AFROTAK cyberNomads – OUR Projects 2002- 2009
The Beginning
The Diaspora experiences of the cybernomads AFROTAK team serve as a pool for a variety of contacts around Europe and around the Black Atlantic.
The name cyberNomads was chosen in 2001.
It all started pretty with my old 300 MHz Pentium computer, which was used to draft the first ideas for the project. My long term passion for the documentation of the Afro-German experience as a Diaspora in private archives, together with his original concept for an internet presence dated back as far as 1996 enabled us to rapidly develop our ideas. The final conceptual pitch for the project was forwarded (a proposal called Afro Media Online) to the head of the multimedia department at BpB (Federal department for Political Education in Germany) Thorsten Schilling in summer 2001.
In fall of 2001 the BpB decided to co-fund the realization of a digital architecture for http://www.cyberNomads.net – as an pilot community project for ISD Berlin e.V. (Initiative Black Germans and Blacks in Germany).
On January the 1st in 2002 cyberNomads started work in the old Jewish quarter in the heart of Berlin Mitte. A strategy plan for the involvement of the community was developed and first brainstroms with the community were implemented with funding of Mr. Müller Hofstedt from the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung in NRW. In summer 2002 we commissioned a major multimedia design company to supply the project with a professional content management system. The goal was to provide a platform uniting the various isolated and often fragmented Black German Diaspora communities of African descent around Germany.
Simultaneously, the Bertelsmann Foundation invited the project in spring 2002, as one of the 15 best social business ideas from over 600 entries worldwide.
The “Mother ship Archive” was successfully launched in autumn 2002 in Berlin.
In January 2003 cyberNomads had to give up its office due to government spending cuts. Since then cyberNomads AFROTAK keep the project alive with their own private funds and resources.
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Projektgeschichte: Highlights & Meilensteine |
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2001 cyberNomads Konzepterstellung |
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2002 cyberNomads Internetportal Online Premiere Onlinedatenbank inkl. CMS-System Realisation by Anymotion Düsseldorf Projekt- Funding Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung Bonn |
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cyberNomads Teilnehmer Finale Social Business Projekt Preis Bertelsmann Stiftung Berlin
In spring 2003 cyberNomads AFROTAK succesfully developed and realized the 1st Afro German Multi Media Spoken Word Performance in Berlin’s prestigious museum Martin Gropius Bau. cyberNomads Thus introducing spoken word by Black Germans and people of African descent to a major art institution. Afro German Spoken Word Performance Konzept & Multimedia Regie by cyberNomads Aufführung im Martin Gropius Bau Berlin und Projekt- Funding Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung Bonn/ Deutscher Kirchentag
 cyberNomads-AFROTAK-Black-German-Spoken-Word-Event-Afro-Deutsch-Black-German
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Online Premiere cyberNomads Internetportal Onlinedatenbank inkl. CMS-System Realisation by Anymotion Düsseldorf Projekt- Funding Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung Bonn Hiphop und Bildung „ Brothers Keepers go East” Schultour durch den Osten Film-Doku DVD 25 min Produktion by cyberNomads
“Self Empowerment & Networks” Konzept & Realisation by cyberNomads Kooperation cyberNomads & Goethe Institut Berlin Projekt-Funding Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung Bonn We hosted The Black Media Congress Berlin 2002 under the title Soul Power and Cyberspace mainly for German grassroots activists and media professionals of African descent.
Gründung Black Media & Community Lobby Network cyberNomads Berlin  In 2002 cyberNomads went Online to generate the First Digital Activism Movement from within the Black German Diaspora. cyberNomads had a keen concept on how culture had to be used and applied to change the images of what is into the images of what can be. The principle hope and the creation of artitically inspired and academically backed concepts of subversion created the sourcebook for change through networking in Germany for the Black "Bilderstürmer" on their road to paradigm change! |
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2003 Besucherzahl des Internetportals übertrifft erstmalig 10 000 pro Monat
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Online Hosting für ca. 30 Community Projekte und Initiativen ohne Wepage
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cyberNomads Schulungen für Content Management Systeme Teilnehmer: Redakteure und Mitarbeiter aus Mainstream & Community
Black Media Congress Berlin 2003 “Best Practices – between Grassrots and Mainstream” Konzept & Realisation by cyberNomads Kooperation cyberNomads & Heinrich Boell Stiftung Berlin Projekt-Funding Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung Bonn Black Media Congress Berlin 2003 another cyberNomads event was called Networking in Europe – Best Practices from Grassroots to Mainstream. We aimed at establishing a Black Media Network around Europe. Therefore we invited major speakers from England, France, Holland and Germany to update and inform media professionals, artists, activists and students on the changing media landscape around Europe.
Online Dossier „Afrikanische Präsenz in Deutschland“ cyberNomads Konzept & Redaktion Herausgeber Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung Bonn During summer 2003 cyberNomads conceptualized the Online Dossier that features academic experts, community activists and artists, establishing an overview on history, media, academia and art of “Black Germania”. Topics range from the presence of African civil servants during the middle ages until the latest formation of the refugee movements and HipHop collectives like Brothers Keepers. The dossier is called “African Presence in Germany” and is featured on the website of the Federal Department for Political Education www.bpb.de . The revised version supplemented with surplus multimedia content will soon be available again via www.cybernomads.net . It can be used in schools, universities and other educational institutions around Germany/Europe.  afrotak-cybernomads-present-afrikanische-diaspora-in-deutschland-black-histtory-medien-community-poltik-kunst-der-uberblick-bundeszentrale-fur-politische-bildung |
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2004 Besucherzahl des Internetportals übertrifft erstmalig 100 000 pro Monat
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Online Hosting für ca. 20 Community Projekte und Initiativen ohne Wepage
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cyberNomads schulen für CMS-System Teilnehmer: Potentielle Redakteure & Mitarbeiter Mainstream & Community
cyberNomads Vortrag Online Communities & Demokratie TRANSMEDIALE international media art festival Berlin
Akquise Schirmherrschaft UNESCO Deutschland Bonn für MAY AYIM AWARD cyberNomads Konzept , Ausschreibung & Realisation
cyberNomads Featured auf Deutsche Welle, Deutschlandfunk, Radio MultiKulti
cyberNomads Vortrag Informationszeitalter und Migration StudiengangTranscultural Studies Universität Bremen Summerschool
Publikation The BlackBook-Deutschlands Häutungen Herrausgeber cyberNomads und Antidiskriminierungsbüro Köln
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2005 Besucherzahl des Internetportal um die 200 000 pro Monat 2000 Registrierte Kontakte im Black Media & Community Netzwerk Online Hosting für ca. 50 Community Projekte und Initiativen Suchmaschinenoptimierung, Redaktion & Promotion cyberNomads
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• Film-Doku des May Ayim Award
 afrotak-cybernomads-may-ayim-award-interactive-dvd-documentation-afro-deutsch-black-german-literature-award DVD ca. 60 min Herrausgeber cyberNomads |
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• cyberNomads * Preisgewinner Best Black German NGO Adler Awards AFRICAN YOUTH FOUNDATION Bonn  afrotak-cybernomads-best-practice-project-african-diaspora-media-and-ngo • cyberNomads * Moderation African Cup |
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Ausrichter Faso Initiative e.V.
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• cyberNomads * Honorary Mentioning FRIEDENSPREIS Bremen
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2006 Besucherzahl des Internetportals kontinuierlich bei 250 000 pro Monat 3000 Registrierte Kontakte im Black Media & Community Netzwerk cyberNomads Link-Ausbau, Redaktion & Promotion
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• Konzept für Vortrag „ Deutsche Online-Wissenssammlungen Thema Afrika “ Verband der Afrikanisten, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt |
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cyberNomads * Nennung unter den 50 wichtigen Afro-Deutschen AFRICAN HERITAGE MAGAZIN Hamburg
cyberNomads Vortrag Migration und Berufsintegration FACHHOCHSCHULE Fulda
 afrotak-cybernomads-racism-help-line-black-german-afrika-deutschland-black-community-help-line Kooperation mit Refugees Emacipation e.V. und Opferhilfe e.V. Berlin |
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• cyberNomads zu Gast bei Arabella -Thema No Go Areas Feature 20 min auf TV N24 |
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2007 300 000 Besucher pro Monat Seit 2002 Gesamtzahl 8 Millionen Besucher 4000 Registrierte Kontakte im Black Media & Community Netzwerk cyberNomads Redaktion & Promotion
 afrotak-cybernomads-nollywood-meets-berlinale-black-german-afro-german-black-film-event-promotion1
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• cyberNomads * Repräsentant Black Diaspora Deutschland Regional Consulting Conference AFRICAN UNION Paris on behalf of the African Union Diaspora Committee Deutschland Zentralrat der Afrikanischen Diaspora Deutschland mit Mandat der Afrikanischen Union
Mandat Botschaft Südafrika Berlin
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• cyberNomads * Preisgewinner „Best Practice/Vorbild Projekt“ STIFTUNG Demokratie und Toleranz Berlin cyberNomads goes Blog zwecks Projekt-Evaluation und Modernisierung von Webseite, CMS-System und Datenbank cyberNomads AFROTAK vision and long term goals
Our long-term goal is to establish a powerful lobby and online platform for survival and interaction amidst so called Euro-centric power structures that divide and rule the fragmented Black migrant and gender communities. There is great demand for innovation, examples of Best Practice as well as for networking and exchange of information. cyberNomads AFROTAK work to develop and implement self-empowerment through a Black cultural perspective researching untold stories and using the internet as a platform for sharing, distribution and critical discussion in a changing global market place. The idea of the cyberNomads AFROTAK Online Mother ship database is successful, because of the living people who create this network. The students, journalists, educators and users are all responsible for its growth. This project is successful because it is, truly, a grassroots community. Our platform digitally reflects and publishes information as a brain pool for new ideas. The participants themselves enhance and understand the vitality and complex issues that face our communities. The publishers have a pride in ownership which no preconceived “top-down” organization can engender. We offer community support and promotion for those in need, and further issues of universal understanding about the challenges facing people of African descent in Europe.
cyberNomads AFROTAK operate to develop the cultural and spiritual aspects of African Diaspora and supports the creative uses of 21st Century technology. A diverse community is enabled to interact as competent and valued citizens in a changing Europe. Our vision became increasingly imortant with the extension of the European Union in 2004. The team of cyberNomads AFROTAK operates beyond the focus of education and politics and embraces a Diaspora community that works in tandem with our efforts to self-empower and correct stereotypes. Projects can be checked through our international mailing list and on our website: www.cyberNomads.de .
cybernomads AFROTAK efforts to acquire content for the “Mothership” Starting as early as in 2001 cyberNomads travelled to various events of importance for the African Diaspora in Germany. Since then up to the present cyberNomads have documented audio and video and images using Mini DV and MiniDisc creating a digital archive distributed online through our various outlets on platforms like youtube, vodpod, wordpress, myspace and facebook as well as offline through our publications in Print, CD and DVD. |
cyberNomads AFROTAK TV AFRIKA MEDIEN DEUTSCHLAND Schwarze Deutsche Medien Black German Databank Network and Media Channel 