Berlin honors Louis Brody, pioneering Cameroonian actor, with a commemorative plaque on the facade of his former home.
On July 25, 2024, a plaque was inaugurated in Berlin in honor of Louis Brody, born Ludwig M’Bebe M’Pessa Akwa, a Cameroonian actor who made his mark in the history of German cinema. The unveiling of this plaque on the facade of the building where he lived in 1918 symbolizes the belated yet significant recognition of his legacy.
Germany has been rediscovering its colonial past in recent years, seeking to honor the Africans who lived in the country both before and after the end of this colonial era in 1918. Louis Brody, who survived Nazi persecutions, is an emblematic figure of this forgotten minority. Memory stones have been laid to remind people of these lives and struggles.
A versatile and committed actor
Born in 1892 in Douala, in present-day Cameroon, then a German colony, Louis Brody moved to Berlin at the age of twenty. An actor, singer, and musician, he appeared in around 80 films, collaborating with renowned directors such as Fritz Lang, Robert Wiene, and even Alfred Hitchcock. Despite often being assigned stereotypical roles, he managed to make a name for himself in an environment that was unwelcoming to artists of color.
Louis Brody did not simply endure the racist clichés of his time. In 1930, he founded a magazine aimed at combating these stereotypes, a true act of artistic resistance. As a founding member of the Afrikanischer Hilfsverein in 1918, one of the first immigrant associations in Germany, he actively advocated for the cause of Africans in Germany.
A career under the Third Reich
The arrival of the Nazis to power did not end Louis Brody’s career. Despite the persecutions, he acted in 23 films during the Third Reich, sometimes being forced to participate in propaganda films. Louis Brody appeared on a list of “approved” actors by the Reichsfilm chamber, thereby avoiding the terrible repression suffered by many others.
The commemorative plaque unveiled in Berlin is not only a tribute to a talented artist. It also serves as a reminder of his fight against racial injustices and his role in cultural resistance. As his grandson Roy Adomako emphasized: “They were pioneers. They did resistance work with their art. This plaque affixed today shows that his legacy remains alive.”
An enduring legacy
Louis Brody passed away in 1952 in Berlin, never having obtained German citizenship. Nonetheless, his influence endures. By rediscovering figures like him, Germany takes an important step towards recognition and tribute to the contributions of Africans in its history. The plaque inaugurated in his honor is a symbol of this recognition and a call to never forget those who fought for equality and justice.
