The 15th Africa Festival Potsdam lived up to its reputation as one of Brandenburg’s most vibrant multicultural events, drawing people from across the region for a day of music, food, dance and cultural exchange. Held last weekend, the festival transformed the city into a lively meeting place where Africans, Germans and members of other migrant communities celebrated diversity and the …

The European Union has tightened its short-stay visa policy for Guinean nationals, accusing the West African country of failing to cooperate in taking back citizens who are staying irregularly in EU member states. The move marks the first time Guinea has been subjected to such measures under the EU’s visa leverage mechanism and signals Brussels’ growing willingness to use visa …

Europe has reached a demographic turning point. According to the European Commission’s latest Demography Report 2026, the continent’s population has reached its peak and will begin to decline in the coming decades. The report concludes that without immigration, the European Union’s population would shrink by around 130 million people by 2100, highlighting the crucial role migration plays in sustaining Europe’s …

More than a year after 21-year-old Afro-German Lorenz A. was shot dead by a police officer in Oldenburg, the city’s regional court (Landgericht Oldenburg) has formally admitted charges of negligent homicide against the officer involved, clearing the way for a criminal trial. The court decision marks a significant step in a case that has become a focal point in Germany’s …

Nigeria has finally resolved a technical fault that caused some of its electronic passports to fail verification at foreign border checkpoints The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced that all of the country’s digital certificates used to verify the authenticity of e-passports have been successfully uploaded to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Public Key Directory (ICAO PKD). The process was …

Why the attacks on Kylian Mbappé reveal the persistence of colonial stereotypes in international football, writes Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana* in this opinion piece Every FIFA World Cup reminds us that football has the power to unite people across continents, cultures and languages. Yet the 2026 tournament has also revealed something far less inspiring: the persistence of colonial stereotypes in the …

The Nollywood Film Festival Germany returns to Frankfurt from 31 July to 1 August 2026, bringing together filmmakers, actors, musicians, entrepreneurs and fans of African cinema for two days celebrating one of the world’s fastest-growing film industries. Combining film screenings, live entertainment and the prestigious Nollywood Europe Golden Awards (NEGA), the event aims to strengthen cultural ties between Africa and …

The Interview That Became a Debate By Collins Nweke When I accepted an invitation for a live interview on News Central TV — an independent 24-hour news channel based in Lagos that focuses on Nigerian and African affairs — I expected my usual engaging conversation with a team of three brilliant anchors. But within minutes of going live, it became …

Germany’s independent Federal Police Commissioner, Uli Grötsch, this week presented his first annual report to Bundestag President Julia Klöckner — and the findings make for uncomfortable reading. In the twelve months covered by the report, Grötsch, whose office was appointed by the Bundestag to oversee the work of the Federal Police, received 279 submissions from members of the public. The …

A 40 percent cut to language course funding and an 80 percent reduction in independent asylum counselling services signal a sharp shift in Germany’s approach to newcomers Germany’s federal government is planning major cuts to integration programmes next year, significantly reducing funding for language courses and independent asylum counselling despite continued demand for both services. According to the draft 2027 …