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.
The book is a compilation of selected inspiring stories of African women living in Europe, from all walks of life, about their experiences migrating from their homelands and settling down in Europe.
The contributors to African Women in Europe, compiled by Joy Zenz, range from Jennifer Obaseki, a Nigerian-born British lawyer, and Milkah Muigai, a Kenyan entrepreneur also based in the UK, to the Malawian entrepreneur Bhatupe Mhango who lives in Switzerland and Clara Uwazie Meierdierks, a Nigerian nurse and midwife in Germany.
The authors, eleven in all and from across Europe, talk about their journey of life so far – about obstacles they have encountered and how they overcame them, their moments of despair and victory, and what kept them going when the going was tough.
Some of the accounts are, in fact, a testimony to the power of personal determination and faith in surmounting life’s vicissitudes. And praise must be given to some of the contributors for their openness in talking in details about their private lives.
Some of the accounts of the authors will nearly bring you to tears for they are truly gripping. However, they’re also inspiring.
Life in the diaspora, especially for migrants, has its challenges – securing permanent residency rights, adapting to a new environment, determining the course of one’s life and holding strong to one’s ambitions. For the African, who is faced with racism and discrimination in European societies, these challenges become big obstacles.
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African Women in Europe encourages its readers, especially those with a migration experience who can easily identify with the stories told in it. They will find counsel, encouragement and strength. The realisation that others have gone through problems similar to yours and have overcome them gives courage. And the ways they surmounted the problems also provide useful tips. This is why you cannot remain the same after reading African Women in Europe.
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Published by African Women in Europe, an empowerment group for female African migrants founded by Joy Zenz in Germany in 2008, the book also celebrates. Like Zenz, who is from Kenya and also contributed her story to African Women in Europe, said in the foreword, the book also celebrates the resilience and strength of the African woman.
Get this book and read it and you will be happy you did. It’s a book of example, inspiration and support!
Femi Awoniyi
- African Women in Europe
- Publisher: Soundly Written Publishing (June 30, 2018)
- ISBN-10: 0995629277
- ISBN-13: 978-0995629271
