After the Netflix documentary “Babo – The Arrest Warrant Story,” students are demanding that the rapper be treated as a topic in class. The Ministry of Culture rejects the proposal.
Students from Offenbach called for arrest warrants to be included in the curriculum – his texts correspond more closely to reality than old classics. The Ministry of Culture has objections and rejected the request. Here’s the background.
Editorial recommendations
Students and teachers agree: Arrest warrants belong in the curriculum
The city student council Offenbach – from the birthplace of arrest warrant – would like the German rapper’s song lyrics and biography to be covered in class. City school spokesman Luca Dobrita explained the wish: “It’s not just about rap lyrics. It’s about identity, belonging and educational justice.” According to Dobrita, according to “Hessenschau”, Arrest’s art is about the reality of today that many young people would experience.
Teachers also support the initiative. In addition to classics such as Goethe’s “Faust”, in which the underage Gretchen is seduced by Faust, arrest warrant lyrics should also be discussed. The rapper’s texts contained many metaphors that were familiar to students and were well suited for analysis, says German teacher Dennys Jochum from the Edith Stein School in Offenbach. Questionable aspects such as sexist and anti-Semitic tendencies or passages glorifying violence should be part of the discussion. Jochum would like to investigate questions such as: “Where does this come from, what is an exaggerated representation?”, according to “Hessenschau”.
Background of the claim
The initiative was triggered by the recently released Netflix documentary “Babo – The Arrest Warrant Story” about Aykut Anhan, as his real name is. In it, the now 39-year-old provides raw insights into his life as a rapper and family man. In addition to musical successes, the film also addresses childhood trauma and drug use.
Watch the trailer for the documentary here:
Response from the Ministry of Culture
The CDU-led Ministry of Education in Hesse clearly rejected the Offenbach City Student Council’s proposal for more cultural diversity in the school curriculum. “Neither the rapper’s lyrics nor his controversial appearance in public are in line with the educational mandate that schools fulfill,” it says in response to media inquiries. The artist shows “politically questionable positions” that include, among other things, “anti-Semitism, sexism, violent fantasies, unreflective affirmation of suicide and the glorification of intoxicants.” Topics such as intercultural competence and understanding are already part of the Hessian core curriculum, the ministry explained.