The Massaquoi family – Liberia | Germany | USA
Life stories
Madeline Danquah and Tendai Sichone, 2024
The Massaquoi dynasty is an important noble family from West Africa. The family belongs to the Vai, a society in the present-day states of Sierra Leone and Liberia. They played an important role in politics and business in both the pre-colonial and colonial history of West Africa. Today, members of the family are seen as iconic for the empowerment of Black people.
Due to the Weimar Republic's political and diplomatic relationship with Liberia at the beginning of the 20th century, a branch of the Massaquoi family arrived in the harbour city of Hamburg. The central figures are the diplomat Momolu Massaquoi (1869-1938), his daughter Fatima Massaquoi (1904-1978) and his grandson Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi (1926-2013).
Their lives reflect the profound changes that Germany underwent in the 20th century - from the unrest of the Weimar Republic to the horrors of National Socialism and the transatlantic connections of the Federal Republic in the post-war period. Each of them has played a part in the history of the African diaspora in different ways and made significant historical contributions in the fields of diplomacy, education and literature. Their works provide important insights into the history of Black people in Liberia, Germany and the USA.
Contact: mdanquah@hotmail.de und Tendalin.sichone@gmail.com
Special thanks: We send a thank you to God (Madeline Danquah), to the universe (Tendai Sichone). And to our daughters, who patiently let us write.
References:
Aitken, Robbie / Rosenhaft, Eve: Black Germany. The Making and Unmaking of a Diaspora Community, 1884 - 1960, 2013.
Groschek, Iris / Hering, Rainer: Fatima und Richard. Ein Paar zwischen Deutschland und Afrika (1929 - 1943), 2017.
Massaquoi, Fatima / Seton, Vivian / Tuchscherer, Konrad / Abraham, Arthur (Ed.): Autobiography of an African Princess, 2013.
Lewerenz, Susann: Afrodeutsche Perspektive auf Hamburg im Nationalsozialismus. In: Zimmerer, Jürgen / Todzi, Kim Sebastian (Hrsg.): Hamburg: Tor zur kolonialen Welt, 2021.
Massaquoi, Hans J.: N., N., Schornsteinfeger. Meine Kindheit in Deutschland, 2019. (Der Originaltitel enthält das N-Wort. Dieser Begriff wurde aus Sensibilität durch N. ersetzt.)
Massaquoi, Hans J.: Hänschen klein, ging allein… Mein Weg in die Neue Welt, 2008.
Ewe, Gisela: Liberianisches Generalkonsulat. Treffpunkt Schwarzer Intellektueller, Aktivist*innen und Künstler*innen, in: Bildungsbüro Hamburg: ReMapping Memories Hamburg, https://www.re-mapping.de/erin..., Zugriff: 02.10.2024.
Stationen
A royal family
Life in the consulate Villa
Fatima Massaquoi's school days
Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi's childhood and youth
Fatima Massaqoui - student and lecturer
Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi - student and ‘swing boy’
Fatima Massaquoi at the Fisk University
Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi's new phase of life in the USA
Fatima Massaquoi: Scientist and politician
The Massaquoipassage in Barmbek