World

Africa paints itself green

Rolling views of green

In the Eastern Cape it is very popular to paint traditional huts in this hue - like Qunu Village (pictured), Nelson Mandela's hometown. But the trend doesn't stop there, other homes are also painted light green. The "Wild Coast" is a top tip for tourists visiting South Africa.

Africa paints itself green

A color for the whole continent

If you see the light green color once, you see it everywhere. Whether it be in South Africa or here on the island of Zanzibar......

Africa paints itself green

Streetscape

.....Be it in Angola, or here in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.

Africa paints itself green

Symbolic color

Sometimes light, occasionally dark, or at times with a touch of turquoise; the color spectrum ranges from patina to malachite, to signal green. This salesman from Zinder in southern Niger has chosen several shades of green for his new home. "I have always liked the color green. For me, green demonstrates progress; a green countryside is fertile, unlike the desert. You can live on green land."

Africa paints itself green

Good color choice

Light green paint is cheap, sun-resistant and weatherproof. Paint industry professionals say that, from a consumer's point of view, price is the bottom line. The paint is made of non-organic compounds, making it cheap to manufacture.

Africa paints itself green

Green radio

Unlike other pastel shades, turquoise-green can be applied to difficult-to-cover surfaces and it's weatherproof. Light green paint lasts longer on surface types ranging from clay to concrete. Even DW's partner station, Radio Esperanca, in Lichinga in Mozambique, has painted its building green.

Africa paints itself green

Religious color theory

Many people find bright green more aesthetically pleasing than pale pink, which is equally as inexpensive to manufacture. For Muslims, green is representative of the color used to symbolize the prophet. For Christians, it represents the resurrection of Christ. In Ethiopia's Orthodox Church, church domes are often painted with a green hue.

Africa paints itself green

Good for the soul?

Famous German poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe paved the way in 1810 for the color green. "Our eyes always search for what is gratifying. You do not want more, and you cannot continue on. That's why green wallpaper is often the most chosen for rooms." The the University of Monrovia in Liberia also chose this color for its walls.

Africa paints itself green

Green theater

DW editors working at a theater workshop in Togo encountered "Schweinfurter green." At the premises of 'A nous la planete', DW staff rehearse a play with young local children about child trafficking. The play won the first prize in a listener competition as part of DW's education program, 'Learning by Ear." Maybe the wall's color contributed to the group's productive atmosphere.

Africa paints itself green

Color for reconstruction

In Somalia, the turquoise-green hue symbolizes something more. With this renovated archway in Mogadishu, the country is making colorful advancements in reconstruction after more than 20 years of civil war.

Author: Claus Stäcker, Maja Braun/jlw | Editor : Daniel Pelz