Africa Contact

_{(You can read our website in English via Google Translate)}
 – a movement for solidarity with Africa
Afrika Kontakt (AK) was founded in 1978 by a number of Danish political parties, trade unions and other organizations in order to unite efforts against colonialism and suppression in the countries of Southern Africa. Following the liberation of Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe our work increasingly broadened in focus to include the fight against apartheid in South Africa and Namibia. For many years, AK worked for an commercial and cultural boycott of the white regime in South Africa.

With the end of Apartheid, our work moved towards information and campaign work focusing on the Danish public and decision makers. In addition to our information work in Denmark, we provide support for democratic movements in the rest of Africa. We apply a rights-based approach and work with social and economic rights.

We are a member-based organization with 990 individual members and 59 collective members (such as trade unions) representing more than 1.5 million people. Our secretariat has two full-time employees supported by 75 volunteers who are involved in our working groups on Aids, Land Rights, Fishing, Cape Flats (together with the National Students’ Operation, A Days Work), Debt, Trade/EPA, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and an Information and Campaign group. We currently have seven projects in southern Africa, and we hope to start up some more.

Our Vision:
• AK supports marginalized peoples’ social, economic and political rights for a new global development.
• AK takes a critical stand with the decisions makers in Denmark, the EU, governmental bodies in Africa and international institutions, thereby contributing to a change of the political power balance and access to resources.
• AK is characterized by a critical solidarity with the people in the South, who are working for a change in their own living conditions.
• AK offers political and financial support to democratic forces in Africa through different forms, for example, project cooperation, thereby seeking to change the present distribution of resources and the political systems that are supporting it.
• AK valorizes the voluntary effort and contribution as an important element in our work.

The Five Objectives of AK’s Project Work:

• To strengthen the contact and cooperation with partners in Africa.
• To strengthen the democratic movements in Africa, and thereby create a base for the marginalized to organize and empower themselves to make changes in their livelihood.
• To access knowledge that can be used for information work and lobby in Denmark.
• To strengthen the professional skills in AK as well as within our partners.
• To create contacts in the Danish society for an involvement in the solidarity work with Africa.

In Denmark we are part of Projektrådgivningen (The Project Advisor NGO Network), 92-group (On Trade), AIDSnet, North–South Coalition, Thematic Forum, Fishery Network, and the Stop EPA EU-network.

AK is active in the public debate on development issues, which is done as a communication strategy to comment and discuss important development political announcements, public meetings, café evenings and publications. Using our network, we constantly strengthen our public presence, for example, through our cooperation with Operation Dagsværk (Operation a Days Work – National Students Support Campaign for the South). We frequently organize debates at schools, high schools and colleges.

With the many years of active involvement with the democratic development of Africa – in all its aspects – AK has build a strong foundation of knowledge and practical experience both in Denmark and with partners, institutions and individuals in Africa.

You can read more about us on our Danish pages by translating them into English with Google Translate.

Africa Contact
Wesselsgade 4 kld
DK2200 Copenhagen N
Denmark
Phone: +45 35 35 92 32
E-mail: SAK@afrika.dk