Africa in the heart

A video installation with 14 Africans who live in Frankfurt (Oder) and talk about their two homelands.

People from many different regions of the great continent of Africa live in Frankfurt (Oder). They have come in different ways to stay. There are also Germans who have lived in Africa for a long time. Anyone who meets them with an open mind quickly realises the cultural wealth they have brought with them. At the same time, it’s shocking how little I know about Africa. Frankfurt (Oder) played an important role in the recruitment of soldiers and generals, who were particularly needed for the colonisation of Cameroon.

As part of this exhibition, 14 short film portraits were created. The participants have tried to find answers to the questions of how they manage to link their African and German homelands. How do they manage to deal with this area of tension?

The idea for the project emerged from the African community active on Brückenplatz. A working group looked at the question of how they could familiarise local Frankfurters with Africa. The group rejected information boards about the various countries and their cultures, for example the gigantic city of Lagos in Nigeria, as this information can be found on the Internet. Here, however, perhaps a small insight into the hearts of the people who live and work here is possible.

Pascaline Amana Ateba