Brief Analysis of The African Diaspora

The African Diaspora is defined as the dispersal of people from Africa throughout history and is also deemed extremely important in today's world simply because of the population in the diaspora (Donfried). While it is consistently acknowledged that the African Diaspora is the largest and most self-evident, it's name lacks specificity to a degree that, some argue, ignores the amount of ethnic diversity that exists within the diaspora. Using the word "African" to qualify the diaspora overgeneralizes and is an inappropriate umbrella term describing hundreds of different peoples that doesn't distinguish any cultural or ethnic differences across the continent and perpetuates the hegemonic outlook of the European. Furthermore, in the history of the colonization of the Americas, Africans were the only people to be brought across the Atlantic completely involuntarily. These are two points I'd like to independently highlight because of consistent disregard and systemic disadvantages that can be attributed to these two ideas alone.
The African Diaspora can be broken up into three distinct waves: the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Decolonization, and Post-1980s with each of these waves defining contemporary black relations. During the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Europeans brought Africans, primarily from West Africa to Europe, North and South Americas from the 1500s to the 1900s (Donfried). Estimations peg the number of Africans transported across the Atlantic at 12 million (Donfried). This wave of the diaspora is what laid the foundation for the large African populations in the present United States and Brazil and emphasized Africa as the continent of origin emphasizing the presence of understood mutual suffering of all African nationalities across the Atlantic (Donfried). Contrary to popular belief, this was not the first time Africans were used as slaves, as a possible 18 million were transported as slaves from the 7th century to the 19th century in the Arab Slave Trade. As time progressed, colonization increased inequitable ties between Europe and Africa through the process of resource extraction and the development of industry and a capitalist system in Europe. Donfried explains, in particular, European countries that were dominant in the colonization process created "cultural and economic bonds which later facilitated migrations and the African Diaspora in Europe." The decolonization influence on the diaspora merely increased these Africa to Europe migration patterns due to Africans willingly emigrating in search of better quality of life and education (Donfried). However, though this wave of the diaspora was voluntary and massive, many left Africa for individual reasons; there is no overarching theme characterizing this period of emigration (Donfried). The third wave of the diaspora, post-decolonization, was primarily comprised of people fleeing strife in Africa. Donfried illustrates the consequences of the two previous waves; "fleeing from broken and breakable states, wars, hopeless poverty or political persecution became a major cause of emigration," a cause of emigration that remains to this day. This wave of the diaspora is omnipresent and influential at all levels of human interaction. People fleeing Africa during this time, for the most part, left with no intention of returning and honor their culture as vividly as possible in their new home (Donfried).
Interestingly enough, much of the research done on the African diaspora today focuses on African presence in Western countries rather than the effect on individual countries in Africa itself. Many of the caribbean nations have become majority African, for example, Haiti, where 95% of the population is of pure African descent with the remaining 5% primarily mulatto, or mixed.
Having such a dominant population of the diaspora in a location, helps motivate cultural conversations and exchanges that could facilitate an age of cultural understanding and acceptance. However, on the island of Hispaniola alone there are many racial disputes between Haitians and residents of the Dominican Republic. And in America, where much of antebellum oppression still exists, the physical separation of people of African descent and whites prohibits any conversation or discussion of culture or progress between the two groups. Out of sight, out of mind. Much of the argument of this scenario comes from two camps: there's the idea that people have just lived where they have always like by fact, or they have been separated by law. Originally people were separated by law and now live separately just as a matter of fact, however, this separation isn't entirely by choice as landowners refuse certain tenants based on race or background. Trends like this are inescapable and are present not only in America but can still be seen in Europe and even in Eastern societies. This is particularly noticeable among populations in the African diaspora. These inequalities and separations of location and furthermore rights is so telling of nativism and xenophobia in the present world. If everyone in the world was comfortable with someone of any ethnicity or cultural background becoming their neighbor, the percentage of peace on earth that would arise would be astronomical. This idea is such a minuscule fraction of many of the consequences of any diaspora and also a very small and individual way to gradually combat systemic racism. Combatting racism from the top down is practically impossible. I've come to the conclusion that racism has to be dealt with individually. Changing things like advertisements and music that affect our subconscious ideologies of races will help but people need to advocate individually for simply put, less hatred.

Works Cited:

• "The African Diaspora." The ICD "Experience Africa Program" Ed. Mark Donfried. Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.<http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/experienceafrica/index.php?en_the-african-diaspora>.
• Harris, Joseph E. The African Diaspora Map. Digital image. Exploring Africa. 1 Jan. 1990. Web.