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A few number of activists turned out on a cold and raining Saturday in Berlin for a public demonstration for the return to Nigeria of Benin artworks in German museums. Even though hundreds of protesters were expected to participate in the action, the low turnout did not dampen the enthusiasm of the activists. They say the demonstration, which was held …

Main features of the Christmas season in Germany are the charming fairs that decorate the country during this time of year. From traditional handicrafts and quirky ornaments to tasty local delicacies and sweet-scented mulled wine (Glühwein), there’s absolutely nothing you can’t find in a German Christmas market. This year Berlin will host the first “Afro-Lux Christmas Market” on 8-9 December. …

A new museum dedicated to the art and culture of people of African descent opened in Dakar Thursday (6 December). It was the realization of a 1966 dream of Senegal’s founding president, Léopold Sédar Senghor to exhibit in one space the richness of Black civilizations and history. Declaring the Museum of Black Civilizations (Musée des civilisations noires) open, Senegal’s President …

Ethiopian Airlines will be Ghana’s strategic partner as the West African country looks to set up a new national airline. Ghana’s aviation minister Joseph Adda and Ethiopian’s chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam have signed a memorandum of understanding establishing the partnership, with a final agreement to be signed before year’s end. Ghana is not expected to retain more than 10 percent …

Royal Air Maroc will join oneworld (marketed simply as ‘oneworld’), becoming the 14th member of the airline alliance and the first in Africa. Royal Air Maroc (RAM) is set to become part of oneworld alliance in mid-2020, it has been announced by the alliance’s governing board. Oneworld, headquartered in Ney York, is an airline alliance founded on 1 February 1999. …

Hundreds of activists are expected to turn out in Berlin on Saturday, 8 December for a public demonstration for the return to Nigeria of Benin artworks in German museums. British forces raided and destroyed Benin City in today’s Nigeria about 120 years ago. They looted thousands of invaluable works of art from the burnt down royal palace and sold it …

The UN cultural agency has recognised reggae as an intangible cultural heritage worth protecting for its “contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual”. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recognised reggae music as a cultural treasure …

On Saturday, 17 November, the Afrobeat star, Femi Kuti and his Positive Force band performed at the Young African Art Market (YAAM) in East Berlin. Our Contributing Editor, Michael Nnaji witnessed the event and reports on the high and low points of the memory night. Femi Kuti and his Positive Force band raised the temperature of the Berlin audience on …

Femi Kuti and his band, the Positive Force, will rock the German capital city on Saturday 17 November in what organisers have promised will be a show to remember. The eldest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, who started his musical career in the band of his father “Egypt 80”, will be performing live in Berlin for the first time …

Gents Club Berlin celebrated its first anniversary with a big get-together in the German capital city on Saturday, 3 November. Members of the socio-cultural-humanitarian association and their families joined by invited guests turned out in beautiful, colourful attires to mark the first birthday of the club, founded by a group of Nigerians. It was an evening of good music, supplied …

A community of African bloggers is slowly emerging in Germany with a growing number of bloggers who share their personal experiences for others to learn from, creating a veritable platform for information exchange. A Berlin meeting brought them together for the first time last Friday. Femi Awoniyi reports. African bloggers gathered in Berlin on 2 November for the first Afro-Bloggers …

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has opened Istanbul’s new airport, expected to become the world’s busiest. Erdogan named the new facility Istanbul Airport, ending months of speculation over its name, on Monday. “Istanbul is not only our largest city,” he said before a massive crowd of dignitaries, officials, and journalists, gathered beneath the vaulted ceiling of the airport terminal, “It …

Bloggers from across Africa and its Diaspora will gather in Berlin on 2 November for the first “Afro-Bloggers Convention”. The event, organised by Afrobizgermany.com, an online platform that projects the Black community in Germany to the outside world, is aimed at bringing Afro-bloggers together to discuss “The impact of blogging in our community”. The one-day event features discussions, workshops and …

‘AFRIKAMERA – Latest Cinema from Africa’ presents, from 13 – 18 November, a selection of current feature and documentary films from the Horn of Africa, a region associated more with political, social and military conflicts than its cinema culture. The fact is however that the cinema can look back on a long tradition in the region. Ethiopia was the first …

Ethiopian president Mulatu Teshome has announced that the country will soon roll out a visa-on-arrival regime for all Africans entering the country. In other words, there would be no need for Africans to necessarily apply for visas before flying into the country. All African passport holders need to do is fly in and have their visas stamped on arrival. The …

Marrying across nations and cultures is a growing trend in Germany as new official figures show that the number of bi-national couples in the country has doubled since 1996. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office on Friday (21 September), 1.5 million bi-national couples, where one partner has German and the other a foreign nationality, are currently living together in …

Ghana has accepted to host the 5th All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) between Wednesday, November 21 and Saturday, November 24 in Accra. It will be hosted in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the International Committee of AFRIMA. The host country rights acceptance was conducted on Tuesday at a media announcement at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, …

Those expecting Nigeria to float a national carrier before the end of this year have to wait a little longer. The project – Nigeria Air – has been suspended indefinitely. Minister of State for Aviation Hadi Sirika said the decision to put the project on hold was taken on Wednesday at the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. Sirika said …

Professor Pius Adesanmi, director of the Institute of African Studies at Carleton University in Canada, will participate at a public discussion on African literature in Berlin on 26 September. The event, organised by the literary agency InterKontinental, will take place in Literaturhaus Berlin. Adesanmi is well known for his often satiric writings, focusing on the absurd in the Nigerian social …

The annual summer season of African music and culture in Germany has been in full swing since April. Here are 9 Top Festivals, holding from now until the end of summer, promising an unforgettable experience:  —————————————— 1st Gnaoua Festival Berlin 16 – 18 August / Berlin, Werkstatt der Kulturen Concerts | Exhibitions | Talk | Workshop | Master Class | …