Last modified: 2023-10-07 by martin karner
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The Swiss free newspaper 20 Minuten has on its website an
article from 2017
(PDF),
which reports mainly about depictions of Africans on Swiss communal emblems.
English translation:
---------------------------------
Oberweningen commune (ZH)
Nobody knows why the Oberweningen commune shows a dark-skinned person on its coat of arms. Therefore, in
a competition, the pupils of the
primary school were asked to invent stories about the origin of the coat
of arms. For Kaspar Zbinden, communal clerk (Gemeindeschreiber) of
Oberweningen, the moor was an old
heraldry symbol for the well-travelled and cosmopolitan people. In addition, in contrast to other
illustrations,
it is drawn with respect. So he would be pictured elsewhere with bones in his hair, large
earrings, or disfigured facial features. He has no qualms.
"Our coat of arms will remain as it is",
says Zbinden.
Flumenthal commune (SO)
The coat of arms was only officially adopted by the municipal assembly in 1940. It depicts a black man
referred to by art historians as Saint Mauritius.
Mauritius, originally from Egypt, was the leader of a
Roman legion and was martyred in what is now Saint-Maurice in Valais in the late 3rd century.
This because
he allegedly did not want to fight against Christian fellow believers. So the worship of Mauritius as a
patron saint has a long history.
Cornol commune (JU)
In Cornol, too, no one knows exactly how the black man found his way onto the municipal coat of arms.
However, the municipal administration is
convinced that he commemorates the many black people who served
the Romans at the time.
Avenches commune (VD)
Here the coat of arms most likely comes from the moors, who were expelled from Spain in the 9th century
and then made forays into northern Italy and the Alps.
This left a lasting impression on the
population – also on the arms of Avenches.
"Representation as in the days of slavery"
Celeste Ugochukwu, President of the African Diaspora Council, takes issue with the coats of arms and
calls for a rethink in the communities.
For example, the exaggerated depictions of blacks in the
coats of arms are no longer tenable. These are depicted as they were viewed during the
slavery era – as
third-rate members of society. With red lips, big earrings and exaggerated facial features. "Images
like these still shape how black people
are perceived today", says Ugochukwu. It also means that the
community still holds such views. "Something like that is no longer justifiable today."
Member of [Zurich] cantonal parliament Andrew Katumba (Social-Democratic Party) supports the coat of arms.
"Every head on a coat of arms is a symbol
of strength", says the semi-African. The communes would
show that they are proud of their heroes. "Very few people are aware that we worship saints who
were
black." The [Zurich] patron saints Felix, Regula and Exuperantius
were also dark-skinned. "The fact that over time they were depicted as light-skinned
is a
falsification of history."
"Negro Slice" is not racist
According to the Federal Commission against Racism (Eidgenšssische Kommission gegen Rassismus, EKR),
when it comes to coats of arms with moors or
restaurants with "Moor" in their names, the
historical origins are often important. There are also moors with reference to the Three Kings or the
Middle Ages.
In this historical context, the use is neutral or positive, the Aargauer Zeitung
quotes the EKR. According to the EKR, the term "negro slice" does not constitute
a violation of
the racism penal norm. This only applies if a person or a group of people is denied human dignity.
(15 September 2017)
---------------------------------
Martin Karner, 15 August 2023
