Stories From Within: Anke Richter on Gloriavale – NZ Geographic

By Rebekah White – NZ Geographic – Stories from Within – 31/01/2019

Anke Richter has reported extensively on cults—and for the last six months, Gloriavale has been her focus.

YOU’RE ORIGINALLY FROM GERMANY—DID THAT GIVE YOU A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON THE STORY?

LIKE EVERYONE GROWING up in West Germany before the reunification, I know the stories of refugees from the German Democratic Republic trying to cross the Iron Curtain—and the pressure their relatives back at home came under afterwards from the secret police. This is why they often left in the middle of the night, couldn’t tell anyone of their plans, couldn’t say goodbye—and were heartbroken and conflicted about what they had done to their loved ones on the other side of the Wall. It meant they couldn’t even fully enjoy their newfound freedom.

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