My African Home

My African Home

Dipl.-Ing. Arch. Silkata A. Şahin-Adu

An AFRICAN CENTRE in Germany

Since I am working as an architect, people keep on meeting me to share thoughts about building an AFRICAN CENTRE inGermany. Of course, if you google the title AFRICAN CENTRE you will find an amazing variety of NGO´s all around the globe with the idea of creating a place to feel a bit at home, but also trying to uplift the African image and close cultural gaps.

But what is the main goal behind the idea of an AFRICAN CENTRE inGermany? And where should it be located?Berlin,Hamburg, Or at a different place? Which size should it have? And what should be found in an AFRICAN CENTRE? Who should be attracted?

The sky is the limit

The idea of an AFRICAN CENTRE, if you would ask me of course here in Hamburg, get´s closer from different directions. If  the ideas where all mixed together, it would be some kind of mall with exhibition gallery, shops, a restaurant and chop-bars, offices, guest- and congress rooms, that could be used for political, cultural or party-events, an African influenced church and a kind of open area for a market place or open-air events.

Creating something new always means to take a critical look at what is already there.Hamburghas quite a huge number of Afro-shops, beauty-saloons, restaurants and even some interior shops, selling wonderful handcrafts, furniture and gifts produced inAfrica. Most of them concentrate on African clients who live in the direct neighbourhood only or – especially the interior shops – depend on German clients, because our own folks unfortunately often ignore our own beautiful African interior decoration.

Why not find the happy medium? To bring together business-men and business-women, who are experienced in running a business with African products and who are yearning for exploit into a greater sum of clients (Africans, Germans and other migrants)? Concentrated on one place with a car park? Please, close your eyes and imagine the scenery: Walking humbly through the AFRICAN CENTRE, going shopping, meeting friends and watching tourists and TV-sets who like to take the AFRICAN CENTRE as their background. It would be an attraction.

Share your thoughts and write a mail to the African Heritage team.