CULTURE & SOCIETY

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

Former Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh, may have left office over a year now but news about him still command a lot of attention. Jammeh in a recently-leaked tape talks of staging a comeback to the country he ruled for over two decades until January 2017. His mothers’ death this week in exile and the subsequent repatriation of her remains to …

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 | …

The 16th Africa Film Festival Cologne holds from the 13th to the 23rd of September. This year’s focus is on intra-African migration and the festival presents 25 films which address the subject, chosen by FilmInitiativ, organizers of the festival, for good reasons. Sixty-eight million people worldwide are refugees, most of them in their neighbouring countries. This applies to Africa, too, …

Florence Kasumba has acted in blockbusters including “The Avengers” and “Black Panther.” She has now picked up a lead role as a detective in “Tatort,” Germany’s longest-running TV show. “Being here now is a dream come true,” said Florence Kasumba, referring to the filming which has just ended for the new Tatort show, in which she is the first black …

Just before leaving on his visit to Africa this week, his first trip to the continent since leaving office, former US President Barack Obama revealed his favourite books on Africa. He wrote: “Over the years since, I’ve often drawn inspiration from Africa’s extraordinary literary tradition. As I prepare for this trip, I wanted to share a list of books that …

The Nigerian-German band BANTU is touring Germany. The 5-city tour begins in Hagen on 18 July and will end in Cologne four days later. The other cities where the band will perform are Recklinghausen, Muelheim a.d. Ruhr and Bochum. The shows, according to band founder and front man Adé Bantu, will feature the complete members of the group, promising “a …