THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
A group of female asylum-seekers housed in a reception centre in Lower Saxony has published an open letter addressed to the authorities — alleging that their living conditions amount to de facto detention. The women, currently at the reception facility in Landesaufnahmebehörde Niedersachsen (LAB), describe life in the centre as humiliating and dehumanizing.
In their letter — released on 24 November 2025 and shared publicly via Refugee Café Göttingen — they write that day after day they feel “treated like prisoners,” confined in overcrowded, under-resourced accommodations with little privacy and dignity.
Their testimony echoes what many asylum-seekers and refugees in Germany — including Africans — have repeatedly reported over the years: that shared dormitories, prolonged stays in reception centres and poor hygiene or neglect of basic needs create an environment of uncertainty and psychological stress.
By going public, the women behind the letter call on German authorities and society to treat refugees and asylum-seekers with respect, humanity and dignity. As African communities in Germany — including those connected to our own platform — this call deserves our attention and solidarity.
The letter from the residents of the Lower Saxony centre is not simply a protest against inadequate housing. It is a plea to be seen and treated as human beings — with rights, hopes, and dignity.
