The African Diaspora describes the many communities of people of African descent that are spread throughout the world. The African diaspora has a population of 140 million people in total, while Africa has a population of almost 1.4 billion people (in 2021).
The majority of the African Diaspora was forced to leave their homelands due to the Atlantic and Arab slave trades. They had to leave the place that they call their homeland, and it resulted in the formation of different communities worldwide.
Digging deeper into the history of the world, we know that there have been several incidents where a huge group of people had to leave their homeland and form communities in different parts of the world.
However, in this article we will focus on the Diaspora from Africa, especially the one related to Ghana.
Table of Contents
Definition of Diaspora
Whether you search for it in books or you do online research, you will come to know that there are different definitions of this one word. While the complex terms and definitions may confuse, here is our easy-to-understand definition of the word Diaspora.
The word Diaspora is related to the word dispersion. It is about the dispersion or movement of people or specifically a group of people from their homeland or where they have been living historically. This movement can either be intentional, or it can be unintentional.
If we talk about some examples of Diaspora, we will see many of them in the history of the world. One comes from the 6th century BC. It is about the movement of Jews outside of Israel, which was intentional as they were excited. Well, there are numerous examples of Diaspora in the history of this world, both the people being excited and moving and being removed from their place against their will.
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
The most common incidents of dispersion are related to the Western Africans and the Central Africans who were not moving intentionally. They were taken as slaves, and they were shipped to America.
It was all a result of the Atlantic slave trade that took place between the 16th century and the 19th century. Many families from major parts of Africa, including Ghana, were heavily affected and got destroyed.
Results of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
The result of this slave trade was communities of Africans formed in different parts of the world, for example, Brazil, Haiti, and the United States. Almost 10.7 million people survived this slave trade.
These are the people now dispersed in various different countries across the whole world.
Voluntary Migration
While most people only know about forced and enslaved Africans who were dispersed due to the Atlantic Slave Trade.
Fact is that Africans also dispersed intentionally. This incident is known as the Emigration from Africa.
In the early 16th century, it was the time when the Spanish explorations were ongoing, and Americans were actively taking part in them. Well, Africans also participated in the exploration as the expeditionary as well as some slave laborers.
This historical incident is one of the reasons why Africans are a part of America, Asia, and Europe as well.
Just when the 20th century began, many Africans started to migrate to Europe as well as America. It was the reason for the new Diaspora Africa communities in the places.
Another amazing fact that most people do not know is that these communities are not related to the Slave Trade and the communities formed because of it.
Other Diaspora Groups
People are still seeing potential in leaving their homeland for their personal benefit as well as the benefit of their homeland. Taking a look at some of the other diasporas in the world, we will see the following examples:
The European Diaspora
The European Diaspora movement began, when the Greeks started moving with the purpose of trading and colonizing.
It is the reason why most of the major and minor places in Europe still have some of that Greek touch left in them.
The reason for the success of this Diaspora is their great leader Alexander the Great, as well as the leaders who came afterward.
His biggest contribution was the beginning of the Hellenistic period. The hellenistic period is known as the beginning of the Greek Colonialization in Africa and Asia.
The Asian Diaspora
Asia is a huge continent, and the largest Diaspora in Asia is the Indian Diaspora.
It is also the largest in the world because the Indian population present.
Their success story is so interesting because of the individuals being well educated as well following their cultures and faiths since the beginning.
It helped them stay ahead of their time which has resulted in the major Indian Diaspora.
African Diaspora Division
Most people only see the positive aspect of Diaspora division. There are some negative aspects as well for the African Diaspora and Ghana’s Diaspora. When the locals become Diasporic a certain difference is made. The people are same but there is a major difference between both groups, the locals and the people from the Diaspora.
A great example of this is the usage of the terms “them” and “us” which represents the divide among people. The two groups feel very different and do not see themselves as one. It also calls for the urgent need for solidarity as well as a critical dialogue between these two divisions. Diaspora Division is a topic that has got a lot of research work being done on it currently.
If you want to read more about the Diaspora Division and about ways we can potentially bridge this gap then here is a great TedX talk by Teresa H. Clarke, who is the CEO of Africa.com.
The potential the Diaspora offers
There are some major reasons why people and communities choose to disperse.
Whether we take the example of Ghana’s Diaspora or other groups from history, we will see that the following things always have high potential.
Trading Opportunities
Trading opportunities are always exciting for individuals as well as the communities. There is always something that a country has to import, and if the locals move to that country, then there are amazing trading opportunities.
A place like Ghana, which was struggling in terms of technology and innovation, saw this as an opportunity.
Foreign investments
Another great potential the Diaspora offers is their foreign investments. Africa is a place that is sadly still lacking development in many areas and the foreign opportunities showed great investment potential. The part of Spanish exploration has great relation with this point. So, as the investors see that they can make better investments in the world outside, they try to move out, and it is a potential offered by diasporas that sometimes makes a place while sometimes it breaks the place.
If you want to more about investing in Africa, especially Ghana, make sure to read this article!
Transfer of knowledge and skills
A very logical reason for dispersion is to transfer skills and knowledge. Taking a look again at the Ghana Diaspora, we can see the following:
Many people seek for higher education when in the Diaspora
Their kids grow up in a different environment and learn to adapt to completely different systems
Language are being learned a lot easier
People in the Diaspora can serve as great ambassadors, being connected to two different places they call home
While there are several points and reasons how people from the diaspora offer great potentia, one of the main goals for intentional dispersion is always a better and more stable economy of the homeland.
The Diaspora Community in Ghana
If there is any African country that has actively taken part in the betterment of the whole continent, then it is the one we are talking about. When we talk about the Ghanian Diaspora community there is a population of about 1.7 million Ghanaians living around more than 53 countries in the world. It makes 7.6% of the total Ghanaian population residing abroad.
These are only the stats of the English-speaking areas. Suppose we take a look at the overall stats of the Ghanaian Diaspora community when there is a total of 3 million Ghanaians who are residing abroad. The main goal for them always has been the economic and technological development of the place.
Conclusion
Moving from one place to another is part of human life. If we take a look at the very beginning of human civilizations, we will see how this dispersion was the reason why we are living in this world today.
However, people should never have to move because they are forced to do so. There are several examples in world history for we can read about.
We hope that you enjoyed reading this article. If you liked it make sure to share it with your friends so that they are just as well informed as you are now. If you have any thoughts you would like to share with us, feel free to mention them in the comments section.
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