CULTURE & SOCIETY

The magic of cinema shone brightly as the Nollywood Film Festival Germany (NFFG) and the Nollywood Europe Golden Awards (NEGA) concluded in spectacular fashion, celebrating two unforgettable days of storytelling, creativity, and cultural pride. A Grand Opening at Deutsches Filmmuseum The festival opened on August 8 at the prestigious Deutsches Filmmuseum with the world premiere of KARMA, produced by festival …

Get ready to be dazzled — the third edition of Africa Fashion Week Cologne (AFWC) is on the horizon, returning in style on 13–14 September 2025 at the elegant Sartory-Saal in the heart of Cologne, Germany. This move to the iconic venue follows two sensational editions, including an unforgettable display at the Rautenstrauch–Joest–Museum in 2023. This year’s Africa Fashion Week …

Nollywood royalty is coming to Germany! Award-winning actress, producer and director Funke Akindele, revered as Nigeria’s queen of cinema, will be one of the celebrated guests at this year’s Nollywood Film Festival Germany (NFFG), taking place from 8–9 August in Frankfurt am Main. Joining Akindele are other Nollywood stars Charles Inojie, Rita Edochie and Rahama Sadau, promising a dazzling lineup …

The annual season of African music and culture in Germany is in full swing. Here are the Top Festivals you don’t want to miss before summer ends: Kenako-Festival Berlin 25 July – 3 August/ Berlin, Washingtonplatz (directly in front of Berlin Hauptbahnhof) The flair of the African cultures comes to Berlin! Visitors can buy handmade art, clothing, cosmetics and food …

Frankfurt will play host to the first-ever ASA WA Day, a vibrant celebration of Yoruba heritage, on Saturday, 12 July 2025. Taking place at Saalbau Griesheim, the event promises an immersive journey into one of West Africa’s most influential and enduring cultures. Organised by the Yoruba Heritage Art and Cultural Group in collaboration with Souls of Africa e.V., ASA WA …

African Book Festival will once again turn Berlin into a vibrant meeting point for literary voices from the African continent and its diaspora. Under the theme “In Other Worlds,” the festival will take place from 18–20 July, offering three days of readings, panels, performances and powerful discussions on African storytelling in all its genres and dimensions. Organised by InterKontinental, the …

From 24 July to 3 August 2025, Berlin will once again host the vibrant KENAKO Africa Festival — but this year at a new location: Washingtonplatz, directly in front of Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Despite the move from its traditional home at Alexanderplatz, the festival promises the same rich blend of African music, art, culture and dialogue that has made it a …

The city of Potsdam, the capital of the federal state of Brandenburg, will host the 14th Africa Festival on Saturday, 5 July. Themed “Tracing Africa’s Footprints: Unity in Diversity”, the festival promises a full-day celebration with free, family-friendly activities showcasing the continent’s vibrant cultures and fostering connections between the African and local communities. The 2025 event offers something for everyone …

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 …

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, …

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 …

Berlin’s image as a progressive, multicultural city is under scrutiny once again. In this article, Amal Abbass confronts the distortion of Black history through a recent exhibition at Alexanderplatz that misrepresented the origins of blues music. She writes about what she describes as a broader pattern of how Germany’s public memory suppresses uncomfortable truths and how the Black community must …

Sona Jobarteh performed to a packed hall of music lovers at the Berlin Philharmonic on Thursday — and she did not disappoint. The queen of kora delivered an electrifying performance that transformed the evening into a celebration of African music. The audience was fully engaged, singing along, echoing her choruses and many abandoning their seats to dance for most of …

Acclaimed Gambian-British artist Sona Jobarteh is set to captivate audiences in Berlin and Bremen with her soul-stirring music on 29 May and 31 May, respectively. A master of the kora, a 21-string West African harp, Jobarteh is not only a virtuoso instrumentalist but also a singer, composer and passionate advocate for African cultural identity. Sona Jobarteh hails from one of …

A bold new chapter begins for Berlin’s literary and cultural scene this Friday, 16 May, with the opening of One More Chapter, the city’s latest BuchBar – a creative fusion of bookstore, bar, restaurant and cultural space – in the heart of Friedrichshain. Founded by Stefanie Hirsbrunner, Karla Kutzner and Venice Trommer, the trio behind the acclaimed African Book Festival Berlin, …

The Nigerian Awareness Day – WAZOBIA will once again shine a spotlight on the rich culture, history and diversity of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. Organized by ICDI e.V., the event, which takes place on 28 June in Potsdam, targets a wide audience including members of the Nigerian and African diaspora, cultural enthusiasts, and the general public in the Berlin-Brandenburg …

The annual parade of African music and culture – a vibrant celebration showcasing the continent’s finest artists and talents from the Diaspora – unfolds in May, heralding a season of cultural exchange and shared festivity. Germany’s summer calendar is adorned with festivals that pay homage to Africa’s diverse cultures. From the charming southwestern town of Emmendingen, nestled near Freiburg, to …

Joe Chialo, Berlin’s Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion, has stepped down in protest over deep and controversial budget cuts to the capital’s cultural sector. His resignation, announced on 2 May, comes after months of mounting criticism and concern from artists, institutions and the wider public over drastic reductions in cultural funding. Chialo, a member of the conservative CDU and …

Daniela Schwarzer, a prominent German political scientist and expert in international affairs, has been appointed as the new President of the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa), Germany’s leading institution for international cultural exchange. She will assume the honorary position on 3 June 2025, succeeding historian and publicist Ulrich Raulff, who has held the role since 2018.   Schwarzer currently serves as …

The number of married people continues to fall in Germany. According to a new report by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), by the end of 2023, approximately 35 million individuals aged 18 and over were married, accounting for just over 50% of the adult population. This marks a significant decrease from 1993, when about 39.3 million adults, or 60% of …