[deutsch]

Ganesha in Hamm

Hamm, situated in the Western part of Germany, has a lively Hindu community which has their own infrastructure with tempels, restaurants, shops and schools. It is a kind of a secret capital for the Tamil immigrants in Germany.

The movie starts in the Tamil educational center, where the Tamil public School and the Bharatanatyam dance school are accommodated and portrays their work. Most of the children whose parents came from Sri Lanka, have never been there, because of the civil war. That´s why these educational institutions play such an important role in the social and cultural life of the immigrants.

In particular, this is also valid for the Hindu temples which are not only religious places, but also important social centers. The movie takes the viewers along to the celebration in the Sri Sithiviyanagar Temple, which is dedicated  to the god Ganesha. The celebration that lasts for 10 days,  takes place only once in a year and attracts Tamil visitors from all over Germany. The highlight of the celebration is the great procession and though the procession leads every year right through the center of the surrounding quarter, the neighbourhood hardly takes any notice.

The immigrants brought their own world to Hamm and the movie gives an insight into this world. It makes clear that until now the cultures are still separated from one another.

Ganesha in Hamm, D 2006, 15 Min, DVD

Director and Camera: Daniel Burkholz
Interviews and Sound: Heike Geisweid
Editor: Liasa Marie Engel, Julian Isfort www.julianisfort.de
Production Company: Roadside Dokumentarfilm

The movie is distributed by Roadside Dokumentarfilm. If you are interested, please be so kind to send us a message by using the contact form, or just give us a telephone call.