In the 1930s, Ethiopia, or Abyssinia as it was known in those days, was one of two countries on the African continent that was not ruled by a European colonial power. Fascist Italy attacked the country in 1935. It wasn't the first time the Italians tried to win control over Ethiopia; in 1896 they had suffered a humiliating defeat in the battle of Adua at the hands of the army of the Ethiopian emperor. Now they wanted revenge for that defeat. The war in Abyssinia changed the political landscape of Europe. Until then the Third Reich had been largely isolated. Now the National Socialists used the opportunity to present Germany again as a potential colonial power by being the only ones to support Italy in the war against Ethiopia. As a result, the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, whose title was Negus Negesti, King of Kings, was a well-known figure in Germany. Children had always been shouting “Neger, Neger” at me. Now they shouted “Negus, Negus”. But in the Berlin dialect this came out “Nejus, Nejus”. It was meant as an insult, and that was how I took it. And there was no way I could defend myself.

By contrast, in Scandinavia people's sympathies were on the Ethiopian side, and so we were “sold” as Ethiopians in the Völkerschau. In fact there was only one real Ethiopian in the troupe, Wolde Tadek, who had taken me and Juliana to Liège that time. There were several Swedish families who would have gladly adopted me and Juliana. But the ben Ahmeds were afraid of getting in trouble with the authorities back in Germany. And on top of that they were still making a profit from our work and earning good money with us.

When we returned from Sweden in the autumn of 1937 it became clear that they really could have got into trouble. My older sister Christiane, who had been living in France since 1933, had applied to the guardianship authority for permission for me and Juliana, her younger brother and sister, to leave the country. Christiane was now an adult and as the senior member of the family she had the right to make the application.