Hans
Hans Hofele, M. A., studierte Theater/Filmwissenschaften, Politik und Geschichte an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Zusammenarbeit mit dem Heroe Book Festival in Mombasa, dem African Book Festival in Berlin, den 72 heures de livre in Conakry. Er arbeitet als editor beim Öffentlich Rechtlichen Rundfunk in Frankfurt am Main. Mitarbeit an Dokumentationen, Reportagen, Beiträgen für ARD, arte, hr, und kika. Schreibt außerdem für verschiedene Zeitungen wie Frankfurter Neue Presse, Südwestpresse, Badische Zeitung, Stuttgarter Zeitung.
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The House of Rust and Swahili Culture – Interview with Mombasa writer Khadija Abdalla Bajaber -engl
Khadija Bajaber had written a successful book last year, The House of Rust, which was recognized very well in african countries and abroad (see also the review of Lorna Likiza on this site). Raised and living in Mombasa, Kenya, she is strongly influenced with Swahili Culture and its long and rich history. This year, Khadija Bajaber is an invited guest at the African Book Festival in Berlin. I took the chance to talk to her before she left for Europe. And, yes, the answers are longer than in usual interviews. But its published here in full lenght version. For the first issue, only in english this time.
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African Book Festival Berlin 2023: Boost for African Literature in Germany. Interview mit/with Co-Organizer Venice Trommer
This year, the African Book Festival in Berlin will take place for the fifth time. In recent years, it has developed into one of the most important festivals for African literature in Germany and Europe. It is a public festival in the classical sense. And it has successfully survived the restrictions of the pandemic years. The appetite for African literature is greater than ever. One feature of the ABF is that the program is designed by African curators. The organizer, InterKontinental e.V., selects a literary personality each year. This curatorial principle, which has characterized the last editions, was cancelled this year with a bang. Shortly after the announcement of this year's curator, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a storm of indignation…
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An Uncomfortable Truth: Howard W. French: Born in Blackness – Afrika und die Entstehung der modernen Welt_deutsch_englisch
Africa and the Making of the Modern World, now published in German by Klett-Cotta, is to be seen as an important contribution in the reinterpretation of historical facts and contexts. The striking thing is not only the many facts that French presents. It becomes clear relatively early in the reading that it is above all the concealment or negation of facts and contexts that have made possible a revelation of one of the darkest chapters of Western history. A central thesis of the book is that Africa with its resources of gold and forced laborers, over twelve million slaves and the market for textiles, made an unheard-of rise of the European seafaring nations such as Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands,…
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Maud Martha von Gwendolyn Brooks – A literary jewel is now available in German – deutsch/englisch
It is a small miracle that this book exists. Seventy years after its first publication in the U.S., Maud Martha has now been published in Germany by the classic publisher Manesse. It is the only novel by author Gwendolyn Brooks. Brooks became famous for her poetry; she was also the first black author to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1950.
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Africa’s most successful YouTubers – Top10 Ranking deutsch_english
Who are the most successful YouTubers in Africa, apart from the big music video kings? The answers to this question can be found in the current ranking by cultureafrica.net. Subscribers are the most important indicator in the ranking. But total views and estimated value also play a role. Find it out!
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Is there Anybody Out There? Nairobi Space Station – Kairos Futura Artist Project Starts this March_deutsch/englisch
They look like the futuristic Space Guerilla. From 18 March, they will make Kanairo unsafe. That is the Sheng name for Kenya's capital Nairobi. The venerable MacMillian Library in the centre will kick off the launch. It becomes a space station. They have camels with them with Massai blankets. The olive overalls are well tailored, the steel masks make them look martial. With this project, the Kairos Futura artists' group puts a big exclamation mark on Nairobi's Design Week. But it is not only about spectacle. The artists' collective, consisting of artists, designers, scientists and environmentalists, wants more: visions and proposals for an environmentally friendly Nairobi. It is about reclaiming urban space, about the "rewilding" of inner-city areas. They…
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Uganda’s Queen of Afrosoul: An Interview with Music Star Lilian Mbabazi_english/german
Lilian Mbabazi is a Ugandan artiste of Rwandan descent best remembered for her time in the girl group Blu*3. Now a fully fledged solo artiste, with a new EP out, she recently sat down with Culture Africa Founder, Hans Hofele, with additional questions from Staff Writer, Lorna Likiza, for an interview on her music, style and future plans.
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Bringing Art to the Masses – Interview with Patrick Mukabi – engl_ger
Patrick Mukabi is a Kenyan Visual Artist, Graphic Designer, Dad and Mentor, best known for his appreciation of the African female form. In this interview with Lorna Likiza and Hans Hofele, he talks about his journey as an artist and why the middle class in Kenya are yet to fully appreciate art.
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A REVIEW OF SOÓLÉ, A NETFLIX MOVIE_FILMBESPRECHUNG_ENGL_DEUTSCH
A REVIEW OF SOOLE, A NETFLIX MOVIE cultureafrica reviews netflix series and movies dealing with african or african-american content. Documentaries, Feature Films and Music Events. We have a look on it. Lorna Likiza watched the Nigerian production “Soole”. You can find the film still on Netflix. FÜR DIE DEUTSCHE VERSION NACH UNTEN SCROLLEN By Lorna Likiza When was the last time you watched a movie and laughed your head off? Such was the case for me when I finally watched Soole, a 2021 Nigerian film production by Adunni Ade and directed by Kayode Kasum. You see, I had long given up on Nollywood with its repetitive and overdramatic style of films until Netflix came along and Nigerian movies became…
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Take the A-Train! Renaissance of the Train/der Eisenbahn im südlichen Afrika_ger/engl
Take the A-Train! Djibouti-Abbis Abbeba, Nairobi-Mombasa, Accra-Tema, Kampala-Kigali,...The railroad is back! After decades of lethargy and decay, there seems to be no stopping it. In many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, there are a multitude of construction projects, some of which cross borders to advance the train. Not only goods, but also people are being moved. And they are riding along enthusiastically. This is a development that is very much under steam, as a veritable competition has picked up speed. Not all of the projects are successful, railroad construction is complex. Many projects are calculated purely in economic terms. But there is a great chance that the railroad will be more than an economic engine: a transnational vehicle that connects…
