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.
More than 20 million people are currently threatened with starvation in Africa. The United Nations is warning of the biggest humanitarian disaster since its inception. Activists hit the streets across Germany on Friday to draw attention to the suffering of the affected.
More than 23 million men, women and especially children are acutely threatened by starvation in Africa. The UN warns against massive deaths in the affected countries – Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Southern Sudan, Chad and Nigeria – as a result of the worst famine in 30 years. The causes of the crisis include drought caused by climate change and the ongoing violence in some of the countries.
To draw attention to the precarious situation and raise money for humanitarian organisations supporting the victims, hundreds of Germans carried out street protests across the country today.
Organised by a coalition of aid organizations Gemeinsam für Afrika (Jointly for Africa), protesters carried out actions to demonstrate the extent of the hunger catastrophe in central places in German cities, including at the Berlin Reichstag, in front of the Cologne Cathedral and the main train station in Frankfurt.
Gemeinsam für Afrika said the frightening figures make it clear that urgent action has to be taken to save countless people from impending starvation. The group appeals to ordinary citizens to donate to the aid organizations in their efforts to save lives in Africa.
Vivian Asamoah
About Gemeinsam für Afrika
Under the patronage of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, ‘Together for Africa’ is a grouping of 22 German relief organizations, which is part of a nationwide campaign for better living conditions in Africa.
In the face of the dramatic hunger catastrophe, the alliance organizations have strengthened their emergency relief on the ground. They provide food, seeds, drinking water and medical care. In long-term projects, they advise on sustainable and drought-resistant construction methods and the provision of water in order to prevent hunger in the future.
More information about the group at: www.gemeinsam-fuer-afrika.de
