Anke Domscheit-Berg

Biographical information

1968 Born in Premnitz, Havelland, raised in Müncheberg, Märkisch Oderland
1986 Abitur in Strausberg
1987 Work placement as a worker in the craft producers’ cooperative; ‘5th Party Conference’ in Frankfurt an der Oder
1987–1991 Studies in textile art at the Technical School of Applied Arts in Schneeberg (today a branch of the University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau)
1991–1993 Work as a travel agent at Ameropa travel agency in Frankfurt am Main
1993–1996 Studies in international business administration in Bad Homburg and Newcastle (UK), earning both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
1997–2005 Business consultant, Business Development Manager at Accenture
2000 Birth of her son
2006–2008 Project manager at McKinsey, Business Technology Office
2008–2011 Director of Government Relations at Microsoft Germany
2010 Married to pro-transparency activist and former WikiLeaks spokesperson Daniel Berg
Since 2011 Self-employed entrepreneur running the businesses fempower.me and opengov.me located in Fürstenberg on the Havel (organising presentations, workshops, training courses, texts, interviews, debates)
2014 Publication of her book, Mauern einreißen - weil ich glaube, dass wir die Welt verändern können!, which deals with gender justice, the fall of the Wall and the question of what lessons can be learned from the GDR for the present and future in terms of democracy, civil rights and ‘surveillance 2.0’.

Profile

I was brought up in a household that certainly encouraged critical thinking, but at the same time had a generally positive view of socialism. Nevertheless, I was not allowed to study my preferred subject and encountered many hypocritical policies. I was politicised during my university days: protesting against the harsh treatment of my best friend in a prison in Halle, submitting a complaint to the Post and Telecommunications Ministry concerning the ban on the magazine Sputnik, and typing leaflets on my grandfather’s typewriter at night to distribute the next day. While some letters sent to me never arrived, others came already opened. My room was also searched. In September 1989, the Stasi attempted to blackmail and coerce me into cooperating with them. I was scared and intimidated, but I resisted, and was consequently denied permission to begin my sponsored three-month study trip to Paris which I had won at a French language competition. I wrote in my diary a lot at the time. That weekend, beginning on 10 November 1989, I moved to West Berlin. Having experienced these various methods of state control, I am today an active campaigner against state surveillance.

Berichte

"Wir sind das andere Drittel" - Welche Rolle spielt die DDR und deren Frauenbild noch heute? Eine Diskussionsrunde, Missy Magazine 20.10.2016.

"Damals fiel ich in ein Loch" - Interview mit der ZEIT über den Fall der Mauer und die Zeit danach: Anke Domscheit-Berg berichtet, wie sie den 9. November 1989 erlebt hat und was sie in den Monaten danach frustrierte. Das Interview führte Anne Hähnig, Juli 2014.

"Barbie ist ein Monster" - Anke Domscheit-Berg erzählt in dem Interview mit der ZEIT, wie das Leben in der DDR sie geprägt hat. Das Interview führten Anne Hähnig und Stefan Locke, Januar 2014.

"Meine Erinnerungen aus der Wendezeit"

Interview

"Das kleine Jubelgefühl ist sofort wieder da" - In der rbb Inforadio-Gesprächsreihe "Sommer '89" erinnert Anke Domscheit-Berg sich an die Zeit vor 25 Jahren und die Kraft, die ihr die Erfahrungen einer friedlichen Revolution heute noch gibt.