The Diek Family
Five generations of Black German history, family memory, and self-determination
Black German History · Explore the history archive
The Diek family’s history connects colonial-era migration, citizenship, persecution, survival, Black women’s testimony, and community organizing. Following the generations together makes visible the relationships through which Black German history has been lived, preserved, and shared.
Five generations, connected histories
| Generation | Family connections |
|---|---|
| First | Mandenga Diek came from Cameroon to Germany in 1891. Emilie Diek was the mother of Erika and Doris. |
| Second | Sisters Erika Diek / Ngambi ul Kuo and Doris (Dorothea) Diek / Reiprich preserved accounts of life before, during, and after National Socialism. Erika married actor and activist Louis Brody. |
| Third | Beryl Mpessa, later Adomako, daughter of Erika and Louis, contributed her own testimony to Farbe bekennen. |
| Fourth | Beryl’s children Abenaa and Roy Adomako have participated in public work on Black German history and family remembrance. |
| Fifth | Antonia Adomako and Leonard Konrad-Adomako bring artistic, entrepreneurial, and intergenerational perspectives to this continuing history. |
Family testimony and historical research: Katharina Oguntoye, “Die Rolle der Schwestern Diek” (2023). Younger generations: Jugend Museum’s intergenerational dialogue (2023).
Women’s testimony and the work of memory
Erika and Doris shared memories and family photographs with May Ayim and Katharina Oguntoye during the research for Farbe bekennen: Afro-deutsche Frauen auf den Spuren ihrer Geschichte (1986). Beryl and Abenaa also gave interviews, connecting four generations in one account. These encounters helped younger Black women recognize a history extending beyond their own lifetimes.
Oguntoye’s research identifies Mandenga’s naturalization certificate as dating from 1897. Some film descriptions give a different year; the archival account is the reference used here.
Read Oguntoye’s account of the interviews and archival research.
Documentaries and oral-history interviews
Watch the linked producers’ videos below. If a player is unavailable in your location, use its YouTube link.
Schwarz und deutsch – Die Geschichte der Afrodeutschen
Hessischer Rundfunk’s 2021 documentary connects Black German lives across generations. Abenaa Adomako discusses her family’s long history in Germany. German-language documentary; subtitle options depend on the player.
ARD alpha programme and documentary description · DW: English-language programme information.
Die 80er – Schwarze Bewegung in Deutschland
Abenaa Adomako and Jasmin Eding’s oral-history video project records memories of Black organizing during the 1980s. This interview features John and Jeannine Kantara; it is part of the wider movement history connected to Abenaa’s work.
Exhibition, remembrance, and younger generations
The Schöneberg Museum’s 2023 exhibition, Auf den Spuren der Familie Diek: Geschichten Schwarzer Menschen in Tempelhof-Schöneberg, traced a family journey from Douala through Hamburg and Danzig to Berlin. Family photographs and historical research connected persecution with resistance, solidarity, and self-determination.
Explore the museum’s exhibition record · Antonia and Leonard in dialogue with the Critical Young Friends
Public remembrance also includes Stolpersteine for Erika Diek and Louis Brody at Gaudystraße 5 in Berlin. A commemorative plaque honouring Brody was unveiled in 2024 with family participation, including Beryl, Abenaa, and Roy.
Louis Brody: commemorative plaque, biography, and family remembrance