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In a recent study, the Netherlands emerged as Europe’s most active online nation. SEO agency Digital Climax analysed data from Eurostat to compare the percentages of individuals engaged in six selected categories of online activity across each country in Europe. The data was then used to create an overall ‘Online Activity Score’ out of ten, for each European country.  The …

Around 30 per cent of the population have a migration background, according to the new microcensus for 2023 published by the Federal Statistical Office. A person has a migration background if they themselves or at least one of their parents were not born with German citizenship. Specifically, this definition includes immigrant and non-immigrant foreigners, immigrant and non-immigrant naturalised citizens, late …

Furaha Kensmil explains why she feels like a foreigner in both Suriname, where she was born, and the Netherlands, where she has lived most of her life. Furaha delves into the complexities of the identity of the people of African descent in the Netherlands, which prides itself as a colour-blind nation. I find it difficult to call myself Dutch. The …

Most often, media reports on immigrant communities in Europe focus on problems of residency status, accommodation, integration, poverty and crime. And the “newness” of it all. Little Lagos, however, is an established community with an impressive track record of achievement among its inhabitants. Nigerian school children in London perform well in academic exams and the British Nigerians boast a wide selection of business, sport, education and artistic successes, including Shirley Bassey, Sade and Ben Okri.

An EU observer mission witnessed the recent presidential election in Senegal. Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament who was a member of the mission, writes on what they witnessed in Senegal and her views on the country’s democracy ____________________ Since last year, Senegal has been in the international spotlight. With the 2024 presidential vote, it reveals to Africa …

It is quite an achievement itself that OUR ROOTS has been a Black history cartoon column featured series for 35 years. It was first published in the UK’s Voice newspaper. The history of Black people must be illustrated and that is what Tayo Fatunla (whose artistic name is TAYO) has been doing through his journalistic drawings after discovering the need …

Travelling should be an opportunity to learn. This is why a new tour operator has developed a unique concept for people interested in travelling to Africa. Farafina Travels, an offshoot of the think tank Farafina Institute, would like travellers to really get to know the continent through its peoples, its cultures, its history, its landscape, its animals etc. The concept …

Official figures reveal that the EU received more than 1.14 million asylum applications in 2023, the highest number since 2016. Far-right parties could capitalize on the influx in June’s EU elections. Jack Parrock reports More than 1.14 million people applied for asylum in the EU in 2023, according to annual figures released by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). …

According to a judgement of the Lower Saxony-Bremen State Social Court, recipients of basic social security benefits (Grundsicherung) must be able to prove their place of residence to the authorities in cases of doubt. The burden of proof lies with them and not with the Jobcenter, the court ruled in the case of a Nigerian couple who were registered in …

Faced with an aging population and more people living alone, the German government plans to introduce a new legal mechanism to help people in non-romantic relationships to take responsibility for one another. By Helen Whittle The way that people in Germany live, love, parent and age is changing. But the question of who and how to take care of one …

In a world where Nigerian emigration is commonly referred to as ‘japa,’ signifying a desperate escape from a challenging environment, Olusegun and Oyetola Akande, the visionary founders of Sami’s Online African Foods, are breaking stereotypes and paving the way for a new narrative. This enterprising couple have not only travelled abroad but have also made a remarkable impact by establishing …

An EU observer mission witnessed the recent presidential election in Liberia. Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament who was a member of the mission, writes about what they witnessed in Liberia and her views on the future of the country ____________________ The change of government took place in accordance with democratic principles and the laws in force in …

On Thursday evening (30 November 2023), the Vice-President of the German Bundestag, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, presented the German Africa Award 2023 to the 1st National Women’s Convention for Peace in Cameroon at the Allianz Forum in Berlin. The award, which was awarded to a collective for the first time in 30 years, recognises the Women’s Peace Platform’s pioneering work in promoting …

Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, MEP: “However, some Member States of the European Union are reluctant to legislate, as well as to introduce, for example, the notion of consent. Yes, it’s yes and No, it’s no! It shouldn’t be complicated to understand”/Photo: © Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana Here’s the message of Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament representing Germany on the …

Black, Asian and Muslim people reveal the extent of discrimination they experience in Germany on a daily basis in a new national discrimination monitor. Marcel Fürstenau/DW reports Disparaging looks or insults are daily occurrences in Germany for people with dark skin, Muslim women who wear a headscarf and people who speak German badly or not at all. Discrimination in Germany …

People of African descent experience racism and discrimination in Germany than in many other European countries. That is the result of a study, titled Being Black in the EU: The Experience of People of African Descent, conducted by the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). The report is based on interviews with 6,752 people of African descent in Austria, Belgium, …

Dr Julius Garvey, son of the legendary Jamaican-born Pan-African activist Marcus Garvey, attended this year’s Badagry Door of Return Festival, which took place from 19 to 21 October. The annual event, which holds in the town of Badagry, remembers the slave trade that led to the forcible migration of millions of Africans and seeks to reconnect the Black diaspora with …

Nigerians usually complain about service delivery at their country’s embassies. Engineer Oluyemi Ogundele was recently at the Nigerian embassy in Vienna, Austria. He was so impressed about the marked improvement in the chancery and how he was served that he decided to narrate his experiences to other Nigerians in Austria and Europe ——– By Engineer Oluyemi Ogundele During my visit …

Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa/Photo: NIDCOM The Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa, recently clocked 61. Rosemary Moribirin pays tribute to a woman who through her work has significantly raised the profile of Nigerians living in the diaspora in their homeland ——- In the grand tapestry of life, we gather to celebrate a luminous figure in Nigeria’s …

Elizabeth Horlemann lost her husband in 2021, in extremely painful and degrading situations. The tragic event motivated her to write a book about her experiences during a most traumatic period. Here’s a review of Not Now Please: Living with Racism, Ableism, and Grief , a transformative memoir that challenges the status quo in Germany——Elizabeth Horlemann’s latest work, Not Now Please: …