Germany recorded a historic surge in naturalisations in 2024, with nearly 292,000 foreign nationals acquiring German citizenship – the highest number ever recorded since official statistics began in 2000. According to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, this represents a 46% increase compared to 2023, marking a clear upward trend. The sharp rise is attributed partly to legal reforms introduced …
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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 …
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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, …
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Prof. Jason Osai* traces the ongoing political revolution in Francophone West Africa to the legacy of Toussaint L’Ouverture, the Haitian leader who led the struggle to establish the first independent Black nation and free his people from the grip of French colonial oppression. Since 2020, there have been military overthrows in four West African countries—three of which have expelled France …
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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 …
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From 1 July 2025, Germany will end the remonstration procedure, a free appeal process that allowed visa applicants to challenge a rejection without going to court. Currently, if your visa is denied, you can file a written appeal (called a remonstrance) without going to court. This informal process usually takes between one and three months and gives applicants the chance …
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YANA Berlin has relaunched its services to provide support for asylum-seekers and other new African migrants in the German capital on 1 April. The migrant advisory service, run by the nonprofit German-African Initiative for Development and Integration (GAIDI), operates under the motto “You Are Not Alone in Berlin” (YANA Berlin), offering guidance to ease integration. Supported by the Stiftung Berliner …
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Foreign Ministers Yusuf Tuggar and Johann Wadephul have reaffirmed both nations’ commitment to sustainable development, legal migration frameworks and economic cooperation during their meeting in Berlin, as Nigeria seeks to position itself as a vital partner of Germany in Africa Nigeria and Germany have reaffirmed their long-standing bilateral relationship with renewed commitments to cooperation across strategic sectors including energy, trade …
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THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.