Germany

The federal state of Berlin is offering financial support to religious communities suffering from the impact of the corona crisis. Many churches and mosques are in financial distress due to pandemic-related restrictions and the resulting drop in donations they receive from members. Small religious communities engaged in social and integration issues could apply for funding for their rent, incidental rental …

The Minister of State for Integration, Annette Widmann-Mauz, has said that the coronavirus pandemic was hitting people with a migration background and refugees particularly hard. They often work in sectors that are particularly affected by the economic consequences of the pandemic, the Ms Widmann-Mauz said at the 12th Integration Conference, which took place on Monday and that focused on the …

Bob Hooda, writing from Dresden, says a court ruling in a case of physical assault against an immigrant in the eastern German city reveals institutionalised racism within the judiciary of the state of Saxony On 29 July 2019, a 30-year-old Pakistani was first insulted by supporters of Pegida, a pan-European, anti-Islam, far-right political movement, and then given a bloody nose …

The BVerfG ruled that the woman's asylum request, which she submitted in 2016, was "patently well-founded" considering her status as the descendant of members of the slave caste

As the number of new coronavirus cases spikes in Germany, the federal government has reached out to migrant organisations in the country to seek their support for its containment efforts. On Thursday, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Minister of State for Integration, Annette Widmann-Mauz, and Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn parleyed with representatives of migrant organisations and religious communities at a video …

To counter misinformation circulating in the country, the Federal Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration – Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Migration, Flüchtlinge und Integration – runs an online portal to provide information about the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in English, French, Turkish and other languages. “By obeying certain rules, every individual can help protect the elderly and people with pre-existing …

It is easier than ever before for outlandish claims and misinformation to reach a mass audience. H. Colleen Sinclair, Associate Professor of Social Psychology, Mississippi State University, explains how you should deal with news on social media. A very interesting read! Propagandists are already working to sow disinformation and social discord in the run-up to the November elections in the …

Employees of African origin in Berlin’s tech companies have started a group to promote diversity in the sector. Called “Black in Tech Berlin”, the group networks and shares ideas to bring change in the industry, where Black people are underrepresented. It counts six hundred members and was founded by Kave Bulambo, who is originally from the DR Congo but grew …

A new magazine, published bimonthly and bilingual in English and German to serve self-employed Africans in Germany, was launched at a colourful ceremony on Saturday in the western German city of Dortmund. The African Merchant (TAM) would support African entrepreneurship by focusing on opportunities and challenges of self-employment in Germany, Dr Rosalyn Dressman, publisher of the new magazine, said at …

As Nigeria celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence from British colonial rule, a group representing the Yoruba people of Africa’s most populous country rallied in major cities across the world on Thursday to express their desire for national self-determination.

Some new laws and regulations enter into effect in October. As the number of coronavirus infections is significantly rising again, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of the Länder (federal states) have agreed on new measures to contain the pandemic while subsidy for dental prostheses will be increased. Moreover, the second instalment of the child bonus will be paid in …

More than one third (34.4 percent) of the employed among non-EU foreigners living in Germany were in so-called atypical employment in 2019, the Federal Statistical Office has reported. This means that they either worked on fixed-term contracts, less than 20 hours per week, are marginally employed or in temporary work. By contrast, only 17.9 percent of the core labour force …

The publication of the magazine is a response to the increasing numbers of Africans entering self-employment as a defensive response to difficulties in accessing jobs commensurate with their qualifications and experience. Many are also establishing businesses to respond to market opportunities.

  On Sunday 13 September, millions voters went to the polls in towns and cities across North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, to vote for Lord Mayors, Mayors, Councillors and the Integration Councils. Many candidates of African origin participated at the elections. Results are now coming in. Dr John Emeka Akude, a Nigerian-born political scientist, was elected member of the …

With a turnout of 1,500 invited guests from Europe, North America and Africa and 15,000 self-invitees from all parts of Germany, who lined the route of the couple‘s triumphant ride through the town of Trittenheim, state of Rhineland Palatinate; with dozens of press, radio and TV journalists, including some in an helicopter hovering over the idyllic town, who turned the …

At an emergency meeting with representatives of the Nigerian community in Germany, Ambassador Tuggar speaks elaborately on the difficulties encountered by Nigerians seeking to renew their passports or applying for new ones at the country's Embassy

A rally was held in memory of William Tonou-Mbobda* on 30 August in Hamburg, Germany. Organised by the Black Community’s Coalition for Justice & Self-Defence, the event was to demand for justice for the deceased Cameroonian who died following a scuffle with the security personnel of an Hamburg hospital where he was being treated. Here's the speech of Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament and Co-President of the EU Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup, that was delivered at the rally

On 13 September, elections for Lord Mayors, Mayors, Councillors and the Integration Councils will be held in towns and cities across the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The Integration Councils are for many people with a migration background the only opportunity for political participation through elections. Many Africans are vying for seats on the Integration Councils (Integrationsrat), the only …

Carlo Bansah, the son of König Cephas Bansah, has assumed office as the managing director of DRK Vorderpfalz gGmbH. DRK (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz) is the synonym of the German Red Cross and Vorderpfalz is a region in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.   The IT specialist who also studied business management, aged 40, took over the management of the welfare service …

For the first time, a government financed pilot project for the reappraisal of German colonial history has been launched in Berlin