Working Group Postcolonial Trier

Public History Project in cooperation with PD Dr. Eva Bischoff

Duration: since 2022

Ever since the German Bundestag recognized the German colonial war against the Herero and Nama (1904-1908) as genocide, German colonial history has been the focus of media attention. Representatives of the descendants in Namibia, as well as BiPoC activists and their allies, point out that it is high time for German society to critically examine German colonial history and its consequences. This is reflected in the many local initiatives that have been founded to rename streets or to raise awareness of our own colonial history and its impact on our lives today in the form of postcolonial city tours. They show that colonialism was not only a matter of “big politics,” but also permeated people's everyday lives.

The Trier Postcolonial Working Group is an initiative of representatives of civil society organizations, in particular the African Community Trier e.V. and the AG Frieden Trier e.V., and committed students from the University of Trier. Together, they are reconstructing Trier's colonial history and its effects, which are still visible today. Since there is no literature on the subject, the working group draws its information directly from historical material available in archives and libraries. Initial findings show that Trier is connected to colonial history in many ways: through the sending of missionaries, the import of South American leather for further processing, trade in colonial goods (e.g., tobacco), and emigration to South and North America. Wealthy citizens in particular were involved in colonial policy organizations such as the German Colonial Society. The working group meets monthly (on the third Monday of each month) and is supported by PD Dr. Eva Bischoff.

Since summer 2025, the working group has been offering a city tour on the topic. The next tours will take place on:

28 March 2026 (Racism & Slavery),  11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

30 May 2026 (Decolonization), 11 a.m to 1.30 p.m.

Guided tours are also available for groups and school classes upon request. Please send registrations and inquiries for group tours to: info[at]afrikanischecommunitytrier.de.

Press reports & Publications:

Schönhofen, Sybille: “Where colonialism left its mark in Trier,” Trierischer Volksfreund, 7 September 2025.

Castro, Miguel: “When a general from Trier committed genocide. Traces of colonialism in the region,” Porta – The Gateway to History, Podcast by Trierischer Volksfreund, 10 October 2025.

Bischoff, Eva & Kaup-Ijezie, Christiana: Trier postkolonial: Zu Geschichte und Spuren des Kolonialismus in Trier und der Region, in: Saargeschichte(n) 2-25 (Schwerpunktheft zur Kolonialgeschichte der Region), S. 17-23.