African women from across Europe and guests from Africa gathered recently at the prestigious Maritim Hotel in the western German city of Dusseldorf. The conference with the theme “Leadership and Integration for Change” was attended by more than hundred participants. The meeting was organised by African Women in Europe ( AWE ). Founded in 2008 by Joy Wanjiru Zenz and …

The German city of Frankfurt will again host the Nollywood Film Festival Germany (NFFG) and its sister event Nollywood Europe Golden Award (NEGA) on 9-10 September. The yearly event, organized by Ehizoya Golden Entertainment e.V., features Nigerian film screenings, seminars and a variety entertainment show, among other activities. A highlight of the festival this year is the première of a …

The first single to be released from Michael Kiwanuka’s new album ‘Love and Hate’ is ‘Black Man in a White World’ is now topping the UK chart. Kiwanuka wrote the song based on his experiences growing up in London: “I feel like, ‘Black Man In A White World’ seems to be resonating a bit. Obviously I wrote it for what’s …

As the 2016 general elections draw nearer the first line of Ghana’s national anthem, “God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong”, is the prayer on the lips of every Ghanaian. And Ghanaians living in Germany are no exception as they look forward to the polls, which are to hold on 6 December. Organised by the …

On a recent tour of Senegal, Niger and Rwanda, German Development Minister Gerd Müller repeated his call for a Marshall Plan for Africa. But is a post-World War II-style recovery program realistic or even necessary? Gerd Müller makes his way on foot across the arid field in Cayar, a small town in Senegal. After a few steps, he reaches the …

The United Kingdom decided to end its European Union membership at the referendum of 23 June. Actual exit will not commence until the British government invokes Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. British Prime Minister Theresa May has indicated this will not be rushed and will not happen this year. Our contributing editor and London-based legal scholar Sylvester …

This year’s Africa Fashion Week Amsterdam (AFWA) takes place from 25 to 27 August at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. Emerging fashion designers from 24 countries will take part in the three-day event, celebrating African and African-inspired fashion, art and cultural heritage. AFWA 2016 kicks off with a press conference on 24 August, providing an opportunity for the media …

Afrika-Verein demands more action from the German government as Uganda’s President Museveni makes case for investing in Africa. The federal government must do more to encourage a greater engagement of German companies in Africa, demanded Dr Stefan Liebing, chairman of Afrika-Verein, at this year’s German Africa Business Day in Berlin. He called for the removal of hurdles preventing German companies …

A new charity album, Beating Heart-Malawi, is giving a new lease of life to decades’ old African music. The project began when Chris Pedley became aware that such an archive existed. “I got in touch with the International Library of African Music, which Hugh Tracey founded in 1954, and through the research I found out that he recorded over 250 …

The news headlines on the recent municipal elections in South Africa have one thing in common: that the governing African National Congress (ANC) lost and hence is losing its dominance of the country’s political landscape. The 2016 municipal elections elected the members of the district, metropolitan and local municipal councils in all 9 provinces, who, in turn, will elect the …

The South Sudanese government has decided to deploy a regional force to protect civilians. The decision comes a month after fighting broke out between rival army factions and the release of a critical UN report. Mahboub Maalim, head of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa (IGAD), said on Friday (5 August) that the government had accepted a protection …

Maisha e.V. hosted the International Conference on Political Participation of Migrant Women in Frankfurt recently. The event, featuring podium discussions and workshops, explored how women of African descent, migrant women in Germany and even refugees could better be involved in the political process to champion their interests. The conference was organised in collaboration with ASA, a programme of Engagement Global …

The International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015–2024, was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly and adopted on 23 December 2013. The theme of the Decade is “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development”. The Decade highlights the human rights situation of the African diaspora worldwide and aims to fight racial discrimination and create visibility for the contribution …

Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned the attacks in Wurzburg and Ansbach as “Islamic terror” but assured that the country will continue to offer refuge to those fleeing war and political persecution. The attacks were shocking, distressing and depressing, the Chancellor said at a press conference in Berlin today (28 July). “Taboos of civilisation are being broken,” she said, referring to …

Ghanaian-born driving instructor Victor Boadum is a real rarity in the streets of Berlin. He teaches Africans to survive the German capital’s rough traffic. DW’s Daniel Pelz went along on a driving lesson. Getting the car out of the narrow parking space and onto the road into Berlin’s heavy midmorning traffic comes close to a little adventure. Driving student Sharon …

The University of Frankfurt’s web-based library on sub-Saharan Africa ilissAfrica (www.ilissafrica.de) offers useful material on African history and culture, with special emphasis on the German colonial history in Africa. In an exclusive interview with our correspondent Muhammed Faisal Garba, the librarian of ilissAfrica, Nadia Cohen, talks about the objectives of the library and how scholars on Africa can profit from …

Ghana has begun to offer visas on arrival to citizens of all 54 African Union member states. Ghana is now the third country in the continent after Mauritius and Rwanda to allow visas on arrival for all Africans. Ghana’s new visa policy is big news in Africa because travelling in the continent is not easy for Africans. “Nationals from African …

General elections will be held in Ghana on 7 December 2016 to elect a President and Members of Parliament. They had originally been scheduled for 7 November 2016, but the date was later rejected by Parliament. “Despite the demonstration of our preparedness to deliver a credible and world-class elections on the proposed November 7 date, parliament in its wisdom has …

Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) held a two-day event in Vienna in July to promote the Nigeria tourism sector. The event was declared open by the Chargé d’Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy in Austria, Gazing Dangtim, after a welcome address by the NIDOE Austria chair, Oluyemi Ogundele, who said: “Nigeria could generate foreign exchange, provide employment and accelerate rural …

British Muslims are the most generous charity-givers, according to the UK’s Charity Commission, which says Muslims gave about £100 million to charities over the month of Ramadan alone. The news confirms Muslims’ reputation as being the most generous religious group when it comes to charitable donations. The Charity Commission’s Nick Donaldson described the £100 million as being the equivalent of …