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My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 10:16pm On Oct 27, 2013 |
Dr Adebisi Laja Germany-based Nigerian medical doctor talks about his life in Europe since arriving in Liverpool in June 1954 in an exclusive interview with Femi Awoniyi. Dr Adebisi Laja, 77, first arrived in Europe in Jun e 1954, when he disembarked a ship in Liverpool that brought him from his native Lagos. In October 1958, he moved to Germany to study medicine and he’s been living in the country since them. Doctor, as he’s popularly called by his African associates, narrates the interesting story of his very eventful life; he talks about life in Europe then and now, why he spends his retirement in a small western German town of Lindenfels rather than in his native Lagos and he offers Africans living in Europe some wise words. TAC: When did you first come to Germany? Dr Laja: I came to Germany in October 1958 from England. How long did you stay in England? I lived in England for four years. Actually, I left Nigeria in June 1954. "When I started studying in Cologne, advertisements for room vacancies at the AStA (student advisory office) carried remarks such as KA (Keine Auslaender for No Foreigners) and KN (Keine Neger for No Nigga...)." Why did you leave Nigeria? At that time, we had only one university, the one in Ibadan. And there’re only five secondary schools in Lagos with so many eligible pupils. Imagine that I had to wait for three years to gain admission into Lagos Grammar School after my primary school. So I was determined not to waste time after my secondary school. That’s why I decided that I would like to travel to the UK to further my education. And luckily, my mother was a customer of one Alhaji Elias, a textile trader in Lagos, who was the brother of Dr Teslim Elias, then a lecturer at Oxford (Dr Elias was later to become Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Chief Justice of the Federation; he’s also said to have drafted the charter of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963) . My mother told Alhaji Elias that I wanted to travel out. He said his own two sons, who were then in a secondary school, had also said that they would like to travel out for their education. Hence, he had written to Dr Elias to look for a school for his children in the UK. My mother asked Alhaji Elias to ask his brother to help me too. In fact, I went to England with the two children of Alhaji Elias. Why did you choose to come to Germany? After I finished my High School Certificate in Dundee, Scotland, in 1956, I wanted to study medicine, but I didn’t get a place at the university. At that time, because Britain had a lot of colonies, there was an admission quota for each colony at the universities and especially for courses like medicine. Hence, competition for admission was very tough. Because of that I wanted to go to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Surrey, where all officers in the British Army were trained, to become a military officer. So, I went to my guardian, Dr Teslim Elias, to inform him of my decision. He objected to it and advised that I study law. But I didn’t like law and I told him so. For the next two years, I practically was doing nothing until a friend of mine suggested that we should go to the continent, that is, mainland Europe. We just looked at the map and chose Germany. So I went to the library to find out about the universities in Germany. I then wrote to Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne and two or three other universities. I got admission into all of them. I then looked at the map to see which of the universities was closest to England and that was Cologne. So that’s how I got to Cologne. Were there many Africans in Germany then? No, not many. There were about 30 Africans when I first came to Cologne - Nigerians, Ghanaians, some Congolese and others. How was life then? The main problem was the language. I came with the friend from England, a fellow Nigerian, and we started studying medicine at the university, but it was very difficult because we didn’t speak a word of German. So, in January 1959, I went to the Goethe Institut in Gothenburg for 8 weeks to learn German. My friend returned to Glasgow in 1959 after only one year in Cologne - he was able to secure admission in a university in the UK. I then returned to the university in Cologne. I successfully went through the first two semesters. It was not a problem. However, I failed the Physikum, the exam you take after 5 semesters, twice. This was because I still had problems with the language. In courses like chemistry, physics and botany, you could still manage because the names, formulas and the units are international. However, in physiology, if you’re not very good in German you can’t do well in it. That’s why I failed the exam twice. This meant I had to withdraw from the university. It must have been a very difficult time? Yes, I roamed about for some time. Although I enrolled for economics at the university, I didn’t attend classes. I didn’t want to study economics but I had to be enrolled in a university to be able to stay in the country. At that time, if as a foreign student you dropped out of the university, you had to leave the country. I wrote to my parents and explained the situation to them since they sent me here to study medicine. They were not happy because they were sending me money to study medicine so that I could come back home as a medical doctor. They asked me not to disgrace the family and ensure that I find another university where I could study medicine. Otherwise, they would not send me money again. Fortunately, I met a Congolese man here in Cologne who told me that there were opportunities for studying in East Germany. You know, at that time, the government of East Germany was giving scholarship to students from Africa. He told me he could help me because he had some influence in East Germany. So, in 1964, he took me to East Germany. We first went to Leipzig from where I was sent to Rostock where I studied medicine. I finished my studies in 1969 after 5 years. The Berlin Wall had been built at that time. Didn’t you have problems going from East to West and back? No. During the holidays, I was coming to the West to visit my wife and children. As a foreigner, there was no problem to travel between the two countries. But you had to register with the police to get a visa for re-entry before travelling out. Whenever I wanted to travel to the West during the holidays, I would tell the authorities in the East that I was going to London. "Most of our people don’t take the pension seriously enough. But pension is very important so that you can live with dignity in old age. " How was your time in East Germany? It was nice. The government made sure that foreigners living in the country were treated well. For example, at the university canteen, the food we foreign students were served was better than what was served to their own people. This was propaganda to make sure that when the students go back to their home countries, they would only speak well of East Germany. But that policy created animosity in East Germany towards foreigners. Perhaps that explains the anti-foreign sentiments there after the fall of the Wall. What was it like to secure a job after graduation? At that time, my first wife was working in Koblenz, West Germany, as a sports teacher in a Gymnasium (secondary school). So, she had told some of her colleagues and pupils that her husband was coming back and would be looking for a job. The father of one of her pupils took me in as a doctor in a surgery in a small town near Koblenz. I worked there for one year. After a year, I moved to the Pathology Department of a big hospital in Koblenz. The head of the department was a Professor Luetrach. He was like a father to me. He was a very nice man. He asked me if I wanted to do my doctorate in Pathology. He gave me a doctorate thesis to write. He sent me to Bonn since he was formerly a professor in Bonn. He told me that it’s important to have a doctorate because a time could come when there would be so many doctors in Germany that hospitals would start looking for those with doctorates. That was how I did my doctorate in Pathology. After that I left Koblenz, I went to a hospital in Kirchellen, near Bottrop. I worked there for three years. I was very lucky. When did you first travel back home? It seems that until now you’ve not returned home. In 1971, I travelled to Nigeria, for the first time since I left in 1954. I took my daughter Modupe with me. My parents told me they would like me to come back home to settle down. And I agreed with them. What was your impression of Nigeria when you got home? After all, you had not been there for 17 years. I was shocked. Things were totally different from the way I left them. I spent only 18 days at home. Then we came back to Germany. But then my wife wanted us to go and live in Nigeria. Why did your wife, a German, want you to go back to Nigeria? Anne was fantastic, she was adventurous. She was curious and was really anxious to experience life in Nigeria. I told her that I didn’t know how life in Nigeria would be. So, I got an undertaking from the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia that I could come back to the country. Why did you need the paper? At that time, if you were married to a German, you had to renew your residence permit every year. So if you leave the country, it was not automatic that you could return. It was the SPD-led federal government under Willy Brandt that changed the law to the effect that foreigners married to Germans are permitted to stay indefinitely. The SPD did a lot for foreigners in Germany. How was the journey back home with your family? My wife and children went to Hamburg and they took a ship to Nigeria. Why travel by sea? Couldn’t they have travelled by air? Yes, but we had a lot of things that we were taking to Nigeria. So it was better to travel with ship. They spent three weeks at sea. I left two weeks later by air to wait for them in Lagos. How was living at home after such a long time away? I got a job at the state hospital in Lagos. But I had problems because you couldn’t work the way you worked in Germany. When you’re supposed to start work at 8 am, most people came in at 10 am! When you complained, they said that’s how it’s done here. Then, I was paid only 250 naira, at that time about 1,000 deutsche marks, per month. But the money was not enough; it couldn’t even pay the rent in a decent part of Lagos. You know Lagos is a very expensive city. However, I was lucky because a rich uncle of mine, who had died, left behind a big house in Ikeja GRA (a highbrow area of Lagos) and his young wife could not live alone in the house. She invited me and my family to live with her. All my colleagues would wonder how I could afford to live in such an expensive place. At that time, more than 70 per cent of those living in Ikeja GRA were Europeans. There were also some Germans among them. I knew that I couldn’t live in the big house forever. And I had to pay 700 naira per term for my children in the private German school that they were attending. Although my mother helped us financially, I was no longer comfortable with life at home. After fifteen months, I decided that we had to return to Germany. And the first task was to convince my wife. Didn’t she want to go back to Germany? No, she loved Nigeria so much. It’s a different Nigeria; not the one of today. Life was good for her, too. Although Nigeria was good at that time, why did you leave? I couldn’t afford to live the kind of life I loved to live there. They didn’t have good teachers in the public schools; I paid 700 naira for my kids in the private school. I was able to manage for sometime because we doctors were doing illegal things to earn extra money. For example, by giving sick leave to people who were not sick but were ready to pay. But I wasn’t comfortable doing things like that. Did you have to apply for a re-entry visa to Germany? Yes. My wife took the paper I was given before leaving Germany to the German embassy in Lagos to inform them that I wanted to return. They said I would be given a visa if I had a job. So, I wrote to the last place where I had worked, the hospital in Kirchellen, which sent me a telegram that I could come back and resume work immediately. That’s how I came back to Germany. Wasn’t it difficult readjusting to life in Germany again? When we returned, my wife was no longer happy. We later had differences in the marriage which made us decide to divorce. Our two children suffered because of the situation. I was not happy because I wanted my children to have a good upbringing. I had to pay so much. It later became too much for me and after some years, I felt like returning home again. Meanwhile, I had met and married my second wife, Ursula. Did you attempt to return home again? Yes. In 1983, I went to Nigeria for two months to look for a job and I got one at the Ministry of Health in Ogun State. But they told me to go back to Germany so that they could check the genuineness of my certificates after which they would send me an employment letter. I therefore waited and waited for the letter which didn’t come for a long time. When the letter from Nigeria finally did arrive, I went to my boss and said that I wanted to go to Nigeria. He asked why I wanted to go back because the military was now ruling the country with all the problems. I therefore decided to stay. In 1990, I was offered the position of an Oberarzt (Senior Physician) in a hospital in Winterkasten, where I worked until my retirement. What changes have you noticed in Germany since you came to the country in 1958? My 42-year-old son, Adeyinka, a dentist who runs his own private clinic in Duesseldorf, was here with his wife on 26 December. We were discussing. They sat here and my youngest son, Bisi, who is about to finish his medical studies in Heidelberg, sat there. And Adeyinka told Bisi that much had changed in Germany; that Bisi surely did not experience what he experienced in school. Truly, much has really changed in the country. Are you saying that the attitude of society has changed much compared with for example, the early 1980s? Yes, it has improved and it’s still getting better. When I started studying in Cologne, advertisements for room vacancies at the AStA (student advisory office) carried remarks such as KA (Keine Auslaender – No foreigners) and KN (Keine Neger – No Niggers). Once, I was looking for a room and the landlord forgot to indicate that. So I went with a German friend of mine. When he saw us and realised that I was the one looking for a room, he said: “I don’t want that one,” rudely pointing to me. I was mad, confused and asked myself “Am I not a human being?” Did you have problems with your doctor colleagues in the places that you worked? At all the places where I worked, I got on well with patients and colleagues. Except a case of a doctor who said he didn’t want to work under me when I was made a Senior Physician in Winterkasten. In fact, patients preferred to go to a foreign doctor because they know you will keep their secret since you’re not from the community. I also have a thick skin. If you said anything to me which I didn’t like, I allowed it to pass out of my second ear. I didn’t dwell much on it. Why? Because that is the way I’m simply made. And when I faced rejection anywhere I always tended not to link the reason for the rejection with my colour. That attitude helped me a lot. In the past, many Africans turned crazy because of racism and even had to be sent to psychiatric homes or back to their countries. This was not only in Germany, but also in England. Most Africans in the Diaspora dream of spending their retirement in their home countries. But you have chosen to stay in Germany. Why? I’m so used to living in Europe that it has become home for me. If you leave your home country for a long period of time and you go back, you’ll not find the place the same because you’re no longer the same person yourself. Anytime I go to Nigeria, after a few days of being there with no electricity and the traffic jam, I feel like going back to Germany. That is the human experience. There are also Europeans who live in Africa and don’t want to come back to Europe. I know a Swiss woman who is rich and lives in Lagos. In fact, she even has to take money from her assets in Switzerland to pay the staff of the travel agency she runs in Nigeria. I asked her once Why do you do this to yourself? Why don’t you go back to Switzerland? And she replied: “Dr Laja, I can no longer live in Europe.” What is your advice to Africans in Europe? If you’re working here, the pension scheme is very important. A majority of our people don’t take the pension seriously enough. This is important so that you can live with dignity in old age. Another important thing: there are always opportunities to make it despite unemployment in the country. Young people must strive hard to make something out of their lives. This is very important. It doesn’t help complaining all the time about problems. I have a friend who has been living here for more than thirty years but he keeps complaining all the time that I once asked why he hasn’t left Germany. I think it’s important to have a positive attitude towards the society for your own sake. If you look back at your life, what verdict would you give? I’ve enjoyed everything. I have no regrets. If I were to be born again, I would do it the same way again. www.theafricancourier.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=433:my-life-in-europe-since-1954&catid=121:diaspora&Itemid=813 1 Like
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Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Chars1289: 4:27am On Oct 28, 2013 |
Enjoyed every bit of d interview.... |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Naijalastborn(m): 7:20am On Oct 28, 2013 |
I enjoyed it. |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by pricelessmr: 2:30pm On Oct 28, 2013 |
Inspiring! 1 Like |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 7:01pm On Oct 28, 2013 |
@ all that viewed and commented.thankz to u guyz |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by billydragon: 10:50pm On Oct 28, 2013 |
Nice write up! |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by souleymon(m): 12:18am On Oct 29, 2013 |
he still is a second citizen. if others who have being successful had stayed behind, Will they be known.what's inspiring about this.no contribution to the growth of your father's land |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Fiver: 1:10am On Oct 29, 2013 |
its not by force to contribute to any fatherland, he is contributing to humanity already! |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by chukxie(m): 2:53am On Oct 29, 2013 |
souleymon: he still is a second citizen. The man is fulfilled and has achieved all he set his heart to achieve. That, my friend, is inspiring. Talking about contributing to the growth of one's fatherland, I'm tempted to ask you what contribution(s) you've made to the growth of your fatherland? 1 Like |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Lucasbalo(m): 5:28am On Oct 29, 2013 |
Whoa, this is a very interesting and inspiring story. Goodluck to the old man and his children. 2 Likes |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by souleymon(m): 11:58am On Oct 29, 2013 |
chukxie: I might not have the millions I am total naija, have at least two staffs..that little is a contribution man. why would I spend those years abroad and still want to die there.. , when I can be more meaningful to my country of birth |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 5:03pm On Oct 29, 2013 |
souleymon: To each his own 1 Like |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 6:52pm On Oct 29, 2013 |
souleymon: he still is a second citizen. father land indeed |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 6:54pm On Oct 29, 2013 |
Fiver: its not by force to contribute to any fatherland, he is contributing to humanity already!yes u re ryt.....if u try too much in 9ja ur lyf is @ stake.....our system is down and i dont think anyone wld lay down his innocent lyf that wont change anything |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 6:56pm On Oct 29, 2013 |
souleymon: u are entitled to ur own opinion,diff stroked for diff folkz |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 6:59pm On Oct 29, 2013 |
chukxie:help me ask am ohh,i hate a country wia hardwork doesnt pay,wia corruption,ritual killings,unemployment,fraud,road accident,robbery,wia plane crash is an act of God,wia u buy 2 bulletproff vehicle for N225m,*weda na james bond edition who knowz* is d oda of d day....even if my palie na bill gate i wld leave this country. If the above man in question resides in 9ja,he wld be dead by now |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 7:06pm On Oct 29, 2013 |
souleymon: just lastweek more than 5000 student graduated from unilorin,abeg u wan give them job,i be graduate,no job ohh,i sabi bizness no capital and i cant rob,family dont want to help,make i kill myself,i go kon get visa i go sit down abi.....lol |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 7:14pm On Oct 29, 2013 |
many cousins of mine are living their 36th yearz in usa,living a fulfilled life,they only come to oja @ most for a month,then run back,they intended to settle down,but d system is corrupted,their properties are locked down in abuja worth 80milla *kuje ind. Estate* they just av to go back.....i love 9ja but i dont see a brigther future of the coming generation,just few month ago one of them left for canada to study nursing and after that she is entitled to a work permit,if to say i no go school u for talk say i be illiterate na him no make me get job,but i am graduate @ 21 still looking for job and i didnt study yeye cousre ohh *enviromental health and safety technology* |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 8:42am On Oct 30, 2013 |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 1:25pm On Oct 30, 2013 |
souleymon: he still is a second citizen. I am pretty sure that a Nigerian can also be a second class, even a third class citizen in Nigeria. 1 Like |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by ola30(m): 8:46pm On Oct 31, 2013 |
TheCongo: even fourth class citizen ....you are correct. 1 Like |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 9:54pm On Oct 31, 2013 |
Wow. . . really touched. . . Nice Thread OP |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 12:10am On Nov 01, 2013 |
jassie: Wow. . . really touched. . . Nice Thread OPthankz |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 12:11am On Nov 01, 2013 |
ola30:abi ohh |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 12:12am On Nov 01, 2013 |
TheCongo:i wonder ohh,we are treated as slaves in our own country 2 Likes |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by alaladakosta(f): 5:15am On Nov 02, 2013 |
Nice writeup, so inspiring.many times i look at myself too and wonder which way for me too, cus have been living in usa for a while now , i have kids here. i wonder what year im going to say "odabo" to usa, cus i know the situation back home is not encouraging. i know someday oneday my story will be " have been living in this country for 40-50 years" just like Dr laja, when it get to that would i be afraid to go back home?will nigeria be a bettr place then? so many question on my mind no asnswer. |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 8:06pm On Nov 02, 2013 |
alala dakosta: Nice writeup, so inspiring.many times i look at myself too and wonder which way for me too, cus have been living in usa for a while now , i have kids here. i wonder what year im going to say "odabo" to usa, cus i know the situation back home is not encouraging. i know someday oneday my story will be " have been living in this country for 40-50 years" just like Dr laja, when it get to that would i be afraid to go back home?will nigeria be a bettr place then? so many question on my mind no asnswer. home is where u made it,wia u raised ur family,wia they av a secured future and better chance to succeed.i hope u wont trade all that for this shit hole.wia u stand d risk of being kidnapped,killed/robbed of ur possession/hard earned cash. 3 Likes |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 6:31pm On Nov 03, 2013 |
What I particularly like about the man's story, was that he explored. There's no true essence in life than exploration. . . No be say make person just siddown for Naija dey cause kasala up & down! Live life, see places. . . |
Re: My Life In Europe Since 1954 BY FEMI AWONIYI by Nobody: 6:51pm On Nov 03, 2013 |
jassie: What I particularly like about the man's story, was that he explored. There's no true essence in life than exploration. . . u ve got d drill bozz |
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