“When once were dispersions, there now is Diaspora”. As illustrated by this quote, the notion of Diaspora underlines the specificity of some migration phenomenon, thereby contributing to make sense out of certain tradition….
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Etymologically, the word diaspora, meaning dispersal, stems from the Greek sporo (seed), and speira (to spree). Originally, it was used in the Antique tradition to refer to the “dispersion of Hellenic establishments around the Mediterranean Sea”. Later on, in the biblical tradition, it was used to discuss the dispersal of the Jewish People.
Since the 1980s-90s, Diasporas have become the focus of numerous academic research and publications in the field of social sciences, gradually referring to more and more different communities around the world. Today, Diasporas can be defined as “national migrant communities living in interaction among themselves and with their country of origin”. The notion of diaspora must be distinguished.
HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF AFRICAN DIASPORA IN THE WORLD
Three main periods can be identified, when it comes to giving an overview of the history of African Diasporas. Historically, the first wave of forced African migrations began during the Transatlantic Slave Trade (16th-19th century). Europeans captured or bought African slaves, mostly from West Africa, and brought them to Europe, and later on to South and North America. The number of Africans who were shipped across the Atlantic is estimated to be around 12 million.
This population movement can be considered as the migration that paved the way for the constitution of the first African community outside of Africa. In point of fact, slave trade can be considered as the “founding myth” of the African Diaspora in Europe and in America. Many Africans were deported out of Africa during this period, but the feeling of belonging to a community, the African community, did not disappear. In a way, this feeling became even stronger.
The transatlantic slave trade contributed mostly to creating a large community of African origins in the American continent, especially in the US and in Brazil. This diaspora belongs to the first wave of migration, and is often referred to as the historical diaspora. It is to be differentiated, from later movements of population of the 1960s, in the sense that these migrants blended more into local populations, partly losing the connection with their land of origin. The members of this diaspora tend to be more attached to Africa as a continent of origin, rather than linked to a specific country in Africa. They are still considered as part of the diaspora. In fact, if the concrete connection to their land of origin was often lost throughout generations, symbolic ties were kept, which will be assessed later on in this paper.
The colonial period, from the mid XIX° century up until the 1960s, contributed to creating strong, although very unequal, ties between Africa and Europe. The exchanges between the two continents were strengthened, and the colonization process contributed to the exploitation of the African Continent, thereby creating cultural and economic bonds which later on facilitated migrations and the creation of an African Diaspora in Europe. As a result, an important part of the African Diaspora can be found in European countries that had colonial history (France, United-Kingdom, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany and Spain).
The second African diaspora generation is the result of the difficult process of decolonization.
During the late-colonial period, early post-independence, starting from the 1950s, there was a great increase of migrations coming from Africa to Europe in terms of numbers, creating the conditions for the settlement of a longstanding and active African Diaspora. Despite gains of independence, economic and cultural ties remained strong between the two regions, especially with the old colonist countries. Many people willingly left the African continent, in the search for better working or educational opportunities, mostly for Europe and North America. This period marked a rather important increase in emigration aimed at acquiring better quality of life and education. This diaspora is mainly the product of “voluntary migrations”. Among the members of this generation of migrants, the subsistence of ties with the country of origin and their nature is rather fluctuating.
The reasons for why migrants left their homeland differed, the factors that contributed to migration were not only political persecution but also issues relating to their cultural and socio-economic background.
Starting from the 1980s, the most common grounds on which Africans left their countries changed in its nature. Fleeing from broken and breakable states, wars, hopeless poverty or political persecution became a major cause of emigration, up until today[vii]. This wave of African emigration influences all parts of societies, and the sociological profiles of the migrants are very diverse, as Africans of all hierarchies, occupations and age groups can be found. If the cultural ties are, for the most part, very vivid, there is in general no plan of returning to the motherland, mostly because of the existing deplorable conditions.
The two ladder waves of migration are often referred to as contemporary diaspora. The members of this diaspora tend in general to keep more connections to their country of origin, with various ways of relating.
As of today, the African Diaspora is one of the most active communities of citizens outside of their countries. Different institutions and African nations are calling them on more and more, particularly in the attempt of gathering forces in order to foster human development in Africa.
SOURCE: www.experience-africa.de
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