences, he says, “Manga Akwa moved at least six times between 1916 and 1925” (Aitken, 104). This virtually nomadic lifestyle most definitely contributed to feelings of instability amongst Africans in the Weimar Republic, with no permanent base to call

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