
Photo: DPA
When a fourth government finally formed under Chancellor Angela Merkel last month, upon seeing photos of the new federal cabinet the lack of diversity immediately struck me.
Why, I asked myself, are there no people of colour at the highest level of German government?
By contrast, Germany’s football team during the World Cup in 2014 consisted of several non-white players. And in this year’s Weltmeisterschaft I expect to see the same.
Jetzt kann es losgehen mit der Arbeit der neuen Bundesregierung – das neue #Kabinett nach der Ernennung durch den Bundespräsidenten im Schloss Bellevue. pic.twitter.com/EBv8M1tNVb
— Steffen Seibert (@RegSprecher) March 14, 2018
Maybe since I’m Canadian and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet reflects Canada’s diversity, I wish this were also the case for my adopted country.
The Economist made a bold statement this week by saying Germany is “becoming more diverse and open” – but unless I see that reflected in more areas of society including politics and the media, I’m likely to remain sceptical.