Africans, Go Home!
Hold on! Before you email AUP, I’m going to tell you why you should go home. Over the past eight years, there has been a discussion about the African Diaspora returning home. The most popular of these stories are of African-Americans coming back to Africa to re-introduce themselves to their heritage. I am not only here to talk to you, but for the African born diaspora.
There is a massive brain drain taking place in Africa right now, and the consequences are severe. It has created a domino effect of problems that can be felt through the entire continent like migration and its implications.
The African union describes the African diaspora as “people of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality.” Historically, the slave trade is what began the African diaspora. Now the term is commonly used for people seeking better jobs or education. There are many different types of Africans in diaspora. Regardless, every African diaspora has a unique story to tell.
The massive brain drain that is hitting the African continent can be attributed to a plethora of reasons. According to Quartz Africa, one of the main reasons is because of parents wanting a better future for their children. This is stripping the continent of some of the brightest and best minds.
For the past two years, over 2,000 doctors were documented leaving Nigeria to live in the west. These alarming rates are concerning as there is only one doctor for every 5,000 people.
Image Caption: Upsplash/Clem Onojeghuo
There are so many reasons for one to come back home to Africa, including the prolonged summers, family, friends, organic food, great standard of living, and more. Some opportunities and perks, like drivers and cooks, are far and few for African expatriates in the western world.
The most rewarding part of going home would be your contribution to the collective knowledge of the continent. Not only is this good for the economy but for education as well. Your knowledge could create something that alters millions of lives. However, this comes with its challenges.
Melinda Ozongwu, a writer for This is Africa, wrote an article about coming home after living in the UK for most of her life. She said something compelling for the African Diaspora.
She said, “worse than anything one can pack into their bags when moving back home is to fill them with one's ego. An ego that has lived in an 'organised' society, an ego that compares everything to how it is in London or Germany or wherever it is you have been living. An ego that makes you feel superior to everyone at home because they don’t know what you know.”
This is one of the reasons I am so motivated to go back. I want my country to ‘know what I know,’ and the only way I can do that is by going home. To teach is to become a student first. I have an obligation to learn about the country I have been away from for so long but also call home. Going home won’t be simple, so it requires a leap of faith, planning, and an open mind.
If you’re in it for the economic gold rush or have a deep desire to move back, build, and lead, there is plenty of space for you! This discussion is happening now more than ever online, with organisations, advice sites, and people sharing their stories. Hear mine out; it won’t hurt.
Image Caption: Upsplash/Saud Kamardeen
I was born in Zimbabwe and moved with my family at the age of five. Seven countries later, I am now living in Paris pursuing my Master's Degree. With modern globalization, some people may call me a third culture kid. I don’t disagree with that, but deep down, I feel African and will always be. I also have South African Citizenship. Femicide and xenophobic attacks have increased in South Africa over the past year. This means my intersectionality could cost me my life — this one of the major consequences of migration in Africa.
According to a BBC article, the unemployment rate in South Africa is at 29.8% and has been slowly increasing over the last 11 years. Foreigners are blamed for taking jobs and pushing drugs into the country if they can’t find a regular job. 70% of foreigners are from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Lesotho. The remaining 30% are from Nigeria, Namibia, Swaziland, India, and more. For the past month, there have been violent xenophobic acts towards foreign nationals, their shops, and belongings.
In an interview with the BBC, Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s Minister for International Relations, discussed how Africa needs to work together when it comes to the issues of migration. She said, “With the advent of migrants from other Africa countries, there tends to be people who are poor and unskilled, just as millions of black South Africans are. This migrant community then displaced South Africans from what they thought they would be new job opportunities for them. Hence there is a rise in the sentiment of anger.”
Even South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande also believes that African countries need to pick their feet up, now. He said, “As South Africa, we are not able to absorb the results of all the problems that are made by leaders who want to loot their country and do not care about their people. We are doing our best, but it is time for those leaders in our continent to say, 'what are we doing to make our country better places to live in?’" There is also a drastic need for rapid economic development in the continent to deal with the ever-rising population.
With the same issue of femicide in South Africa right now, I could be killed for my intersectionality. The beginning of ending this era starts with education. All Africans in the diaspora have learned a thing or two that could be detrimental to the future of our continent. Since South Africa is one of the few African countries with a good economy, they are suffering the consequences of this brain drain, and we can change that. Africans, go home!
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