Finally our festival project found a permanent venue and has since 2010 till date been hosted in Tübingen. Tübingen is a traditional university city in central Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. It is situated 30km from Stuttgart and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers, with a population of 90.00o with 30% of who are student. The Project Afrika Festival Tübingen, Germany (2010–2025) is one of the largest and most influential African diaspora festivals in Germany, celebrating African culture, heritage, and unity. Organized by the non-profit organizations – AfrikAktiv e.V since 2012, and The Afrika We Want e.V. since 2020, the festival has evolved into a major platform for cultural exchange, economic empowerment, and African identity promotion.
Since it creation in 2007, our project – Afrika festivals in Germany aimed to create a positive narrative about Africa in Germany and promote connections between Africans, the diaspora, and European communities.
It quickly gained recognition as a empowerment platform that has served the communities and citizens in an extraordinary way, attracted hundred and thousands of cultural artist and reached to millions worldwide.
Since 2010, the project – Afrika festival Tübingen had expanded beyond cultural exhibitions to an international cultural, networking, education forums, and youth empowerment initiatives with dialogue and presentations.. became a hub for African entrepreneurs, fostering trade and business exchanges between Africa and Europe, Musicians, artists, and thought leaders from across Africa and the diaspora participated, strengthening Pan-African unity, Renowned African scholars and activists used the festival to discuss Africa’s development, leadership, and the role of the diaspora.
2012 – 2015 the organization introduced AfrikAktiv, Afrika Magazin for Baden-Wurttemberg, a marketing tool to rebrand the festival which had incurred financial damaged due to tornado of 2011, leaving the Organization in a 6 figure debts
2012 – 2016, the AFRICA BUSINESS FORUM was inititaied and cooperated with Chamber of Industry and Commerce amongst others – Conference with presentations, networking, contact and information
2015: the biggest edition was the Republic of Cameroun, focus country 23 – 26, July 2015, with interministerial delegations of atleast 100 participants 70 artists and groups amongst other. The project took a period of atleast 6 months – development, planning, implementation and reportings , visibility of more than 50.000 visitors
Since 2016 till present, the festival project has been struggling amidst challenges such as unpaid debts owed since 2015 to the organization and festival management team,
In 2020, amidst the global challenges of COVID-19, the festival adapted by integrating digital platforms for cultural and intellectual engagement, It was rebranded as the Umoja wa Afrika Festival, symbolizing African unity and empowerment
2025 Edition: The festival will feature the Bamenda Girls, Stop the War in Bamenda Art Exhibition, under the theme “Give Them a Voice”, highlighting the impact of conflict in Cameroon’s North West region.
With its 25 editions, the festival has hosted hundreds of thousands of visitors from Germany, Europe, Africa, and beyond, promoted African businesses, arts, and cultural industries, strengthened African-German relations and international partnerships and empowered youth, women, and diaspora communities in Germany.
From its humble beginnings in 2007 to becoming a leading African cultural and economic platform, AfrikAktiv and The Africa we want e.V’s non-profits organization and its projects Afrika Festival Reutlingen, Metzingen, Tüttlingen and Tübingen, has cemented its place as a key event for celebrating Africa, empowering communities, and fostering unity and togetherness in Germany and beyond.
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