June, 2025

• 18 June

  Opinion: How Nigeria should react to a US visa ban

  

  Collins Nweke urges Nigeria and other African countries to respond strategically to the rumoured U.S. visa ban. The public affairs analyst outlines how Abuja can handle the situation in a way that best serves the interests of its citizens. Rumours, if credible, can be as disruptive as confirmed facts. The reported leaked memo from the office of the United States …

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• 18 June

  US Travel Ban: 35 African countries could soon be affected

  

  Beginning from June 2025, the United States has imposed strict entry restrictions on nationals from many countries across the globe, many of them African. These measures, whether total or partial bans, affect travel for tourism, business, study or family visits, and are already having serious implications for millions of people. According to multiple news sources, the US government is preparing …

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• 17 June

  Emanuel Odiase: My fight will take boxing to a new level in Germany

  

  Emanuel Odiase is not just another rising star in the boxing world, he’s a symbol of Afro-German excellence, discipline and quiet determination. Born and raised in Heidelberg to a German mother and Nigerian father, the 26-year-old heavyweight boxer stands tall, literally and figuratively, at 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) and weighing 118 kg. His imposing stature in the ring …

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• 13 June

  Why Germany recorded highest-ever number of naturalisations in 2024

  

  Germany recorded a historic surge in naturalisations in 2024, with nearly 292,000 foreign nationals acquiring German citizenship – the highest number ever recorded since official statistics began in 2000. According to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, this represents a 46% increase compared to 2023, marking a clear upward trend. The sharp rise is attributed partly to legal reforms introduced …

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• 13 June

  Cologne’s African film festival celebrates resilience and creative power

  

  Despite ongoing funding challenges, the Afrika Film Festival Köln will return in 2025 for its 22nd edition, reaffirming its role as a vital platform for African cinema in Europe. Running from 18 to 28 September, the festival will once again transform Cologne into a cinematic hub for powerful African storytelling, global premieres and thought-provoking dialogue. Under the banner “Afrikas Kino lebt …

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• 13 June

  Germany: African Music Festival Celebrates 25 Years

  

  One of Europe’s most enduring African cultural events is marking a major milestone. The African Music Festival, held annually in the picturesque town of Emmendingen in southwest Germany usually in the first weekend of August, is celebrating its 25th anniversary — a remarkable achievement that highlights its legacy of music, multiculturalism and community engagement. From its modest beginnings in 2000, …

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• 13 June

  Essay: Africa and the Echoes of Toussaint L’Ouverture

  

  Prof. Jason Osai* traces the ongoing political revolution in Francophone West Africa to the legacy of Toussaint L’Ouverture, the Haitian leader who led the struggle to establish the first independent Black nation and free his people from the grip of French colonial oppression. Since 2020, there have been military overthrows in four West African countries—three of which have expelled France …

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• 7 June

  Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: Tribute to a decolonial thinker and defender of African languages

  

  Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o passed away on 28 May. A towering figure in African literature, his works critically address colonial oppression and the unjust postcolonial order. In this tribute, Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, literary scholar and former lecturer at the University of Bayreuth, honours the life and legacy of this influential writer. A former member of the European Parliament, Dr …

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• 6 June

  UK court confirms Ogunfemi’s leadership of Nigerians in Europe

  

  The long-running leadership crisis that has rocked the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) for months has finally been laid to rest. According to a press statement issued by the organisation, the Royal Courts of Justice in London, in a ruling on 28 May 2025, has unequivocally affirmed the legitimacy of the Central Executive Council led by Harold Ogunfemi, bringing …

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• 5 June

  Germany: Court deals blow to Merz government’s tough asylum policy

  

  Germany’s recent policy of turning back asylum-seekers at its borders has been dealt a legal blow, following a landmark ruling by the Berlin Administrative Court. The court decided that the rejection of three Somali nationals at the German-Polish border was unlawful, affirming that asylum-seekers must be processed according to EU law, specifically the Dublin Regulation. The case involved two men …

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