The Hamburg communal politician and jurist Irene Appiah addressed a video conference on Saturday on the obligations of parents and the state when it comes to parenting in Germany. The digital event was organised by The African Network of Germany (TANG), part of its series of virtual information sessions on issues ranging from refugee rights to children upbringing in the …

German officials have described the law as a necessary measure, saying the sole aim of burning flags is to “stir up hatred, anger and aggression.” But one party said it interfered with citizens’ freedom of expression. German parliament on 14 May passed a law making the burning of flags from the EU or foreign countries a punishable offence. Under the …

Black and anti-racism organisations will on 23 May hold an online demonstration against the word “neger” (subsequently referred to as N-word in this report). The event, titled “Rassismus in Zeiten von Corona” (Racism in the Era of Corona), is the continuation of the nation-wide protest movement to draw attention to the still prevalent use of the denigrating word to describe people …

A high-level special committee set up by the German government on right-wing extremism and racism has begun work. The committee, chaired by Chancellor Angela Merkel, is expected to recommend to the federal parliament concrete measures to effectively fight right-wing extremism, racism, anti-Semitism and other phenomena of group-related discrimination in Germany. “The Cabinet Committee to Combat Right-Wing Extremism and Racism has …

Afro-German activist Katharina Oguntoye has been honoured for her life’s work against sexism, racism and homophobia with the Lesbian Visibility Award for Berlin 2020. Reacting to the award, Oguntoye (61), who is of German-Nigerian heritage, said: “I’m committed to lesbian visibility because living in hiding is not an option”. The award ceremony of the Berlin Prize for Lesbian Visibility is …

The book “Wurzeln in zwei Welten – Westafrikanische Migranten und Migrantinnen in Hamburg” (Roots in Two Worlds – West African migrants in Hamburg) thoroughly examines the African immigration experience. Although its title might suggest a particularity – West Africans or Hamburg, but the book mirrors the entire experience of the African in Germany, even in Europe – the struggle to …

Furaha Kensmil explains why she feels like a foreigner in both Suriname, where she was born, and the Netherlands, where she has lived most of her life. Furaha delves into the complexities of the identity of the people of African descent in the Netherlands, which prides itself as a colour-blind nation. I find it difficult to call myself Dutch. The …

Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has sanctioned LoveWorld Television Ministry, a Christian network founded by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, a Nigerian televangelist, for airing “potentially harmful statements” about the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the regulator in a statement released on Monday (18 May), programmes aired in early April by Oyakhilome’s LoveWorld perpetuated baseless conspiracy that the virus is linked to the …

A herb touted by Madagascar’s government as healing coronavirus is undergoing tests by a group of international researchers. The WHO warns, however, that there are no scientific studies yet that prove Artemisia works. Clarissa Herrmann/DW reports. Scientists at Germany’s Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam are among a group of researchers from Germany and Denmark collaborating with …

Italy’s government has announced its amnesty programme for migrants without papers. Thousands of irregular migrants in the country will be issued residence permit under the scheme, part of a package of measures to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus on the country. Italy’s coalition government finally reached an agreement on Wednesday (14 May) to approve provisional changes to the …

In January, unknown assailants shot at the office of Senegalese-born German politician Karamba Diaby. Germany was shocked by the brazen attack. But Afro-German politicians are otherwise rarely in the spotlight. Daniel Pelz of Deutsche Welle (DW) reports Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana is used to being the first. The first Afro-German city councillor. The first Afro-German member of the European Parliament. She was …

Sub-Sahara African countries will lose about $200bn in incomes by the end of 2020, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The development is as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is pulling the global economy towards recession. IMF had already, in its latest Regional Economic Outlook, projected that the economies of Sub-Saharan African countries would contract by 1.6 …

Africa 2.0 members share a collection of short opinion pieces about the impact of the global pandemic on African and Afro-descendant communities and offer views on what this may mean for the future. ACCRA, Ghana, May 12th, 2020, -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The future can be shaped by our collective imagination, so we must share our vision. That is one …

British rapper Ty, who was nominated for the prestigious Mercury music prize, has died after contracting coronavirus, according to a fundraising page set up to support him. Stars including Roots Manuva paid tribute to the 47-year-old Londoner, real name Ben Chijioke, who died last Thursday. Ty released his debut album “Awkward” in 2001, the first of five. His follow-up, “Upward”, …

If life were a battlefield, Emeka Okoronkwo, killed when he went to the rescue of two molested women could be said to have died a valiant soldier with a bullet in the chest and a gun in his hand. But to Okoronkwo, life was about living in peace and harmony. Okoronkwo, then 21, sought to protect two Frankfurt women who …

Hamburg-based retiree (73) talks about his 36-year sojourn in Germany and the important lessons immigrants can learn from society. I came to Germany in January 1984 to seek political asylum. Before coming to this country, I knew Germany was one of the democratic Western countries, highly industrialised and noted for its cars – Mercedes Benz, VW, etc. and  machines. It …

The African Network of Germany (TANG) held its corona crisis video conference for the seventh time on Thursday. Attended by the regional representatives of the organisation from all parts of Germany, the event also launched the second phase of TANG’s ongoing awareness and sensitisation campaign about the COVID-19 disease. The first phase of the campaign tagged Coronavirus TANG #Telefonaktion, which …

The crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has revealed the capacity of Africa to do things for itself. That was the view expressed on Thursday by Gherrabi Mohammed, a Moroccan journalist, at an international video conference organised by The African Network of Germany (TANG) on the global health crisis. “We should thank God that the pandemic has so far spared …

"It is vital that individuals across Africa take responsibility to protect themselves, their families and their communities, by following the recommended prevention measures."

Chancellor Angela Merkel conferred with the premiers of the federal states on Wednesday (May 6) in a virtual meeting and they jointly decided to further relax the anti-coronavirus containment measures in force in the country. However, the individual federal states (Länder) are responsible for implementing agreed measures in accordance with their local situations. The federal and state governments agreed on …