From Morocco to Madagascar: Africa's diversity at Grüne Woche

Twelve colourful tea glasses, artfully decorated, are waiting to be filled. Brahim Saki sits smiling on a low yellow sofa. He normally works in the cultural department of the Moroccan Embassy. During Grüne Woche, he becomes a master of ceremonies for ten days. Every day between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m., visitors to the fair can attend Brahim Saki's tea ceremony in Hall 18.

Between tea glasses and hospitality

From a distance of about 40 centimetres, he pours green tea with fresh mint from an ornate metal pot into the glasses. This high pouring is less a sign of skill than a way of aerating the tea and creating a fine foam, which is considered a sign of quality. In Morocco, serving tea is considered an act of respect and hospitality. ‘Tea is actually drunk every morning and every afternoon,’ says Brahim Saki. He himself has been living in Germany for more than ten years and reveals with a wink: ‘I've also grown to really like coffee.’

What begins with a drink also opens up space for exchange and mutual understanding. Many trade fair visitors approach Brahin. They know him from last year or want to talk because they themselves have Arab roots. Culture is also reflected in language, writing and symbols: a queue has formed in front of the small desk of calligraphy artist Abdelaziz Bachari.

Artistic writing as a message of solidarity

Visitors write their names in Latin script on a white pad of paper. Abdelaziz translates them into Arabic and transforms them into artistic calligraphy full of flourishes and ornaments. He has also decorated the hems of his black coat with writing. In golden letters it says: ‘If my origin is from the earth, then all who are on the earth are my relatives.’

This message of solidarity and common origin goes beyond art and culture – it refers to global connections and shared responsibility. How concrete this can be is demonstrated at the stand of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in Hall 7.2.

VR trip to Madagascar: consequences of climate change

Put on your VR glasses and headphones and embark on a journey to Madagascar: Jacky, a zebu farmer from Toliara, explains that he has to drive his herd further and further to find water sources. Villagers dig deep holes in the ground in search of drinking water because the Fiherenana River north of Toliara has dried up. Farmer Festine belongs to the group of ‘migrants from the south’. She says: ‘Where we come from, it sometimes hasn't rained for three to four years.’ Farming is impossible there.

The video shows how climate change is affecting local people. ‘Our goal is to raise awareness,’ says Alexander Schumski from the BMZ. As he cuts open a cocoa pod about 20 centimetres long, he explains that most of the cocoa beans in our chocolate come from Côte d'Ivoire and what each individual can do to improve the living conditions of cocoa farmers, protect natural resources and biodiversity, and promote the sustainable cultivation and marketing of cocoa.