The African diaspora is myriad and multifaceted. All over the world, there are populations of African descent present from the farthest reaches of China, the jungles of India and the Alps of Europe. Although foreign Black people or African diaspora are always attributed to be of African descent, migration, slavery and trade have blurred these lines today to form a mosaic of African diaspora globally. Furthermore, Africa being the origin of mankind, all humans either black, White, Asian or Arab can also be qualified as being part of the African diaspora.
There have been black popes like Pope St. Victor I (189-198 or 199), conquerors like Hannibal of African origin and Aesthetically, Africans, or Africa as a whole form an essential part of humankind’s history, from its Neanderthal origins to todays sophisticated and advanced Homo Sapien-Sapien. Therefore, following the origins of the African diaspora is complex and at times confusing.
Understanding the Modern Diaspora
However, the modern documented diaspora is easily studied. All Diasporas according to Robin Cohen are divided into voluntary Diasporas, trading Diasporas, cultural Diasporas and victim Diasporas. This article outlines the origins and present settlements of African diaspora in Africa and the world. It attempts to outline the historical conditions, and experiences that gave rise to the African diaspora communities’ today.
In recent years, African diaspora entails to enslaved African descendants in the 16th and 19th century, voluntary immigration from Africa in the 1990s, and the current Trans-African migration of African people.
Cultural Diaspora
The Earliest Streams of Migration
The earliest stream of African diaspora is a little different from the current phase of diasporic movement from their home continent. It constitutes a great migration of Africans within Africa. For instance, the Bantu speaking people moved from their original homes in present day Cameroon and Nigeria to regions in East Africa and along the Indian Ocean.
Trading Diaspora
The Indian Ocean Trade
Soon after, the Indian Ocean trade among the Africans, Asians and Arabs led to the movement of Africans to continental Asia and parts of Europe. It resulted in the creation of black communities in India, Spain, Portugal and Italy long before Columbus began his voyage to the Americas. Many Ethiopians are documented to have moved and settled in various areas of the Greco-Roman empire due to economic, diplomatic and military reasons.
