We are very pleased about Gerrit Wustmann's review on Qantara.de of Taqi Akhlaqi's “Understand the Germans”. There he describes very well the willingness of the Germans to welcome and support him when Taqi arrived, and which is unfortunately being lost little by little. That's exactly why books like Taqi's are so valuable, so that we never lose sight of other people.
However, Taqi Akhlaqi didn't just spend the months in the middle of winter in a writing retreat. He traveled a lot, visited cities, gave readings and spoke to young people at schools. An enriching experience, on the one hand. On the other hand, he had to experience what almost every author who comes to Germany from a crisis region experiences: whether the audience, the moderation or the press, everyone asked him about the political and security situation in his home country.”
You learn a lot about Afghanistan and even more about the outside view of everyday German life, including its sometimes strange quirks, which makes the book an enjoyable and enlightening read. This view from outside is needed more often in Germany, simply because it helps to appreciate the advantages of a free democracy and not always take everything else so seriously.”
