EUROPE

Seven is a special number. It’s said that 7 is the number of completeness and perfection (both physical and spiritual). It is therefore an important occasion when an organisation clocks that figure. To mark the 50th anniversary of the Organisation for African Unity, eighty representatives of African-German organisations, representing the 54 African countries, came together in Berlin on 24-25 May …

The organisers of the first online anti-Black racism demonstration in Germany have called on people of African descent in the country to make their resistance to racism and discrimination more visible. Speaking on Saturday during the digital protest action, tagged ‘Racism in the Era of Coronavirus’ and anchored on YouTube, the moderators said only in making cases of discrimination more …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament, in this opinion piece comments on the Nigerian-born clergyman, Father Dr Patrick Asomugha, who was forced to resign from his position in the Catholic parish of Queidersbach, a small town in Germany, last month. —- After months of hostilities, Nigerian-born Pastor Father Dr Patrick Asomugha was forced to resign from his position …

An umbrella organisation of Africans in Germany has called on government not to neglect racism even as it’s making strenuous efforts to curb the spread of the new coronavirus in the country. The group made the call in a press statement, titled COVID-19: Alltagsrassismus kennt kein Ausübungsverbot! (Everyday racism doesn’t recognise official ban), issued on Thursday in Berlin. “The High …

The global Ghanaian diaspora community held a conference call on the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on Saturday, 11 April to deliberate on how to support their members. Attended by representatives of Ghanaian communities in Europe, North America and Africa, the event featured a panel of Europe-based Ghanaian medical doctors – Dr Felix Yamoah, Dr Serwa Ayi, Dr Pearl Quartey and …

Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced updated measures, some of which will remain in place “until further notice.” But what exactly is changing for residents of Germany — and what did Germany’s many state leaders want? German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday announced the next phase of the country’s plan to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus and its resulting …

According to the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization Europe (NIDOE), twenty-two Nigerians have so far died of the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease in Europe – 18 in UK, 3 in Italy and 1 in Spain. Moreover, no less than 25 others are currently hospitalised because of infection with the virus. In a press statement issued by Hon. Kenneth Gbandi, chairman of NIDOE, …

Restrictions on everyday life in Germany have again been tightened significantly as the federal government announced a new set of nationwide measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease. The chancellor and the prime ministers of the 16 federal states agreed on the new package of measures at a conference call on Sunday and it includes new regulations on …

The federal and state governments have adopted several drastic measures to slow down the increasing infection rate of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country. The measures order unprecedented restrictions on public life in the country. In a national TV address on Monday evening, Chancellor Angela Merkel said the federal government and the governments of the 16 federal states have agreed to …

To mark the European Action Week against Racism (16-29 March), civil society groups, educational institutions and city governments are carrying out activities to protest against racism and celebrate the diversity that enriches European societies. To commemorate the week, our contributing editor Sarah Udoh-Grossfurthner, writing from Vienna, narrates a story that will make you laugh and then feel pity for racists. …

Last year, far more right-wing extremist and racist attacks were registered in Berlin. A new central office to prevent and respond to hate crimes in the federal capital The number of right-wing extremist and racist attacks in Berlin continued to increase in the past year. A total of 390 attacks were registered, as the victim advisory centre Reach Out announced …

A self-proclaimed pastor was sentenced to 34 years imprisonment in Birmingham, UK, on Friday, after he was convicted of a series of rape and sexual abuse of children and adults over a period of twenty years. Michael Oluronbi, 60, was convicted of 15 counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault at a trial that …

The 11th Federal Government Integration Summit took place on Monday at the office of the federal chancellor in Berlin. Since 2006, representatives from the worlds of politics, business, education and civil society have been meeting regularly at the summits to discuss key integration policy issues. Chancellor Merkel used the event this year to kick off a long overdue debate on …