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.
All roads lead to Berlin on Saturday 2 December when the biggest umbrella body of African associations in Germany celebrates its 10th anniversary.
“This event is a special opportunity for The African Network of Germany (TANG), comprising more than 900 non-profit groups and individuals, to celebrate its successes and share its vision for the future,” the organisation said.
The day will feature many activities, including inspiring keynote speeches by high-calibre guests, panel discussions on current topics affecting the African community and cultural performances and musical entertainment.
TANG is not rolling out the drums only for its accomplishments. It also wants to use the milestone event to recognise people who are doing great things for the benefit of Africans in Germany.
“It is a time of celebration, reflection and thanks to all the wonderful people who have enriched our community over the past ten years,” TANG said in a statement.
The organisation is using its anniversary celebrations to introduce the TANG Awards, “to recognize the exceptional contributions and commitment of our members and supporters in various categories.”
The maiden TANG Awards will be presented at the ceremony, which will take place in the Robert-Havemann-Hall in Rathaus Mitte.
A day before the event, TANG will carry out a group visit to the German Bundestag while on Saturday morning, members of the public are invited to an Open Day at the TANG offices in Berlin to get to know the organisation better.
TANG, initiated by Dr Sylvie Nantcha, a member of the CDU who was then a councillor in the city of Freiburg, was founded in May 2013.
The goal of the body is to bring together people of African descent living in Germany to develop their full potential as a driving force in society.
“Every day we show how successfully we organise”
“Around 500,000 people with African roots from 54 countries live in Germany. There are over 3,000 African associations and companies that have been operating here for years. Every day we show how successfully we organise at local and regional levels. Now it is time to systematically expand this cooperation to the federal level,” Dr Nantcha told delegates at the inauguration of TANG ten years ago.
“This network offers us a great opportunity to achieve a great deal in the Federal Republic of Germany in the area of thematic and regional networks as well as through the committee of nominated delegates from the African embassies and the diaspora.”
The historic event was attended by dignitaries such as Mr Günter Nooke, special adviser for Africa to the Chancellor, who gave the opening speech. Ms Honey Deihimi, a senior official at the Federal Chancellery who represented the then Federal Integration Commissioner, Prof Maria Böhmer, officially inaugurated TANG.
An octopus, 10 years on
Ten years down the road, TANG has become an octopus, consisting of more than 900 organisations and individual members, which has spread its influence into German government policy in the areas of integration and international development.
TANG represents the interests of its members in numerous specialist commissions, forums and working groups at the federal level.
The African Network of Germany now includes the following regional networks: Baden-Württemberg, Berlin-Brandenburg, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.
There are plans for the establishment of further regional networks.
TANG, through its regional networks, implements projects to promote the integration of Africans in Germany and advise governments at all levels on issues of international co-operation and development. TANG is also involved in efforts to raise awareness of the dangers and risks of irregular migration in Africa.
Femi Awoniyi
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TANG’s 10th Anniversary Celebrations
Date: Saturday, 2 December 2023
Time: 2pm – 10pm
Venue: Robert-Havemann-Saal, Rathaus Mitte, Karl-Marx-Allee 31, 10178 Berlin
To ensure that there are enough space and resources for all guests, TANG would like those who would like to attend the event on 2 December to register latest by 15 November 2023 at: https://form.jotform.com/233101712947047
More about The African Network in Germany (TANG) at http://tang-ev.de/
