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.
Black people have been living in Germany for several centuries. Their community is very diverse, ranging from African-descended Germans, whose roots may go back to the first African community more than 100 years ago, to Africans who arrived more recently to seek refuge or to join their spouses or study and have meanwhile settled down and raised children.
However, there is still little data that shows the different realities and experiences of the population group. And their experiences and perspectives remain largely invisible in German society.
How many Black people live in Germany today? What are their backgrounds? And what challenges do they face?
A new report, entitled ‘Black people in Germany’, by the Mediendienst Integration reveals for the first time some important facts and figures on people of African descent in the country. Mediendienst is an information platform for journalists and media professionals on migration, integration and asylum issues in Germany.
According to the report, in German language, around 1.27 million people with an African migration background live in Germany. The report however pointed out that the figure is only a rough approximation because some of the Afro-diasporic people are the sixth generation to live in Germany, have neither African citizenship themselves nor their parents, and come from the USA or France. Since Germany does not record ethnicity in statistical surveys, many Black people are therefore not included in the statistics.
The dossier contains figures on different characteristics of the Black community such as the length of residency of people of African origin in the country, their migration experience, what challenges they face and how they are organised, among others.
The graphically illustrated report also dwells on the different self-designations in the community, such as Black, Afro-German, Afro-diasporic and person/people of colour, and what these mean.
There has been Black presence in Germany since the 1720s, when Anton Wilhelm Amo (1703-1759), an African from what is now Ghana, studied at the University of Helmstedt. In fact, he was the first African known to have attended a European university. He went on to lecture and was appointed a professor at a German university.
Despite challenges like racism and discrimination, Black people have made significant contributions to German culture, academia and politics. The recent Black Lives Matter movement has further highlighted issues of racial justice and equality in Germany, leading to increased awareness and activism.
Femi Awoniyi
Read the full report in German HERE
