The rise of the far-right has sparked growing concern among Germany's African diaspora. What can the next government do to combat political radicalization?
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00:00Germany votes, and just days before the elections on the 23rd of February, the atmosphere in
00:06the country is tense.
00:10Voters from the African diaspora intensely feel that the political culture has shifted.
00:14I'm meeting Akinola Famson at the Brandenburg Gate.
00:18Famson decides to remain optimistic and hopeful that those coming to power will understand
00:22the importance of people with different backgrounds living together in harmony.
00:27Also in Germany.
00:28Our wish is that no matter who comes to power the next time, acknowledge our presence here,
00:39tap into the resources we have here, and give us the room to participate actively in the
00:50democratical order.
00:52Joseph Sinais joins us in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
00:55The Tanzania director for Street Shepherd Africa is an environmentalist, and he is excited
01:00for the elections.
01:02However, his thoughts also circulate around the rise of the right-wing populist party
01:06Alternative für Deutschland.
01:08So my biggest worry is if AFD at all gets power, or gets part of the power, and are
01:17able to implement their policies.
01:21To me, this is a lesson that other leaders should focus on addressing the challenges
01:27because it's the challenges that the people are facing that make them to find alternatives.
01:33The elections are already one of the most contentious in the history, with key issues
01:38being immigration, economic stability, and digital policies dominating the campaigns.
01:43As Germany is at this crossroads, many voters are demanding real solutions to real problems.
01:49But the question is, whom are they trusting enough to deliver?
01:53One of those who hopes to win voters over is Ammann Zorn.
01:56The Social Democratic Party politician from Frankfurt is contesting in the Bundestag elections.
02:01Born in Cameroon, he immigrated to Germany at the age of 12.
02:04Zorn has been serving as a member of the Bundestag since September 2021.
02:09The SPD is in crisis and has lost many voters in recent years.
02:13Zorn, however, remains hopeful and criticizes the conservative shift in Germany.
02:18This is very worrisome.
02:19I think until recently, politics in Germany were always based on different political parties
02:24working together, having different perspectives, different opinions.
02:28But at the end of the day, sitting together, finding a compromise and making sure the country
02:33is progressing in the right way.
02:35But we're seeing more and more polarization.
02:36We're seeing more and more political parties being focused on exactly what they want and
02:41not being open for collaboration with other parties.
02:44And I think that's a danger.
02:46That's quite risky for our society.
02:48I am meeting voters of the Afro-German community in Frankfurt who are sharing those worries.
02:53They are having their own requests to the government, a concept for the future that
02:57unites all citizens of any background, access to resources for everyone, inclusive politics
03:02that aim to move forward and take everyone along.
03:10I would like us as a society to be able to turn on the news again and look forward to
03:14the concepts on how we can move forward and not just watch the next dispute or the next
03:20debacle.
03:21Instead, I would really like us to work together and move away from this culture of conflict.