Bambule
Encyclopedia
Bambule, a term of German prison sociolect, originally refers to a form of mostly non-violent prison protest, typically effected by banging hard items against the cells' metal bars. The term is derived from the African dance Bamboule or Bamboula.
in the St. Pauli
quarter in Hamburg was dubbed Bambule.
It was evicted on November 4, 2002 due to the Senate's decision not to
tolerate this form of residence. The main reason, however, was the plan to extend
the fair
grounds and the attempt to reorganize urban structure. The eviction
was mainly supported by the conservative parties. The inhabitants of Bambule
paid neither rent, nor for electricity or for water. In response, Bambule offered
to pay for infrastructure, but the Senate, mayor Ole von Beust
and Ronald Schill
rejected any negotiations.
The eviction of the illegally squatted space was carried out under heavy protests.
Inhabitants of other squats, but also the residents of St. Pauli
and the
Schanzenviertel showed their solidarity and criticised the Senate's zero
tolerance policy. Soon, the protests culminated in violent demonstrations and
radical actions.
Due to the big wave of protest, the Senate decided for a temporary solution and
offered Bambule an alternative space on a limited lease.
The Bambule Protests in Hamburg 2002
A trailer parkTrailer park
A trailer park is a semi-permanent or permanent area for mobile homes or travel trailers. The main reasons for living in such trailer parks are the often lower cost compared to other housing, and the ability to move to a new area more quickly and easily, for example when changing jobs to another...
in the St. Pauli
St. Pauli
St. Pauli , located in the Hamburg-Mitte borough, is one of the 105 quarters of the city of Hamburg, Germany. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the Landungsbrücken are a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pauli contains a world famous red light district around the street Reeperbahn...
quarter in Hamburg was dubbed Bambule.
It was evicted on November 4, 2002 due to the Senate's decision not to
tolerate this form of residence. The main reason, however, was the plan to extend
the fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
grounds and the attempt to reorganize urban structure. The eviction
was mainly supported by the conservative parties. The inhabitants of Bambule
paid neither rent, nor for electricity or for water. In response, Bambule offered
to pay for infrastructure, but the Senate, mayor Ole von Beust
Ole von Beust
Carl-Friedrich Arp Ole Freiherr von Beust, generally called Ole von Beust, born April 13, 1955, in Hamburg, Germany, was First Mayor of the city-state of Hamburg from 31 October 2001 to 25 August 2010, serving as President of the Bundesrat from 1 November 2007 on for one year...
and Ronald Schill
Ronald Schill
Ronald Barnabas Schill is a former judge, the founder of the German political parties Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive and Pro DM/Schill...
rejected any negotiations.
The eviction of the illegally squatted space was carried out under heavy protests.
Inhabitants of other squats, but also the residents of St. Pauli
St. Pauli
St. Pauli , located in the Hamburg-Mitte borough, is one of the 105 quarters of the city of Hamburg, Germany. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the Landungsbrücken are a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pauli contains a world famous red light district around the street Reeperbahn...
and the
Schanzenviertel showed their solidarity and criticised the Senate's zero
tolerance policy. Soon, the protests culminated in violent demonstrations and
radical actions.
Due to the big wave of protest, the Senate decided for a temporary solution and
offered Bambule an alternative space on a limited lease.
Other uses of the term
- Bambule is the title of a 1970 West German television movieTelevision movieA television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
about a group of borstalBorstalA borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
girls in West BerlinWest BerlinWest Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, which had been written by Ulrike MeinhofUlrike MeinhofUlrike Marie Meinhof was a German left-wing militant. She co-founded the Red Army Faction in 1970 after having previously worked as a journalist for the monthly left-wing magazine Konkret. She was arrested in 1972, and eventually charged with numerous murders and the formation of a criminal...
. Because she went underground with the Red Army FactionRed Army FactionThe radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
(aka "Baader-Meinhof Group") just ten days before the movie's scheduled initial screening, the movie wasn't shown until 1994. - A record published 1998 by Absolute BeginnerBeginnerBeginner Beginner Beginner (formerly Absolute Beginner is a German rap group from Hamburg, consisting of Eizi Eiz [alias Jan Delay/Eißfeldt], Denyo and DJ Mad.- Band history :...
from Hamburg is named Bambule - London-based experimental group CindytalkCindytalkCindytalk is an experimental music group fronted by Gordon Sharp, a Scottish performer who has been the only constant member since its inception in 1982.-History:...
have an electronic side-project called Bambule (named after the Ulrike Meinhof film) which has released two records on Praxis RecordsPraxis RecordsPraxis Records is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany, releasing primarily harsh experimental electronic music. The label was founded in 1992 by Christoph Fringeli, who has released music under numerous monikers such as Base Force One, Scaremonger and Metatron.-Roster:Praxis...
(1996 & 2000.)