Home away from home.......

 A piece of Africa(home) wherever you go.

Donna.........


Everywhere you go, you  can always take a piece of home(africa) with you. This can be very simply things like home decor pieces , your favorite food stuff, some afro soul music or just some plain old photos. I always have a piece of Africa with me where ever I go to remind me of the things and people I really miss the most.
I guess simply said, out of sight is definately not out of mind.....one can take me out of Africa but can never take the African out of me :-)

 Below are a few of my little home decor pieces that always remind me of home(africa)....

my little kitchen helper :-))

i adore them in their traditional outfits :-)))

a typical village scene

my exotic Nuba dancer......i got her for my hubby :-))

photos of my birth city.......when it´s freezing cold outside, these photos always bring up warm memories :-))

Lucy...........


Depending on how far we’ve travelled ... we always want to take a piece of that special place we visited to keep the memories with us ...
That’s why  its rare to find a home without a memento.This even carries more meaning when it comes to people living abroad.You sort of need that little something to remind you of that special place you once called home.

I have always been fascinated by souvenirs and what they represent. Have you every watched how animated most people get when you ask them where  they got their souvenirs? from home....If its an afro-euro home i get even more curious, because on top of admiring  the little african pieces i am always inspired and it is always interesting to see how the interests of both partners are reflected in their choice of home decor.

my exotic afro lamp shade :-)

the lady of the house :-)))

The first time i came to Germany i carried two african stools, wooden candle holders and a  table runner which i promptly gave away to family & friends who hadn’t been to Africa in a long time. So when i went back to Uganda for the first visit , i decided to bring along something i really liked & would cherish in my house, and that was a giraffe. I actually carried my  giraffe as hand luggage on the plane back to Germany ...  i wasn’t sure it would fit in the overhead cabin ... but luckily enough for me it did. I had it all wrapped up in paper & tape, basically not a very elegant look and also not the ideal hand luggage..... but hey who cares!!!!  I wanted her so badly and all that counted was getting her to Germany safe and sound :-)))

i carried two african stools on my first trip to Germany

wooden candle holders

yes, there she is, my famous hand luggage :-)))))

Some people claim they can tell which part of africa you come from by looking at the pieces you have in your home. If you have wild animal sculptures, human sculptures, animal paintings, people paintings and so on. Apparently most east & south africans have animal sculptures while the west & central africans have more of the human sculptures.... wonder if there’s any truth there .....
This friend to my cousin actually has an african canoe standing in the bathroom as a shelf ..... the first time i went to this apartment i was sooo impressed by this shelf and i couldn’t get enough of the bathroom ....

the canoe shelf i couldnt get enough of......very creative idea

this painting was done by my aunt Theresa.....she is very talented.

photo scenes from Uganda

Talking about creating a home away from home, my cousin is a true inspiration for me. Her great love and passion for the african arts and craft is reflected in her home and lifestyle. Josephine has turned  her hobby and passion into something productive.... it is her way of bringing a piece of home(africa) to others that may not have the chance to go there more often. She started out by bringing small gifts and souvenirs for friends each time she travelled to africa . She has a good eye when it comes to picking up souvenirs and every little bit she brought back were loved by both africans and europeans. She soon had people asking her to bring them specific items and that's when the idea of setting up an afro decor business came into mind. I do admire her passion for it all... because it's not always easy to turn your passion into a business.....

Below are some inspirations from her over the years...

my cousin has a great eye for souvenirs and home decor.........i luv her collections

she turned her passion into business

here is Josephine at home

me getting some inspiration from Josephine´s collection

more inspiration :-))

at a cultural event we organized

taking some lessons :-)))

one of her several collections

i love these flower pots

Hope you all did love going through our home away from home decors. Did this get you inspired to create your own home away from home??? We hope it did. Do you have questions? Then drop us a mail : afromeetseuro@googlemail.com.  
Do you need more inspiration, then click here for more photos of our home away from home decor pieces. Wish you all a great week and stay cool until we meet again.



from "Deutschland" with luv,
Nakutana