I'm an african guy considering moving to Germany... am i goin to be welcomed by the locals?

Question

I've heard a lot of this, that germans hate africans a lot!! i'm wondering how i'm goin to live with that. i realy love german b'cause of it's technology advancement and lifestyle in general.

Someone please tell me, am i gonna take it?

Answer 1

I am an alien living in Germany and I can guarantee you that no foreigner is accepted here.

Answer 2

Ok....First off the ''Color'' Does not matter in germany.what does matter is a couple of things that you need to do when you get here....first KNOW THE LANGUAGE...This is how you will make friends....Second Meet your locals, Neighbors, go to the shops, make people familiar with you....dont do anything stupid that will bring lots of negative attention.  Then get involved with things, Help the elderly with whatever, help when you see help is needed, espescially with fest and stuff if you live in a smaller town or city....If you can help others and be friendly then you will not have a problem here.  The last thing you will want to do also in a small town is date a local girl....do not do this....go a few towns over and party or date someone if you feel you must...and Lastly  at least where I live (Asmall town in bayern)  MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A JOB..If you do not have a job then this is looked down upon as well...Racism towards africans are irrevelent....its the personality of the person that ''brings''the negative attention.  If you do what I tell you it will not be a problem at all.

Answer 3

I agree with Sundancer, I'm German too. It really depends on where you go.

From my own experience I can tell you that in the microbiologic lab where I work as a PhD student we had a student from Kenya working on her diploma thesis and there was no one who treated her differently than German students. Most people liked her because she was really nice and a good student. I also always see many blacks at the university here, in the library etc. and generally in my town (Göttingen), and I haven't heard of any problems with racism here (I mean at my university or in Göttingen). I think generally the people who have a better education tend to be more tolerant and less prejudiced.

Answer 4

I have a friends from everywhere and I like it. My husband African/American. So I don't see any problems and in Germany some areas they having problems with different people, but this is so low in %. They can't win!!!! There is always some people all over the world and this people don't like nobody, but who cares about them, just ignore them.

Look at the US there is still problems with black/white and we are in year 2007. It's a shame.

Answer 5

Not true, Germans, though proud people, are very friendly.  They are not concerned with one African guy when the country is being overtake (literally) by Turkish people.  The Germans just want to keep their country German.  The Turks are bringing a lot of their culture with them, this the Germans do not like.  They will not be concerned with one African man though.  Enjoy Germany, its an amazing place.

Answer 6

Germans are OK with foreigners who have a job, pay taxes and social insurance etc. So see that you have a job before you leave your home.   What they do NOT want, is someone who thinks Germany is full of handouts for people who do not want to work, who are perhaps drug dealers or smugglers.  Unfortunately, Germany has many Africans (also other nationalities) who seek asylum and expect the government to support them.  Such people are despised here in Germany.  It is up to you to prove to them that you are not like that.  As mentioned already, learn the language.  That will earn you some respect from the locals.  Get involved in church and community life.   Germans are not always against foreigners.  Some just have that attitude that they are better than any other nation.  Luckily they are not all like that.  I am a foreigner, and I can tell you that some Germans have weird ideas of other countries. It is best to smile and get on with the conversation in another direction.  Some will not like you, but most will like you.  That is the same in every country in the world.

Answer 7

Will you be welcomed by the locals? Ah no, not really. I mean, 99% of the people will be friendly but unless you are an IT specialist or a doctor they aren't exactly waiting for another immigrant to come to their country. (You will know what I mean after you applied for your visa.)

However there is one way to make Germans love you: work your behind off, pay taxes and social insurance fees, don't get in trouble with the law, maybe found your own business and employ Germans.

I'm telling you this because lots of Africans think that the streets are paved with gold in Europe. It is quite a wake-up call for them when they find themselves cleaning toilets (if they can find a job at all) and facing racial discrimination. This is especially true with illegal immigrants.

I'm assuming you are coming to Germany as a student - if yes, you will be fine. University is a great place to be for an African guy, because students tend to be open-minded and are well-educated. You will quickly make friends if you live in a student dorm.

Answer 8

Very difficult question...I`m German, living in Germany and I have friends of all colors and races, but I know that unfortunately a lot of people in my country still consider themselves superior.

I think in cities like Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt or Cologne, you`ll probably be okay, a lot of Africans live there. But even if I myself hate prejudices of all kinds, I must admit that I wouldn`t move to the Eastern part of Germany. Even almost 18 years after the wall came down, many people over there have still not changed so much and that means that they may be very reluctant to accept strangers. You may have heard about the people from India, who were chased in a small town by a crowd of locals - it is not sure, who started the fight, but still it is that kind of reaction which seems to be more typical for the east. I cannot really blame them, they grew up in a system that did not allow any sort of individuallity and so they became pretty distrustful of everything/everyone obviously non-German.

That does not mean that everyone in the east hates foreigners and everyone in the west likes or at least tolerates them, but the chances to get into trouble in the east are bigger.

In general, I`d say that foreigners have become a normal sight in most cities during the past 20 years, so I think you should not face any major problems once you`re willing to adopt the lifestyle. When you find a job, ask one or two colleagues out for a drink after a couple of days, invite your neighbours for a housewarming party....some of them may just come out of political correctness, but chances are good that they figure out quickly that you`re not that different and then accept you as a friend.

Good luck!

Answer 9

I live in Western Germany and I have Westafrican friends. The race problem is not worse than in the US. It always depends on where you go and who you meet.

Due to the fact, that the eastern part of Germany was locked off for many years, there was no big chance to meet different nationalities. Then, the unemployment rate is quite high there. Therefore, their chance of being influenced by a Neonazi is higher than in the western part of Germany. Still, also in eastern Germany there are reasonable people, just compared to the western part it might be more dangerous.

Should you want to live here, it would be helpful to understand the language and to be aware, that Germans seem to be very distant persons. My African friends always tell me that i.e. for visiting a friend in Africa, you would not need to call in advance. In Germany it is normal behaviour to call before you arrive.

There is a very strict visa law here, so you should check into your chances to move here beforehand.

There are also some good German black musicians you might want to get to know, as "Brothers keepers", "Sisters Keepers", "Brüder Mannheims", Xavier Naidoo", "Sammy Deluxe", "D'Flame",  "Joy Denalane", "Tyrone Ricket" etc.

Good luck, then.