A childhood between Togo and Munich - In search of the truth | DW Documentary

The fact that 32-year-old Rita leads such a successful life today is nothing short of a miracle. Rita was born in Togo in 1991 and was raised by her grandparents. For a long time, she thought they were her parents. Hers was a happy childhood - but it ended abruptly.

At the age of nine, she‘s told that her biological mother lives in Munich and from now on, she must live with her. Rita travels to Germany alone, where she receives a rather cold reception from her supposed mother. When Rita is abused by an acquaintance of her mother's, she’s too afraid to say anything.

With the help of her friends and a teacher, Rita finally moves into a child protection centre. Rita's suspicion that this woman is not her mother at all becomes more and more entrenched. A relative confesses to her that she is in fact her aunt and that her real mother lives in Togo.

Rita bounces back from the shock and at the age of 17, she begins a course in restaurant management. Everything seems to be going well, but the traumas of her childhood soon catch up with her. After several unsuccessful suicide attempts, Rita realizes: to get answers to her questions, she needs to travel to Togo. There, she uncovers layer upon layer of lies.

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