Deutsch-Amerikanisches Volksfest

By Julian Kircher & Benjamin Stramm

We have chosen the topic of the German-American public festival because it embodies the old idealized images of the United States of America, especially those of the Wild West. It has become a constant in German festival culture and the public affairs office of the United States Armed Forces considers this event as one of the most important columns of the German-American friendship. The festival was settled in the ex-American sector of Berlin, district Zehlendorf. In 2010, due to constructions at the former event location “Truman-Plaza”, the event has been moved near the central station of Berlin. The first event took place in 1961 and since 1962 the overall theme of the festival changes every year. In 1971, for instance, there was a topic called “The Wild West” while in 2002 we had “Florida – The Sunshine State”. Besides the main street on which all shacks and huts line up to present their food, beverages, collectibles and other stuff from the U.S., there is a rodeo barn with a mechanic bull, a stage for live acts, a fair with several rides and a casting for future country stars.  

On first glance this festival seems to serve as a fair for amusement only. It is merely cliché-ridden, the cliché of cowboys and the Wild West, the unknown land and the rough territory as well as the cliché of bull riding. The festival shows to its visitors that this is how the United States, in particular the West, is like. The event managers choose titles like “The Wild West”, “North-West Wilderness” and “California – Land of Contrasts” so that the West is depicted as something great and something far away from the German society and life. In the first place this event is made to preserve the image of the West which Hollywood’s film industry engraved in our heads. To be fair and despite those facts, the German-American public festival offers also attractions or shacks where you can buy contemporary food and drinks and also modern stuff from the United States like shirts.

Unfortunately, there is nothing that has any educational value. In class we read “Brokeback Mountain” which deals with the topics of romanticism among cowboys. On the festival you have cowboy and western shows where the old images are brought up: Cowboys fighting against Indians, shooting, drinking and, of course, the cowboy as an asexual guy who does not need any love or women in their life. But in our opinion that is it what the Germans want to see. They don’t want to be entertained by some gay cowboys kissing around but by that image Karl May once created.

In addition, we read a story of Proulx “The Mud Below” which deals with the overall topic of rodeo and bull riding. When you spend your time on the festival, you want to ride a bull because it is fun. You cannot get seriously injured by the mechanic bull and you might impress your friends because you are tough and keep up a long time. From Diamond, the protagonist in “The Mud Below”, we have learned that rodeo is not that easy like on the fairs. You can get harmed, break your bones or you get pierced by the bull’s horns. In most of the times, bull riders do their job a couple of years and then have to retire because of their injuries. Besides the rodeo is not a job with a good wage so the bull riders head from town to town, from event to event to get some pennies and make their life. In the rodeo barns on our festival it does not work like this. Here you get seated on the mechanic bull and it starts slowly accompanied by a moderator who tries to heat up the barn and make a little bit a party out of it. Since the visitors pay for such events, they want to stay a while on that bull. Otherwise the ride was not worth the money. So one is tumbling slowly and relaxed on the bull and the moderator gives advices to hold tight and press the knees together. Nobody in this shack knows that a normal bull ride is just a matter of seconds. Here you go slowly and easy until after 2 minutes or so you get smoothly kicked off and everybody congratulates you for your success.

In conclusion, the German-American public festival exists to entertain people. There are certain themes from the United States of America attached to the events to vary it a bit from other festivals in Berlin. We do not think it brings Americans and Germans together nor serves it for a cultural exchange or intercultural communication. The event deals with the topics of the idealized rodeo and the cowboy image that we know from TV productions. Nevertheless, the festival conveys a little bit of the American lifestyle with country music, exhibitions of American chopper bikes like Harley Davidson and all the American food and beverages, like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, waffles and pancakes, barbecue steaks, Mountain Dew, Root Beer, etc.