As the title suggests BLACK! addresses everyone who can identify themselves with afro- culture and considers it to be a vital part of their lifestyle. However, BLACK! also speaks to everyone who is interested in afro culture and would like to learn more about it.
BLACK! was founded by German editor Heike Kankam-Boadu, whose parents are from Ghana in West Africa and was first and foremost a pilot project which started as an internet platform in early 2011, featuring video interviews on BLACK! TV, articles and picture shows around fashion, beauty and many more.
With the growing interest and the demand for a printed version of the web portal, the first high gloss print edition of BLACK! was published in May 2012 and is sold in several afro shops in Hamburg, Berlin, Bremen, Munich and Cologne.
There are many lifestyle magazines on the German market but none of these truly take into account the large and growing afro- German community with its different interests, cultures, fashion, music and political issues. People with an African heritage, that could be afro-Caribbean, afro- Latino, afro-German and others, are underrepresented in most European media and the majority of European lifestyle magazines tend to feature more fair skinned models than black models.
Furthermore the majority of the westernized media give a one sided portrayal of the African culture and many still see Africa as one big country where poverty and dying children are the daily routine.
There are many ‘black’ role models in our community which are not necessarily only singers and sports personalities and we aim to show and introduce our readers to as many positive role models as possible. Furthermore, we believe there is a need to show how the vibrant afro culture has evolved and has been adopted and inherited by the mainstream fashion and music world. African culture is striving and rising up daily and BLACK! will bring a piece of the continents evolution to our readership.
As of yet there has not been a magazine in Germany that addresses the afro- German culture and focuses on the ‘black lifestyle’ so many have made a key part of their life.
BLACK! is unique as it is the first ‘black’ magazine of its kind on the German market and we are striving to fully represent the large afro- German community and the African Diaspora worldwide in all its shapes and colours and put a stamp on the German media map.
BLACK! has a multicultural team of volunteers with the majority of them having coming from an African- heritage. Our volunteers are based in the biggest metropolitan cities such as Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, London, Cape Town and further which allows us to bring our readers different afro cultures and lifestyles and at the same time enables us to constructively exchange our experiences and ideas.
We at BLACK! LifeStyle Magazine believe that a magazine for the afro- German community and its friends is well overdue and we hope that in future we will reach an even larger audience to show them how present the afro- German community really is.
Website: http://www.black-lifestylemag.com
This magazine is an awesome idea!! I wish it was around when I lived in Germany. A magazine like this will be well received by black US military members and I think would sell if sold near bases (ESPECIALLY in Kaiserslautern). I wish there was a way to order this publication and have it mailed to my address here in the US.
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret, send your request to Heike via the contact page of the magazine. She would appreciate it.
ReplyDelete