In Berlin, the Embassy of Cameroon turned a documentary screening into a conversation about colonial memory and historical heritage. In London, Sierra Leone’s High Commission joined a celebration of Fullah culture and identity, bringing traditional performance, poetry and dress into a community event. In Geneva, the Embassy of Rwanda is preparing a youth retreat that will connect young Rwandans from several European countries around identity, peace and their country’s future. Meanwhile, in Vienna, the Embassy of Kenya used cinema to bring a Kenyan story to an international audience, placing a woman filmmaker at the centre of the event.

Together, these activities offer four different examples of how culture can create connections between African communities and European audiences.

BERLIN – When Film Opens a Conversation About Cameroon’s Past

On 7 August, the Embassy of the Republic of Cameroon in Germany hosted a screening of the documentary Kamerun: des murs, des traces, une histoire (Cameroon: Walls, Traces, a History), directed by Cameroonian journalist and documentary filmmaker George Alain Ngamou. Produced in French with English subtitles, the film retraces traces of German colonial presence and rule in Cameroon and reflects on memory, heritage and the transmission of Cameroonian history.

The screening brought together diplomats, students, foreign journalists and members of the Cameroonian community in Germany. Rather than presenting the film as a closed cultural event, the Embassy created an opportunity for different audiences to engage with Cameroon’s history and with the perspectives of a Cameroonian filmmaker.

The screening was followed by a discussion with Ngamou, focusing on historical sources, the transmission of memory and the need to raise greater awareness of the different dimensions of Cameroonian history. The Embassy also highlighted the interest generated among members of the diaspora, particularly around passing historical knowledge on to younger generations.

By bringing film, history and dialogue together, the initiative demonstrates how cultural diplomacy can create a space for conversations about the past. In Berlin, Cameroon’s historical and cultural heritage became a starting point for exchange between Cameroonians, Germans and other audiences interested in the country’s history.

LONDON – Fullah Heritage Takes Centre Stage

In London, the Sierra Leone High Commission recently joined a celebration of Fullah culture and heritage. On 19 September, High Commissioner Dr Morie Komba Manyeh attended the Fullah Progressive Union UK & Ireland’s National Fullah Day and Fundraising Event at the Royal Regency Hall in East London. The event brought together community leaders, families, dignitaries and supporters under the theme “Fottal e Pottal – Together in Unity and Progress”.

The programme combined cultural celebration with community engagement. It featured traditional performances, poetry, awards, entertainment and networking, while traditional Fullah clothing transformed the venue into a display of cultural identity. Poetry also played an important role, including a piece exploring the shared heritage and values of the Fulɓe people and the importance of preserving the Fulfulde language for future generations.

The High Commissioner, together with his wife and Deputy High Commissioner Yvonne King Odigboh, served as patrons of the occasion and presented awards to individuals and organisations recognised for their contributions to the community. Their participation reflected the High Commission’s engagement with Sierra Leonean communities in the UK and its support for cultural diversity and national unity.

The event illustrates how diplomatic missions can remain connected to diaspora communities through culture. In London, Fullah heritage became a way of strengthening community ties while keeping traditions, language and identity visible across generations and geographical borders.

GENEVA – Young Rwandans Connect Across Borders

On 3 October, the Embassy of Rwanda in Switzerland, in collaboration with the Rwandan diaspora in Switzerland, will host the second Rwandan Youth Retreat in Geneva. The gathering will bring together young Rwandans from Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia, offering them a space to connect, exchange ideas and reflect on their role in promoting peace, strengthening Rwandan identity and contributing to Rwanda’s future.

The retreat builds on the idea that cultural ties can remain important even when communities live far from their country of origin. For young members of the Rwandan diaspora, the event offers an opportunity to meet others with shared backgrounds while creating a space for conversations about identity, responsibility and the future.

The Embassy’s involvement also places the initiative within a broader relationship between diplomacy and diaspora engagement. Rather than limiting its role to formal representation, the Embassy is creating a setting in which young people can participate directly in discussions about their relationship with Rwanda and their role within the wider community.

With participants travelling from three European countries, the retreat also has a distinctly transnational dimension. Geneva becomes a meeting point where young Rwandans can exchange experiences across borders and reflect on common questions of identity and peace. In this sense, the initiative shows how youth engagement and cultural connections can become part of contemporary diplomatic practice.

VIENNA – Kenya Tells Its Own Stories Through Cinema

In Vienna, the Embassy of Kenya in Austria recently turned the big screen into a space for Kenyan storytelling. On 19 September, the Embassy hosted the Austrian premiere of Cocoa Dreams, a Kenyan feature film written and directed by Jinna Mutune-Odede. The screening took place at Vienna’s Burg Kino and brought together members of the Kenyan diaspora and diplomatic representatives.

Set in Muhoroni, Kenya, the film follows Jaber, a nuclear physicist who returns home after the death of her grandmother and inherits her family’s sugar farm. As she attempts to transform it into a cocoa plantation, she is confronted with family tensions and questions surrounding land and legacy. The story offers an opportunity for an international audience to encounter contemporary Kenya through the perspective of a Kenyan filmmaker.

Women’s voices were particularly visible at the event. The Embassy highlighted that Cocoa Dreams was written, directed and owned by a Kenyan woman. Ambassador Dr Monica Juma, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and Executive Director of UNODC, also attended and spoke about the continued importance of women’s rights and the film’s themes of equity and inclusion.

The Embassy described the screening as part of Kenyan cultural diplomacy, emphasising the importance of African storytelling and of ensuring Kenyan narratives reach global audiences. In Vienna, cinema became a means of presenting culture while creating a shared space for dialogue between Kenya and an international audience.

Culture as a Bridge Across Borders

Across Berlin, London, Geneva and Vienna, these four activities demonstrate the variety of ways in which African diplomatic missions can use culture and community engagement to build connections abroad. A documentary, a heritage celebration, a youth retreat and a feature film may appear very different, yet each creates an opportunity for people to encounter African histories, identities and contemporary voices. Together, they show cultural diplomacy not as a single format, but as a collection of spaces where communities can meet, share stories and maintain connections across borders.

• https://www.rwandainswitzerland.gov.rw/actualites/info-details/second-rwandan-youth-retreat-to-take-place-in-geneva
• https://www.ambacam.de/en/2026/09/15/cameroon-embassy-in-berlin-hosts-screening-of-documentary-kamerun-des-murs-des-traces-une-histoire/
• https://blog.slhc-uk.org/?p=15292
• https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7501220223166033920/