Society

Afrika-Haus at the Crossroad of Africa and Germany

Since 1993, Afrika-Haus has continued promote intercultural dialogue between Africans and Germans

June 23rd, 2016
Gaspard Fontaine, News from Berlin
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Oumar Diallo founded Afrika-Haus with the purpose to create a place of meeting, exchange, and education to promote the pacific coexistence between persons of different origins. He further aims to present another Africa than the one that is depicted by the media. More than 20 years later, the association is one of the pillars of the African community in Berlin.

“The door is always open, everyone can come in”, said Mr. Diallo. This could be the motto of Afrika-Haus, a place where everyone is welcome to discuss, to exchange ideas and to be part of a community. The African continent is at the heart of the project that wants to promote another image of Africa, because “the world is not in black and white”.

Mr. Diallo was born in Guinea-Conakry. After studying in France, he came to Berlin in 1982. “Berlin has always fascinated me, to understand Africa, Berlin is essential with the Berlin Conference of 1884. And if Germany did not have a good image back then in Africa or in France, it was another good reason for me to come here because I am interested by finding out the truth by myself”. So interested that Mr. Diallo chose to stay here and to specialize in the African community in Berlin. He wrote a book, “Black Berlin”, that explores the African Diaspora in Berlin from the 17th century to nowadays.

He founded Afrika-Haus in 1992 because he “wanted to change the image of misery that is too often associated with Africa. We present an Africa that has its differences but which is nonetheless human”. In order to do so, the association organizes many different activities. Every year Afrika-Haus presemts an exposition that aims to question the clichés around Africa. Last year the topic was the place of the women in African societies, with some portraits of women who played a major political role. This year, the upcoming exposition will be about how Africans themselves see their continent through the point of view of African caricaturists.

Afrika-Haus wants to strengthen the intercultural dialogue, be it between Africans and Germans or between different African nations. “We want to give their chance to the minority so they can find their place in the society”. However Mr. Diallo is aware of the danger of communitarianism and Afrika-Haus “denounces it, the objective is to bring closer all the people”.

More than twenty years since the creation of Afrika-Haus, Mr. Diallo can be proud of his work. He said, “When I started no one believed in my project”, but “we participate to a better mutual understanding between people and culture”. If his task will never be completed because intercultural dialogue does not have an end, Mr. Diallo is certainly playing an important part for the African community in Berlin.

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News from Berlin