Berlin Map

Although Germany has a comparably small Black Community, its capital Berlin has a long history of Black presence. The so-called Congo Conference, where “The Scramble for Africa” took place was held here between 1884 and 1885. During the colonial era, Berlin was home to many African migrants; some of their descendants still live here today. One of Berlin’s most prominent past residents was renown academic, activist and educator W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963), who studied at the Friedrichs-Wilhelms-University (today’s Humboldt-University) from 1892–1894 and formed ideas that later became influential for his academic and political career. Berlin was also home to May Ayim (1960–1996), a Black German poetess, scholar and one of the initiators of the ongoing Black German Movement who gained international recognition for her writing in the late 1980s, early 1990s. At the suggestion of a civil society initiative, the district of Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg renamed the Groebenufer May-Ayim-Ufer in 2010. Black German community stakeholders, organisations and individuals are invited to participate in a variety of ways, including in identifying and/or contributing audio-visual material. If you are interested in developing a project or delivering material, please contact us at: 12blackbeans@gmail.com