Stefanie-Lahya Aukongo was born in East Berlin on September 13 ,1978. Her mother had been been seriously injured in the Battle of Cassinga in Namibia while pregrant, and while the East German doctors saved Stefanie's life, she was born with severe disabilities. When she was 16 months old, she and her mother were deported back to Namibia. But her foster parents in East Germany successfully fought for her return and she grew up in the communist country. 11 when the Berlin Wall fell, she found herself stateless in reunified Germany and facing an uncertain future. Thanks once again to the efforts of her foster parents, she became a German citizen in 1995. This has not protected her from racially motivated abuse: In 2006 she was attacked in a bus and has avoided public transport ever since. She also faced difficulties in her working life, despite being well-qualified. Now, thanks to the success of her autobiography, she works as a writer in Berlin.