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Language, culture, attitude to life

Who is behind Sankofa Language School?

Welcome to Sankofa Lingua, your contact for learning African languages and cultures. Learn more about us, our history and the people behind Sankofa on this page.

Course hours per month

Successful completions

Satisfied customers since 2018
Discover the rich treasures of Africa

We show the diversity of a continent

Africa is not just a continent; it is a mosaic of cultures, traditions and languages. At Sankofa Lingua, we believe that language is the key to unlocking this incredible heritage.
We offer courses in a variety of African languages, from Swahili and Zulu to Amharic and Yoruba.
But why is this so important? Africa’s languages are not only means of communication; they are also carriers of cultural knowledge. Through them, stories are passed on, traditions are preserved, and communities are strengthened.
Why we teach languages

Our vision: preservation of cultural assets

We live in a globalized world where many of these languages and cultures are in danger of being lost. Our mission is therefore to create a sustainable awareness of this rich diversity.
At Sankofa Lingua, we go beyond just language learning. Our courses are designed to provide a holistic understanding of each culture. We integrate music, art, and literature into the classroom to provide a comprehensive context.
Our teachers are not only language experts, but also ambassadors of their own cultures. They share their knowledge and experience with you so that each course is a journey through the fascinating world of Africa.
Language Ambassadors

The Team behind Sankofa Lingua Academy

Language ambassadors

Our course instructors

Kwadwo Owusu Ansah

Course instructor
Twi

Joy Ashitey

Course instructor
Ga

Kapi Grab

Course instructor Lingala

Samuel Olawale Olatidoye

Course instructor Yoruba

Uchenna Anyanwu

Course instructor
Igbo

Aliyu Abdullahi

Course instructor
Hausa

Fabrice-Mbo Kingata

Course instructor Kikongo

Yolanda Nkosazana Nkqwitha

Course instructor
Xhosa

Salma Rashid Adam

Course instructor Swahili

Kossi Aziabou

Course instructor
Ewe

Mosisa Teferi Timotewos

Course instructor Amharic

Jimmy Mpano

Course Instructor Kinyarwanda

Tsegereda Tekle

Course instructor Tigrinya

Musa Ceesay

Course instructor
Wolof
The team in the background

Your contact for all organizational matters

Akwasi Badu-Aning

CEO - Founder
The history of Sankofa

From the idea to the language school

A German-African heart

Having grown up partly in Ghana and in Berlin’s African community, our founder Akwasi began to engage more intensively with Ghanaian culture. Even then, he noticed that many people with Ghanaian roots hardly speak their mother tongue anymore. Akwasi often found the praise of older people for their mastery of their mother tongue strange.

African life in Germany becomes visible

With deep roots in the Ghanaian-African community in Berlin, Akwasi acted as a multiplier and gatekeeper for African life and culture in Berlin. In 2015, television also took notice. At the time, Pro7’s “Galileo” format accompanied Akwasi for a day through the hotspots of African life in Berlin.

Speechlessness in the communities

Over time, it became clear that while traditional elements are lived in many communities, the language is rarely passed on. Akwasi quickly realized that languages are a central component of every culture and that passing them on is crucial for understanding and preserving them.

Together for the preservation of traditional languages

Together with the Ujamaa Culture Center e.V., initial discussions began about ways to combat this language loss. It quickly became clear that a way had to be created to learn the languages that had been lost. The first language course for Twi, which is spoken mainly in Ghana, was launched

Foundation of Sankofa Language School

The success of the first Twi courses encouraged Akwasi to start planning its own language school in 2019. In addition, more and more people approached us and asked for courses in other African languages as well. In 2020, the time had come: Sankofa offered the first 6 language courses.