Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
March 2022
Drinking glass from 2014
Historical Context
During the FIFA World Cup semi-final in July 2014 between Brazil and Germany, the record world champion Brazil lost by a score of 1:7. This highest defeat ever recorded in a World Cup semi-final became part of football history. For many Brazilians, the event was a ‘historical humiliation’ and an ‘extremely painful situation.’ The great disappointment was also reflected in everyday language. Expressions like ‘7:1’ and ‘Gol da Alemanha’ have become catchphrases in Brazil to refer to a failure or mishap. On the occasion of World Storytelling Day on March 20, this object is presented through an excerpt from our interview with the donor, where she discusses the aftermath of the ‘Mineirão shock.’
.cls-1 { fill: none; }Short Biography
Ana Macario was born in 1963 in Rio de Janeiro. Her parents immigrated from Portugal about 15 years earlier. Today, she lives and works in Bremerhaven. Her journey here is mainly influenced by her academic career and her husband Hartmut. After completing her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Geophysics at the age of 19 in Oregon, USA, she begins her PhD at Columbia University in New York. At the elite university, she meets a German scientist. They marry and plan a shared future in southern Brazil, where they both have teaching positions at a university. However, a Christmas visit to Germany opens up a new perspective through a job offer to her husband Hartmut: Bremerhaven. Thus, the couple moves to what is the third port city of Ana Macario’s life in 1996. She initially works at the University of Bremen but later, after the birth of her first son, also joins the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven. Ana Macario regularly visits friends and relatives in New York and Rio de Janeiro with her now four-member family.
Significance of the object
Ana Macario’s brother, who lives in Brazil, gives her this drinking glass on one of her visits. This glass was produced during the World Cup in Brazil. Even though the World Cup had already ended by the time of her visit, she was still remembered. The object tells a piece of family and football history, reflecting both an individual and simultaneously a collective connection between Germany and Brazil.
The image on the glass shows football fans and the Brazilian national flag. This connection between passion and nationality often plays a significant role in sporting events, both for fans and onlookers. For instance, sports are said to have a so-called integrative effect, especially for children with an immigration background or for teams where players come from different countries. In contrast, there is a wealth of documented racist remarks made by fans in stadiums.
Particularly devastating is the connection between migration and football at the World Cup planned for this year in Qatar, where over 15,000 migrant workers have died in Qatar to date.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de