Afrika Center: Place of Encounter and Consultation for People from Africa and Berlin

Our Motivation/Inspiration

Established in 1996, the Afrika Center Berlin is a place of awareness-raising and support for Africans. The Center has a team of experienced personnel who provide support and advice for Africans who are unaccustomed to the social, cultural and religious environment in Germany and Europe at large.

We offer comprehensive services in cooperation with migrant organizations, medical and legal experts. Above all, the Center offers the possibility for intercultural encounter and exchange of experiences, and promotes a better understanding of the culture, norms and religions of the African people.  

Activities and Services 

Free legal advice and services to the African community; prison ministry: pastoral care and psychosocial support for Africans in prisons; Africa learning projects: moderate, conduct, and coordinate activities that promote learning about Africa in schools, universities, religious communities, among preschoolers, and other social service organizations; onboard sessions for African students in Berlin, offer guidance to the newly arrived students from Africa, especially the sub-Saharans who come to study in Berlin the basics of living in Berlin/Germany.   

Other Activities: 

Inter-cultural exchanges with students from higher educational institutions; first aid courses for refugees, German language courses for Africans, film nights. We also provide seminars on current African issues.

Meeting point for: country groups: Liberia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, etc.; language groups: Ewe, Swahili, etc.; other groups: Afro-Euro families; Ghana Students Union; Bashasha Choir; African Men Talk; Swahili language children group.

Staffing: 

  • Rev. Fr. Frank Rossmann is in charge of the Afrika Center and coordinates all activities and initiatives of the Center. He spent 13 years in Tanzania working in youth services and HIV-AIDS prevention.
  • Rev. Fr. Detlef Bartsch assists with the pastoral care of Africans in prisons. He is also involved in activities regarding ecumenical relations in Berlin. He has over 30 years working experience in Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.   
  • Rev. Fr. Anselm Mahwera is from Tanzania. He has vast interest in engaging with African migrants and worked as a missionary in Mali, Nigeria and Kenya.
  • Mrs Christine Thomas, a lawyer, provides free legal advice and services to the African community and their families in matters to do with the Immigration Families and Asylum Law.
  • Mr. Jackson Opio, a Ugandan and social worker. He assists in all activities of the Center which includes working with African migrants in Görlitzer Park, Neukölln and Tegel Prison.     

Contact

How to reach us

  • Underground: Nollendorfplatz – U1, U2, U3, U4 or Eisenacherstr. – U7
  • Bus 204, Stop: Winterfeldtplatz

Opening Hours

  • Tuesday – Friday 9:00 – 12:00 pm, 1:00 – 4:00 pm
  • Legal service (only with prior appointment): Tue to Fri. 9:00 – 2:00 pm.
  • Email: RAthomas-afrika-center.berlin@t-online.de
  • The Afrika Center Berlin is sponsored and run by the Missionaries of Africa under the patronage of the Archdiocese of Berlin.