Zewdi travel agency highlights German black history for the Afro diaspora community in Germany through local tourism in the country.
Miriam Fisshaye founded Zewdi, the first Black travel agency in Berlin. She was born in Ethiopia but raised in Frankfurt, Germany and she has always maintained her African heritage. She grew up in a white neighborhood with few other children from other African countries.
In school, Miriam recalls how German Black history was never taught unless it was referring to colonialism. The only thing highlighted is the Berlin conference of 1884. The teachers are also not well equipped in the curriculum to bring out black history therefore being a stumbling block for the Afro community to know their history.
What inspired Miriam to start the Zewdi travel agency
All this inspired Miriam to start Zewdi which is translated to the queen in Tigrinya language spoken in Ethiopia. The company is named after her grandmother. Miriam describes her grandmother as a proud, black,beautiful woman who has always embraced her culture and heritage during the colonial era.
The first tour offered by the Zewdi company was a black bike tour in which participants toured the city. Besides the tour, Zewdi has now expanded and they offer post-colonial walking tours to Zanzibar. The bicycle tour has expanded and has always been fully booked.
February being the month of black history, Zewdi is hosting two events on the 20th and 27th. They take this opportunity to look into German history and learn about individuals who were abducted from Africa and Asia who were displayed as colonial instruments
Miriam hopes to create travel experiences both virtual and analog not only for Germany but globally. This will enable people to connect to Afro diaspora community
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