Afrolution 2025 Festival Supported by Francophone Embassies in Berlin
Francophone artists to lead cultural diplomacy efforts in Berlin through literature and film
July 03rd, 2025
From June 19 to June 22, 2025, the Afrolution Festival returns to Berlin with a dynamic program centered on African and diasporic narratives of resistance and resilience, featuring strong francophone participation and support from embassies such as those of Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.
Hosted annually by Each One Teach One (EOTO) e.V., Afrolution 2025 explores the theme “African/Diasporic Pluriverses II – Transnational [Re]Imaginings of Resistance & Resilience.” This edition builds on the previous year’s work and coincides with the beginning of the United Nations’ Second International Decade for People of African Descent (2025–2034). The event features public readings, keynote lectures, roundtables, concerts and film screenings. Francophone cultural voices will be prominently featured, including writer and activist Aya Cissoko (France/Mali), filmmaker Petna Ndaliko Katondolo (DR Congo), and author Hemley Boum (Cameroon). Their presence is organized in cooperation with their respective embassies in Berlin.
The Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed its cultural partnership for this year’s festival by facilitating artist travel and promoting the screening of Katondolo’s short films Kapita and Matata, which address postcolonial memory and resistance in Central Africa.
Similarly, the Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire in Berlin is listed as co-host for several francophone-led literary panels, including one titled “Voix Francophones: Écrire l’Afroprésent.” In addition, a musical tribute to the legendary Zaire 74 music festival, titled “Rumba Revisited,” will be performed by Berlin-based Congolese musicians in collaboration with cultural programs initiated by the Cameroonian Embassy. This concert connects historical Pan-African unity with current diasporic creativity in Berlin.
Afrolution 2025 is funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion and supported by a number of diplomatic and community institutions, including embassies from the MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa regions. Through these partnerships, the event fosters a platform for intercultural dialogue and promotes the cultural diplomacy agendas of participating francophone nations.
References:
- https://www.writingafrica.com/afrolution-festival-2025-for-berlin-starting-june-19/
- https://eoto-archiv.de/afrolution-festival-2025
- https://eoto-archiv.de/neuigkeiten/eoto-afrolution-festival
- https://sinematranstopia.com/en/common-visions-berlin/the-afrolution-festival-by-each-one-teach-one-eoto
- https://m.facebook.com/100064928521071/photos/1131089562398651/
- https://refugeworldwide.com/news/berlin-stories-19-june-2025
