Award Building bridges between cultures: Heidelberg alumnus receives Federal Cross of Merit
Paulino José Miguel came to Germany from Mozambique when he was just eleven years old – all alone, deprived of his family, his language and his social and cultural integration. A long and rocky road lies behind the now 54-year-old: From training as a locksmith, he worked his way up to completing a degree at Ruperto Carola. For decades, the Heidelberg alumnus has been committed to social cohesion and the participation of migrants who have recently arrived in Germany. His special services as a bridge builder for intercultural coexistence have now been honored with the Federal Cross of Merit.
In the 1980s, Paulino Miguel left his village in Mozambique. As one of around 21,000 young people, he was sent to the GDR as part of an intergovernmental agreement. His hope was to go to school here and gain a higher education qualification – something that was not possible for him in his home country. He was initially allowed to attend the ‘School of Friendship’ in the small industrial town of Staßfurt in the GDR, but only as part of an apprenticeship as a maintenance mechanic. At the age of 18, he began his hard everyday life as a contract labourer in the metal casting plant in Wernigerode. A harsh tone, rigid working conditions and racist abuse are the order of the day here. “In the GDR, we were supposed to be educated to become new people,” Miguel remembers. “There was no room for the ideas and wishes of the individual.”
With reunification, the then 20-year-old sees the chance to finally realise his dream: He eagerly threw himself into evening school to catch up on his A-levels via the second educational route. He read an article about Heidelberg University in the school magazine and a new dream was born: He wanted to study here and nowhere else. To this end, Paulino Miguel abandoned his plan to become a pharmacist, as his grades were not good enough to gain admission to the degree programme at the first attempt. Instead, he enrolled on a degree course in education and political science in 1998. “A decision I have never regretted,” says Miguel. He particularly remembers the advice and support he received at the university, especially from his BAFÖG counsellor. "That was the first time that I received counselling in my own interests in Germany."
As part of his studies, Paulino Miguel is studying the history of guest workers in West Germany and the problems they faced. He is inspired by how the guest workers fought for space in society early on. “That wasn't possible for us contract workers in the GDR. We had to work in the first place. Even a simple demand could lead to expulsion.” Together with other students, he founded the Association of African Students at Heidelberg University (VASUH), which supports students from African countries and promotes intercultural exchange. These were the beginnings of his ongoing commitment to strengthening social cohesion and democracy.
Paulino Miguel has been head of the migration and development policy department at the ‘Forum der Kulturen Stuttgart’ association since 2007. He is the representative of migrant organisations on the Development Cooperation Council of the state of Baden-Württemberg and a member of the 16-strong Migration Advisory Council of the city of Heidelberg. He also organises seminars on development work throughout Germany, networks and supports migrant associations and gives talks in school classes – all of which goes far beyond his usual professional activities. His particular concern is to make migrant commitment visible in society. He therefore accepts the Federal Cross of Merit on behalf of all the migrants who work for the common good every day, said Paulino Miguel at the award ceremony in Heidelberg in February 2025. The award is an incentive for the father of two to continue working for a just and united world. “Migrants make an enormous contribution to the development of our society,” he emphasises.
The 54-year-old still feels closely connected to Ruperto Carola to this day. In 2012, alongside his job and voluntary work, he began a doctorate with the emeritus Heidelberg educational scientist Prof Dr Volker Lenhart, whom he already knew from his studies. Paulino Miguel is analysing textbooks from Mozambique and researching the extent to which school education in his home country promotes or inhibits peace. Since the death of Prof Lenhart in 2023, he has been continuing his dissertation with Prof Dr Annette Scheunpflug at the University of Bamberg.
