Walk the past, Change the future.
We are deSta- an independent company that offers guided tours in the African Quarter and Humboldt Forum in Berlin.
Our tours are about the often undiscussed colonial history of Germany.
I am Justice, the founder. It's our pleasure to welcome you here.
We identify with Mission 16 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is about working for "peace, justice and strong institutions".
With the guided tours of Berlin's African Quarter and the Humboldt Forum (Europe's largest cultural project), we want to contribute to creating a basis for achieving precisely this: a peaceful and inclusive society.
Equal opportunities should not just be a buzzword, but the reality of our fellow citizens in Germany.
An excerpt from our reviews. Thank you so much!
The decolonial tour in the African Quarter was great. We were a very small group and because of that the tour was very personal and all questions were answered. I am particularly reminded of the realization that “garden colonies” are also related to colonialist thinking and, irritatingly, are sometimes still named after former colonies. Thank you very much for the great city tour in Wedding!
Kind regards,
Nele
Dear Justice,
hope you are well!
I wanted to give you some feedback on the city tour with our volunteer group on 7/31. give
The city tour went down really well with the participants – many named it as the highlight of the day and also mentioned again at the end of the course that they thought it was good. The participants liked that you were approachable between stations, even if they were still very reserved since it was their first day of the seminar. The content just super built on what we had heard in the morning as an introduction to colonial continuities. I found the guided tour even better than the one with our unit, although the contents were the same.
In any case, thank you very much once again! For next year (July) I will be happy to ask you again.
Warm regards,
Susanne
“I was recently led by Justice and Desmond on a tour of the African Quarter in Wedding. Each street in this neighborhood has its own history. What I particularly liked about this tour is that the guides took a very fact-based approach and left it up to each participant to form their own opinion about these past events in German colonial history. Both Justice and Desmond were open to questions and willingly shared their knowledge and perspective. This tour has awakened my curiosity and I now want to explore this part of Berlin even more. I highly recommend this tour!”
“I really enjoyed our tour. I know the others were very excited as well, because we talked a bit afterwards to get to know each other. I can only speak for myself, because I knew next to nothing about the “African Quarter” before the tour, except that I had seen the name on a map. So it was very enlightening to walk through the neighborhood with you and see the many vestiges of the colonial past – some kitschy, some insane, all amazingly embedded in everyday life. For that I would have liked to do the tour even longer (but maybe not during a heat wave!). Overall very enriching and stimulating! I look forward to seeing how the company develops and hope to do another tour at some point. Thank you for doing this important work!”
Our tours are suitable for every interested person. Here you can find out why.
All our tour guides have African roots and can give you a new, differentiated perspective.
We create safer spaces for BIPOCs. Our tour guides make sure to use discrimination-sensitive language.
We draw our information from a scientific studies funded by the City of Berlin.
Nothing is glossed over on our tour, but there is no blame either. Everyone is allowed to listen and learn.
Would you like to gift a guided tour? Please contact us via e-mail at info@dekolonialestadtfuehrung.de
What was the function of racism during the colonial times?
Which streets were renamed in the African Quarter and why?
We provide answers to these questions and aim to create incentives that motivate our participants to engage more with Germany's significant colonial history. Our tours have already been booked by organisations, associations, school classes (on school trips), companies, university groups and interested individuals.
Experience Berlin differently!
EVERY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY at 11am in German and 2pm in English
Our tours in Wedding take place every Saturday and Sunday at 11 am in German and 2 pm in English.
The meeting point for our historical tour is at the U- Bhf Afrikanische Straße, corner Müllerstraße.
The end point is the memorial plaque at Rehberge underground station.
On hot summer days, please bring enough water and sun protection (hat, umbrella or similar).
On rainy days we recommend an umbrella.
On cold days, please bring a thermos mug with coffee or tea to stay warm. For the frostbite sufferers among you, we recommend heat belts or heated waistcoats to wear underneath.
What was the function of racism in the colonial era?
What are the consequences of this era?
Which streets should be renamed and why?
We want to give answers to these questions and thus create incentives that motivate our participants to deal more with this significant part of German-African history. We strongly believe that we can contribute to the development of a more anti-racist society.
Blogbeiträge, Buchempfehlungen und vieles mehr.
Did you know that the effects of racism in German society cost May Ayim her life? Her story tells us about the experiences of being an Afro-German woman and how these experiences can affect one’s mental health. Let’s read a little more about her life …
Did you know that Audre Lorde inspired many Afro-German women during her years in Berlin? Here are 5 interesting things you should know about her during her years in Berlin! Lorde has led a very varied life in Berlin. But whatever Audre Lorde did during …
Why isn’t this taught at school? Josephine Baker was a role model and broke down the “racial barriers” in the entertainment industry. She was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture and the first to host a major Broadway show. Her …
Inclusion is important to us: Since 2022, schools in Berlin have a budget that can be used to finance measures and projects for political education. This way, socio-economic differences can be compensated for. Furthermore, we warmly welcome people with disabilities who want to take part in our guided tours.
