Danke Deutschland (song)

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"Danke Deutschland" was a song, dedicated to Germany for its role in gaining independence by Croatia. It was ridiculed all over ex-Yugoslavia as a supreme example of political kitsch.^{[citation needed]}

The lyrics, in German:

Danke Deutschland, meine Seele brennt!

Danke Deutschland, für das liebe Geschenk.

Danke Deutschland, vielen Dank,

wir sind jetzt nicht allein,

und die Hoffnung kommt in das zerstörte Heim.

Translation:

Thank you Germany, my soul is burning!

Thank you Germany, for the lovely gift.

Thank you Germany, many many thanks,

now we are no more alone,

and hope comes into our destroyed homeland.

Sanja Trumbić was the singer, and this was one of her nationalistic songs the artistic values were criticized. The composer was Đorđe Novković, father of the more well known Boris Novković.

This song was broadcasted in Croatia for only a few weeks. Part of the reason is was the song's low artistic quality that appalled many Croatians, even at the very height of nationalist euphoria.^{[citation needed]}

"Danke Deutschland", however, remained a popular slogan in other republics of former Yugoslavia, often used as an ironic comment by those dissatisfied with the way German or any other foreign governments or business corporations affected local way of life.

This song was part of a wider controversial campaign showing gratitude to Germany and Austria. Hans-Dietrich Genscher has had monuments erected in Croatia, while he was still alive, for instance. Also, various towns had their streets named after German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and his Austrian counterpart Alois Mock. This trend was relatively quickly suppressed by Tuđman's government, especially in the case of Genscher, because main liberal party HSLS tried to use Genscher's association with FDP for its own propaganda at the eve 1992 elections.