On Sunday, I attended the perfomance of SWEET LAND the musical at the history theatre. It is the story of Inga Altenberg, a German immigrant, who came to Minnesota after World War I. Extensive discrimination took place against Germans during the war as well as afterward. So Inga arrives to marry a Minnesota farmer and is subjected to numerous difficulties. One being that no minister or judge would perform the marriage until it could be proven that she was not a spy. It is a story about the relationships that existed in a small farm community and the problems they encountered. The music is thoughtful and enhances the story.
It is hard not to compare the discrimination against Germans then to the discrimination that exists in our society today against other nationalities. The question is when will we ever learn?
The play will be going on tour.