Saturday, January 31, 2026, 2 p.m., icy wind and -5°C outside: our excursion through the Afrikanisches Viertel with tour guide Desmond begins — despite the freezing cold.
Among the group: a few brave (and heavily bundled up) students from the E-Phase, already familiar with the subject through the English lessons on South Africa, apartheid, and colonialism that preceded the trip.
Desmond leads us through the Afrikanisches Viertel — the largest commemorative area in Germany that recalls the country’s colonial history. He explains when and where street names such as Togostraße or Swakopmunder Straße come from, what connection exists between the garden colony Klein Afrika and Germany’s colonial ambitions, and takes us to Volkspark Rehberge, where a “zoo” was once planned — one meant to exhibit people from Africa. Time and again, we are left speechless — by the inhumane treatment of Black people at that time, but also by the fact that this dark chapter has still not been thoroughly addressed to this day.
The organizers of deSta write on their website:
During colonialism, many explicitly racist structures and systems were established, the effects of which are still felt today and profoundly influence many areas of life — including culture, science, politics, and the economy. By shedding light on this history, we hope to contribute to lasting change.
Since this part of history is still hardly covered in schools, we are all the more grateful that tours like this exist. We learned a lot, understood a lot, and took away plenty to reflect on.
Thank you!
(Carmen Schreier, Kursleiterin)
Unser Kollegium freut sich auf Sie!
