Bio

My name is Bertrand C. Ngong. I am originally from Cameroon, a Central African country that still bears the scars of German colonial presence in linguistic, architectural, toponymic, cultural, political, and even memorial aspects to this day. Growing up, this dual African and German heritage became deeply ingrained in me, guiding my steps first toward Germanic studies and then towards African studies. My reflections aim to comprehend how these two legacies interconnect, mutually influence each other, and shape the present-day relations between the German-speaking cultural space and Africa. I am particularly interested in the cultural and intellectual productions of Black people in the German language and/or about Germany. Historically, I investigate the African sources of the historiography of German colonization in Black Africa. Moreover, I closely follow current German-African affairs, especially concerning issues of reparations, restitution of artworks, and repatriation of African remains stolen during German colonization in Black Africa. Lastly, my reflections also seek to challenge and decolonize a certain perception of Germanic studies that would limit this field exclusively to the borders of Germany and Germanic countries.

Honors & Awards

  • Prize of the Cameroonian Young Writer's National Contest 2016, Ministry of Arts and Culture - Cameroon (2016)

Professional Affiliations and Activities

  • PhD. Candidate in German Studies - Teaching Assistant, Stanford University (2023 - Present)
  • Master's student in German Studies & Teaching Assistant of German as a Foreign Language, University of New Mexico - USA (2021 - 2023)
  • German teacher for French speaking students, The German Technology Institute of Cameroon. (2019 - 2020)
  • German teacher for French speaking students in communication sciences, The Catholic College of Technology De Lasalle - Cameroon. (2019 - 2020)
  • Publishing & Research Assistant, Gerda Henkel Stiftung & Fondation AfricAvenir International (on the scientific project “Preservation and Transmission of Africa’s Collective Memory – African Testimonies and Oral Literature in Early Colonial History 2015-2019. Germany in Africa”. (2015 - 2020)
  • German speaking tourist guide, Central African Safari & World Insight (2011 - 2015)
  • German teacher (for students wanting to study in a German speaking country), Ludwig-Maximilian Sprachschule (Language School) (2010 - 2015)

Education & Certifications

  • Master's degree, University of New Mexico - USA, German studies (2023)
  • Master's degree, University of Yaoundé I - Cameroon, Africana studies (African literatures and civilizations with a specialization in oral literature) (2017)
  • Master II, University of Yaoundé I - Cameroon, German studies with a specialization in German Linguistics. (2013)
  • Bachelor's degree, University of Yaoundé I - Cameroon, German studies with a specialization in German Linguistics. Minor in psychology. (2011)

Personal Interests

Afrogerman History
Afrogerman Literature
Afrogerman Identity and Cultural Studies
History of German Colonization in Africa
German Colonial Literature
Colonial Linguistics
Didactics of German as a Foreign Language
Weimar Era
German Literature of the Middle Age
Literary Theory and Criticism

Contact

Links