Born in the Ivory Coast in 1959, Marcellin Rempe-Yao spent part of his life in France and Romania. He studied industrial electronics in Italy before moving to Germany in 1988. Today, he lives in the German town of Werl. In 2009, he established AfrikanLife, an organization that offers seminars on team building and courses on enhancing zest for life.

When and how did you become a Borussia Dortmund fan?
Back home in my native country, Asec Mimosas is my favorite team. They play in the Ligue 1. Former Asec players include Kolo Touré who later signed with Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, Emmanuel Eboué who went on to play for Arsenal and Galatasaray, and Salomon Kalou who then joined Chelsea, Lille and Hertha. The team jerseys are yellow and black. At some point, I saw a team on TV that was also playing in black and yellow. It was Borussia Dortmund and they were just as successful as Asec. I’ve been a fan ever since. 

How does the African style of play differ from that in Germany?
While we Africans are very emotional and playful, the ever punctual and disciplined Germans favor a strategic approach. Sometimes, I wish they would add a touch of African spirit and joie de vivre.

How big is Borussia Dortmund in the Ivory Coast and Africa in general?
We Africans are passionate about football and are incredibly proud when one of us – like Didier Drogba, whose parents are from my hometown Gagnoa – makes it big in one of the major leagues. Hopefully, it won’t be long before another African joins Borussia to follow in Mohamed Zidan’s and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s footsteps.

How do you keep up with Borussia Dortmund games? 
I enjoy watching the games at home on TV. Whenever the team scores a goal, I grab my drum and beat it really hard. 

Have you ever watched a match live in the stadium?
A while back, I went to a game in Nuremberg but I’ve never been to Dortmund. To be honest, it’s all a bit too big and noisy for me. But if my three African friends Amadou, Jatta and Abdou and I were allowed to play our djembes on the south terrace, we would kick up even more of a storm. “Ajissee!” 

  • Ajissee means “Are you ready?!”
  • A djembe is a type of drum that originated in West Africa

Interview: Uwe Schedlbauer

In this section, our main sponsor Evonik, who supports us at all of our international games, lets soccer fans who feel close to Borussia Dortmund but live nowhere near SIGNAL IDUNA PARK have their say.

Evonik is headquartered in Germany, but just like Borussia Dortmund’s fans, the Group is at home all over the world. The Essen-based company is active in more than 100 countries around the globe and operates production facilities in 27 countries on six continents. With its broad international footprint, the company is a global leader in its core business area of specialty chemicals. Borussia Dortmund and Evonik have enjoyed a close partnership since 2006. Many fans not only know and love the Evonik ads focusing on Borussia Dortmund, but are equally passionate about the club’s and Group’s joint commitment to social activism. Evonik has been the jersey sponsor for the club’s national and international cup competitions since 2020.