1989: 22 years old, 2 children; as a teenager involved in environmental and peace initiatives; after completing training as a skilled worker, moved to Leipzig in 1985; 03|1989 co-editor of the first independent women’s magazine in the GDR “Zaunreiterin” until 12|1992; since 1992 active in the field of political and cultural education; since 1993 managing director of the Socio-Cultural Centre for Women’s Culture Leipzig
Christine Rietzke
The constant arms race between East and West preoccupied me from an early age… 26 August 1978 was a Sunday. An extra newspaper was to be published in the GDR. I thought at the time: now a war is starting. But it was the day Sigmund Jähn flew into space. In November 1983, I wrote a letter to Erich Honecker [Chairman of the GDR State Council], ‘…that I find it irresponsible that the GDR government is prepared to station medium-range missiles/SS 20 on its territory.” This was one of the reasons why I had a file very early on. I only realised this much later.
Environmental issues were really important to us in the young congregation and in the Freund:innen network… forest dieback, brown coal mining, motorway construction… Our environmental campaigns and self-organised youth services were not welcome. Most of us were involved in the “Swords to Ploughshares” peace activities – we wore the peace movement patches on our parkers and bags. Some of us had to take them off again. In 1982, the new military service law came into force: in future, women would also be called up in the event of mobilisation. I didn’t get on well with GDR politics early on. […]”
Read more: in Alltagsleben nicht linientreu
The entire interview plus photo collection will be available in the Open Feminist Democracy Archive | OfemDA, which is currently being created. See here