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.
Berlin will mark the culmination of the UN Decade for People of African Descent (2015–2024) with an event at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt on 12 December 2024.
Organized by RAA Berlin e.V. in collaboration with civil society organizations, policymakers and administrative leaders, the event seeks to evaluate achievements made over the last decade while laying out a vision for sustaining progress.
The UN Decade, launched to enhance the economic, social, cultural and political rights of Black and African-descended communities worldwide, also aimed to combat anti-Black racism globally.
Germany has committed itself to contribute to the realisation of the Decade’s objectives.
The Berlin Senate incorporated these objectives into its 2016 coalition agreement, resulting in various funded projects to advance equality and inclusion in the federal state.
Berlin has played a leading role, embedding measures to address systemic racism and inequality in the implementation of the Decade in the country.
The closing event, titled “Erreichtes verstetigen – Visionen gestalten” (Sustaining Achievements – Shaping Visions), will feature discussions on progress and future strategies.
It is an opportunity to reflect on local and national actions, including Berlin’s initiatives as a pioneer in implementing the Decade’s goals.
The agenda also emphasizes continued partnerships and policy developments to support Black and African communities in Berlin and beyond.
The event, which will be held in German language, will offer translation in English and French as well as in German sign language.
Participation is free, but registration is required by 29 November via the event website or email info.pad-NOSPAM-raa-berlin.de.
Femi Awoniyi
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About the Decade
The International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015–2024, was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly and adopted on 23 December 2013. The theme of the Decade is “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development”. The Decade highlights the human rights situation of the African diaspora worldwide and aims to fight racial discrimination and create visibility for the contribution of people of African descent in the societies they live in.
The seeds of the Decade were planted in 2001 at the UN World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in South Africa, which led to the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. In addition to declaring that the people of Africa had been victimised by slavery and continued to suffer as a result, the Declaration called for states to adopt specific steps to help to combat racism and xenophobia and to protect its victims.
The Decade was officially launched in Germany on 7 June 2016 in Berlin in the presence of a representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The theme of the event, jointly organised by the Central Council of African Communities in Germany (Zentralrat der afrikansichen Gemeinde in Deutschland), the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency and Engagement Global, was “Human Rights in Practice: Experiences of People of African Descent in Germany”.
