¿A NEW GLOBAL

AFRICA AND :
ITS DIASPORA POWER?
CONFERENCE
SUSANA EDJANG

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AFRICA AND ITS DIASPORA:
A N E W G LOB A L P OW E R ?

S U SA NA EDJA NG

Susana Edjang - International

Development and Global
Health Policy Expert at UN,
she is executive board
member at Africa 2.0. Foun-
dation and council member
at the Royal African Society
RAS. This paper was presen-
ted at the launching of the
initiative of the Corporation
Manos Visibles, Afroinnova at
Icesi University –Cali, Colom-
bia. (May 19, 2016)
Becoming Diaspora and Recognizing Oneself as African-descendant: from
Equatorial Guinea to the World

Equatorial Guinea, with some 28,000 square kilometers, is one of the twenty
smallest countries in the world. Just above the equator line and nestled
between Cameroon and Gabon, it is located in the Gulf of Guinea, in what
may be called the "armpit" of Africa. In the last census, published in 2015, it
has an estimated population of one million two hundred thousand
inhabitants1.

To my mind, three things make Equatorial Guinea special: the only African
country with Spanish as the official language2; its most renowned artist,
Leandro Mbomio, inspired the Cubist movement3 when he gave Pablo
Picasso a fang sculpture; and our president, Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo
after 37 years remains the longest-serving president in the world4.

I was born in Equatorial Guinea in the late 70s, amidst a massive political
upheaval which forced an estimated 200,000 people to flee the country.
Many of these political exiles were forced to live in neighboring countries
with Spain as their final destination. My family were among these 200,000
people forced into exile. We were luckier than most and were able to
reach Spain, where I grew up. From Spain, I visited other European
countries and later studied and began my career in the United Kingdom,
followed by several African countries and now the United States. Although
each of these contexts were different and my experience of them were
also different, what they all had in common – especially in the professional
contexts that spans NGOs, government or international organizations,
academia, etc. is the existence of a trust network. Whilst the number of
Equatoguineans in each new country was relatively small, it is these trust
networks of the emerging Equatoguinean diaspora, Afro-descendant
migrants, women and Spanish speakers who helped me to understand
each new circumstances and navigate my evolving realities.

Diaspora - African-descendants

1
Guinea Ecuatorial Press, 18/09/2015. ‘Ehate Tomi presenta el censo de la población de Guinea Ecuatorial.’
http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=6929 (Accessed 10 May 2016)
2
In Africa, there are three Guineas: Guinea Bissau, one of the five Portuguese-speaking countries on the
continent, Guinea (Conakry), one of the 26 African countries where French is an official language and
Equatorial Guinea.
3
Fraguas, R.2012, ‘Obituario: Leandro Mbomio, una vida consagrada al arte africano’ El País, 12 Noviembre
.. http://cultura.elpais.com/cultura/2012/11/16/actualidad/1353025949_694013.html (Accessed 9 May 2016)
4
Mjamba KO, 2014, ‘Africa’s longest serving leaders’, This is Africa, 10 November, http://thisisafrica.me/10-
africas-longest-serving-leaders/ (Accessed 9 May 2016)

1
The Diaspora refers to the spreading or scattering of seeds and it was first
used to identify Jewish, Armenian and Greek living outside of their
perceived country of origin and later, Africans in the Americas with the
experience of the transatlantic slavery. More recently the term now
embraces communities who self-identify as diaspora, people living in a
country other than the country where they were born or where their family
have their origins5. The African diaspora is therefore a mixture of Diasporas:
a) the older diaspora born out of transatlantic slavery; b) that of the post-
independence 54 African countries and territories, living outside of the
continent; and c) the post-1980 economic migrant. These diasporas are
often referred to as people of African-descent or Afro-descendants.

Afro-descendants are people with African origin born or live outside of

Africa. Some definitions include Africans living in other African countries, but
it is generally understood that this concept refers to people outside the
continent. The network of African-descendants is huge and cannot be
ignored. Table 1 on African diasporic waves helps us to put into perspective
its size and distribution around the world.

We can establish that there have been four diasporic waves.6 The first
diasporic wave is the African diaspora in the Indian Ocean, which took
place during the fifth and sixth centuries and beyond. Of this relatively
unknown wave, for which research is currently growing, it is known that it
was made out of a mixture of explorers, soldiers, merchants and slaves that
settled down in Asian and Middle Eastern countries from the 5th century
onward that are citizens of their destination countries such as the Indo-
African Shidis or Habshis.7

The second diasporic wave is the estimated 10.7 million people who
survived the forced relocation from Africa to the Americas during the
transatlantic slave trade8. One of the most significant aspects of this
diaspora -- besides its resilience and contribution to the economic
foundation of the Americas -- is that with genetic studies, descendants of
5
Brubaker R,2005, ‘The ‘diaspora’ diaspora’, Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 1-19.
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/brubaker/Publications/29_Diaspora_diaspora_ERS.pdf
6
There is a fourth diasporic wave ‘the Indian Ocean African diaspora’ made out of explorers, soldiers,
merchants and slaves that settled down in Asian and Middle Eastern countries and for which a body of
research is growing rapidly.
7
Boyce Davies C (ed.), 2008, Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: origins, experiences and culture, ABC-
CLIO, California
8
According to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, of the 12.5 million Africans that were taken by boat
to the Americas, only 10.7 million survived the brutal crossing. Of these, the majority, 4.8 million went to
Brazil, and other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean; only about 450,000 were brought to the
United States. Gates Jr. HL. 2014, ‘How many slaves landed in the US?’, The Root, 6 January.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/history/2014/01/how_many_slaves_came_to_america_fact_vs_fiction/
(Accessed 9 May 2016)

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this diaspora have been able to trace their history to a country of origin in
Africa. However, these original countries have not claimed or recognized
them in the way that the State of Israel does with the Jewish diaspora. Still,
this African diaspora belongs to the African continent and has been
recognized as the sixth African region by the African Union9.

Table 1: African Diasporic Waves

Destination
Wave Century Context Country of Origin
Country(ies)
Politicians
,
Indian Ocean V-VI merchant Known country Asia, Middle East
s, soldiers,
slaves
Unknown
Americas (North
country; the
Forced America,
Slave trade XV-XIX Diaspora belongs
labor Caribbean, Latin
to the whole
America)
continent.
colonial
Colonial/Post work- Colonial empire
XIX-XX Known country
-colonial study metropolis
programs
Brain
Contemporar drain,
XX-XXI Known country Global metropolis
y wars,
refugees
Source: Boyce Davies C (ed.), 2008, Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora:
origins, experiences and culture, ABC-CLIO, California

The third wave of the Africa diaspora was during the colonial and post-
colonial era (1940s-1990s) when African students, athletes, and men and
women of businesses migrated to colonial metropolis for higher university
studies, business or training. Many of them contributed to the nationalist
movements back in their countries (Kwame Nkrumah, Leopold Senghor,
Fela Kuti, Julius Nyerere, etc.). Many of them stayed or had to return to the

9
African Union 2012, Declaration of the Global African Diaspora Summit, 25 May 2012,
http://pages.au.int/sites/default/files/Global%20Diaspora%20Summit%20Declaration-E.pdf (Accessed 9 May
2016)

3
West after the failure of several postcolonial governments across the
continent. Also, included in this period are the exports of workers from other
colonies to the empires. For example, between 1950 and 1970 in the United
Kingdom, Caribbean nurses were recruited to work in institutions of the
national health system10. We can consider this second diasporic as the
colonial and postcolonial wave. People belonging to this diasporic wave
can identify their country of origin and often have the intention of returning.

The fourth diasporic wave is the most contemporary. It is an amalgamation

of people like me, who are part of forced or economic migration seeking
better political, economic and human rights conditions in other African or
Western countries. This wave represents what has been called a “brain
drain” since it included many highly educated people (doctors, engineers,
nurses, etc.) that although maintain links with their country of origin, have no
interest in going back permanently. Those belonging to this diasporic wave
can also identify their country of origin and tend to maintain connections.

It is estimated that there are about 250 million people in the African
diaspora and about 1,100 million people on the African continent. In total
then, the population of African-descendent people is about 1,350 million.
Given the economic situation in many African countries, the number of
African-descendent people in the diaspora will continue to grow as people
search for better opportunities within and outside the continent and
population rises within those communities.11

The reflection of Africa: Africa the 'place' reflected in Africa ‘the peoples’
and vice versa

Irrespective of the different diasporic waves, all African-descendent people

belong to Africa and feel deeply connected to the continent across time
and space, whether they want it or not. If Africa is perceived as poor,
corrupt, unable to develop and sustain good governance etc., the African-
descendant populations are also perceived as poor, corrupt and
incapable of governing. African and Afro-descendent communities are
perceived as mirror images of each other, but these reflections do not have
always to be negative.

It is true that in many cases the social and economic problems in African
countries and communities of African-descendants outside of Africa are

10
Snow S and Jones E, 2011, Immigration and the National Health Service: putting history to the forefront,
History & Policy http://www.historyandpolicy.org/policy-papers/papers/immigration-and-the-national-health-
service-putting-history-to-the-forefron (Accessed 8 May 2016)
11
Lopes C, 2016.‘Africa and the immigration conundrum’. The New Time, 14 July,
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2016-07-14/201682/ (Accessed 9 May 2016)

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similar. With Table 2 I have tried to present public information about how
these problems are presented in the media on issues such as poverty,
corruption, socio-economic exclusion, human development indexes,
intolerance towards minorities (ethnic, religious, sexual, persons with
disabilities, etc.), and the treatment of women. The purpose of the table is
to show the resonance in how the situation of African-descendants outside
and within Africa is presented. The issue is not to criticize this situation but to
find a way to help visualize and amplify the positives in African-descendent
communities because the positives do exist.

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Table 2: Similarities between the news about African-descendent
communities and African countries
African-descendent
Subject African countries
communities
78% of African-Brazilians 41% of South Sahara
Poverty live below the poverty Africans live in extreme
line12 poverty (PNUD)13
“As Minority Officials Are
Caught Up in Scandals, “Abuse of power: African
Corruption/misrule Some See a Conspiracy” leaders and their flying
(Thomas Kaplan, The machines” (France 24)15
New York Times)14
"Afro-Colombians remain
The commerce in Africa
in oblivion" (Pilar Cuartas
Economic exclusion represents a 3% of world
Rodríguez, El
trade (WTO)17
Espectador)16
"South Africa known as
“Live y die in Tumaco, the the world capital of
place with more murders rape. Living in the most
Crime
of Colombia” (Ethel criminal country in Africa
Bonet, El Confidencial)18 " (Carolina Valdehíta, El
Mundo)19
“Women and indigenous “1 in 5 children in Africa
Low human
and African-descendent do not have access to
development
population are the most life-saving vaccines”
indexes
affected groups by (OMS) 21

12
World Directory of Minorities, 2014. Afro-Brazilians, Minority Rights Group International.
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2014/09/29/Afro-Brazilians.pdf (Accessed 7 May 2016)
13
Valdehíta C, 2016, ‘Viviendo en el país más criminal de África’, El Mundo, 6 July,
http://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2016/07/06/5773f44dca474132558b45c1.html (Accessed 7 May 2016)
14
UNDP, About sub-Saharan Africa: Africa at a turning point,
http://www.africa.undp.org/content/rba/en/home/regioninfo/ (Accessed 7 May 2016)
15
Centro de Noticias ONU, 2010, La desigualdad obstaculiza desarrollo humano en América Latina y el
Caribe, advierte PNUD, 26 July, http://www.un.org/spanish/News/story.asp?NewsID=18833#.V9a-
f_nhAdU (Accessed 7 May 2016)
16
Kaplan T, 2013, ‘As Minority Officials Are Caught Up in Scandals, Some See a Conspiracy’, The New
York Times, 23 June, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/28/nyregion/as-minority-officials-are-caught-up-in-
scandals-some-see-a-conspiracy.html (Accessed 7 May 2016)
17
WHO Regional Office for Africa, 1 in 5 children in Africa do not have access to life-saving vaccines
http://www.afro.who.int/en/media-centre/afro-feature/item/7620-1-in-5-children-in-africa-do-not-have-
access-to-life-saving-vaccines.html (Accessed 7 May 2016)
18
Jacinto L, 2016, ‘Abuse of power: African leaders and their flying machines’. France 24, 23 Apr,
http://www.france24.com/en/20160422-africa-presidential-planes-power-prestige-corruption (Accessed 7
May 2016)
19
Wee D, 2016, ‘Three in four LGBTI people want to flee Jamaica due to homophobia’, Gay Star News, 22
Jan, http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/three-in-four-lgbti-people-want-to-flee-jamaica-due-to-
homophobia/#gs.5CMEZdI (Accessed 7 May 2016)

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 inequality in Latin
America and the
Caribbean” (PNUD) 20

“Meet the LGBTI

“Three in four LGBTI Ugandan community
Intolerance/violence
people want to flee living in fear in Kenya's
towards other ethnic,
Jamaica due to Kakuma refugee camp”
religious and sexual
homophobia” (Darren (Elsa Buchanan,
minorities
Wee, Gay Star News)22 International Business
Times) 23

“South Africa: Why Is

Violence On Black
“Women learn
Women's Bodies So
prevention against
Women situation Normalized On Our
domestic violence” (El
Screen That We Don't
Pilón)24
Even Blink?” (The Daily
Box)25

The positive reflection: the narrative of "Africa Rising", leaders, women, Afro-
philanthropy and a commitment to science

Mutual reflection between African-descendants outside and within Africa

does not have to be always negative or always positive; it can and must be
balanced.

Africa rising. In Africa, there is a new narrative known as "Africa rising" that
has accompanied the regional economic growth of a 5% annual average,
which has been sustained over the last 10years thanks not only to natural
resources but also to the growth of the private and agricultural sectors, and
the use and innovations in new technologies. This economic growth also

21
Buchanan E, 2016, ‘Meet the LGBTI Ugandan community living in fear in Kenya's Kakuma refugee
camp’, International Business Times, 21 Jun, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/meet-lgbti-ugandan-community-
living-fear-kenyas-kakuma-refugee-camp-1566516 (Accessed 7 May 2016)
20
Cuartas Rodríguez P, 2012, ‘Afrocolombianos siguen en el olvido’, El Espectador, 26 Nov,
http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/nacional/afrocolombianos-siguen-el-olvido-articulo-389287
22
International trade in Europe, by contrast, represents 36.8% of global trade. WTO, 2015, International
Trade Statistics 2015, p.42, WTO Publications,
Genevahttps://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/its2015_e/its2015_e.pdf
23
Llamas Nova A, 2016, ‘Mujeres aprenden prevención contra la violencia intrafamiliar’, El Pilón, 11 Aug,
http://elpilon.com.co/mujeres-aprenden-prevencion-la-violencia-intrafamiliar/ (Accessed 15 Aug 2016)
24
Bonet E, 2016, ‘Vivir y morir en Tumaco, el lugar con más homicidios de Colombia’, El Confidencial, 8
Aug, http://www.elconfidencial.com/mundo/2016-08-08/colombia-tumaco-crimen-narcotrafico-america-
latina_1242666/ (Accessed 15 Aug 2016)
25
The Daily Box Team, 2016, ‘South Africa: Why Is Violence On Black Women's Bodies So Normalized On
Our Screen That We Don't Even Blink?’, The Daily Box, 7 Aug,
http://allafrica.com/stories/201608081380.html (Accessed 15 Aug 2016)

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goes hand in hand with the expansion of the middle class. Although this
growth is not perfect, because it has not benefited the poorest and in some
cases has led to increasing socio-economic inequalities, it has however
managed to inspire improvements in governance structure in many
countries and has generated new business models, alliances, and partners
for Africa. Examples of these new partnerships and models of cooperation
include the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the Tokyo
International Conference of Africa’ Development (TICAD), the India-Africa
Forum Summit, the United States-Africa Leaders Summit and the EU-Africa
Summit, –which brings together political and business leaders at the highest
level.

At the same time, the contribution of Africans in the Diaspora to Africa's

development is also being recognized and valued. Although sub-Saharan
Africa received some US $ 36, billion in international aid in 2014, remittances
to Africa (south and north of the Sahara) resulted in more than US $ 40,
billion that directly impact the lives of people and their opportunities.26,27

Leaders. Apart from the visibility of the 54 heads of Africans states, new crop
of leaders – from the private sector, civil society, government level - are
emerging and gaining greater visibility and recognition at the national,
regional and global level. In Table 3, I present a few of the people who
have achieved some visibility and recognition on at least two continents or
have been pioneers in their fields28. As can be seen, there is a significant
representation of leaders in the public sector and of US African-descendent
leaders and of Anglophone countries.

Women. The representation of women in leadership positions, following the

pattern of the role in communities, are reflected in their positions in the
public and NGO sector. It is worth noting that in Rwanda, 64% of
parliamentarians are women, the highest percentage of women
parliamentarians in the world. In other African countries like Senegal,
Seychelles and South Africa, there are also leaders committed to the

26
Radlicki M, 2015,‘The 30m-strong Africa diaspora likely sends $160bn home every year: Where does it
go?’, Mail & Guardian Africa, 2 Jun, http://mgafrica.com/article/2015-05-29-remittance-in-africa-where-
does-it-go (Accessed 8 May 2016)
27
Anderson M, 2015, ‘Foreign aid close to record peak after donors spend $135bn in 2014’, The Guardian, 8
Apr, https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/apr/08/foreign-aid-spending-2014-least-
developed-countries (Accessed 8 May 2016)
28
The list has many limitations because I created it based on conversations with my social and professional
circle, and for those reasons there is a special representation of women, of African-descendent leaders at the
UN, and English and Spanish speaking leaders. In the table I assume the visibility, positive and negative, of
African heads of state and therefore I do not include them; also of cultural and sports leaders.

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empowerment of women at the political level and women account for
over 40% of parliamentarians29 in these countries.

Commitment to science. Although Table 3 does not include African leaders

in science, these are being promoted through initiatives such as the 'Next
Einstein Forum' (NEF) led by the Beninese Thierry Zomahoun, whose purpose
is to promote science and science education in Africa, as well as African
scientists in order to ensure that the next Albert Einstein comes from the
region.30 NEF recognizes 15 scholarship holders every year, of which at
least 40% must be women. Another initiative worth mentioning is ‘Planet
Earth Institute’ an international NGO working for the scientific
independence of Africa.31 PEI focuses on ensuring that Africa’s technology
boom can be applied for scientific development and a campaign to
ensure science is at the top of the development agendas of African
countries and their partners. Although the number of scientific reports
produced in Africa represents only 2.4% (55,400 in 2013) of global scientific
reports, the number and quality have tripled in the last decade32. To
maintain and improve this level of quality and scientific growth, initiatives
such as these engage in partnerships with several institutions of global
prestige at the regional and international levels and count leaders at the
highest levels, including from Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and
Macky Sall of Senegal (NEF) and President Ameenah Gurib of Mauritius (PEI)
as partners in development.

Afro-philanthropy. Economic growth in Africa has been accompanied by a

growth of leaders in the private sector, many of them have become
billionaires. Many of these business leaders are becoming more involved in
philanthropy and are creating their own foundations which extend beyond
their home provinces to include national and regional work on giving.

Private sector leaders such as, Aliko Dangote from Nigeria, who is
considered the richest man in Africa and one of the twenty richest people
in the world, is one of the most avid job creators in his country and the
region. Through his foundation, Dangote invests in the development of
academic institutions and the empowerment of women. He finances the

29
Mozambique, Angola, Tanzania and Uganda are not far away. In these countries, women hold more than
35% of all parliamentary seats. Given that women hold only 19% of the seats in Congress and 20% in the US
Senate. Igobhor K, Apr 2015, ‘A celebratory rise in women’s political participation’, Africa Renewal Online,
http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/april-2015/celebratory-rise-women%E2%80%99s-political-
participation (Accessed 7 May 2016)
30
Next Einstein Forum http://nef.org/ (Accessed 7 May 2016)
31
Planet Earth Institute http://planetearthinstitute.org.uk/ (Accessed 7 May 2016)
32
‘Scientific research in Africa is gathering momentum’, The Economist, 9 Aug 2014,
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21611112-scientific-research-africa-gathering-
momentum-rise (Accessed 7 May 2016)

9
participation of young African leaders at global forums, and with other
leaders of the African sector, has formed an alliance in the private sector
for the Health of Nigeria to improve access to quality health services for all
Nigerians.33 Another Nigerian, is the former banker turned philanthropist,
Tony Elumelu, whose foundation has decided to invest US $ 100 million in
10,000 African entrepreneurs.34

Also noteworthy is the Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim, who introduced

mobile phones to Africa.35,36 Through his foundation offers the most
valuable prize in the world –US$5 million over 10 years, then US $ 200,000 per
year for life– to African heads of state who have contributed to the
development of their countries, strengthened democratic institutions and
protected citizens’ human rights. His foundation, therefore gives visibility to
exceptional African leaders. Since its launch in 2009, the prize has been
awarded to five African heads of state: Joachim Chisanno of Mozambique
(2007), Nelson Mandela of South Africa (2007), Festus Mogae of Botswana
(2008), Pedro Pires of Cape Verde (2011), Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia
(2014).37

All these examples show that there are initiatives and individuals who lead
transformations at all levels and in all sectors in Africa and its Diaspora. It is
important that these positive examples have the same visibility and
resonance as the negative ones – to inspire, promote and develop solutions
in African-descendent communities in and out of Africa. Many of these
leaders and African initiatives are not recognized by several African-
descendent communities. It is also the case that many of the leaders and
initiatives of African-descendants in Latin America and the Caribbean are
not recognized in Africa. Imagine the socio-political and economic impact
if we talk more in terms of Afro-descended women leaders as opposed to
African women leaders? How could this mutual recognition be facilitated?

33
Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, http://www.phn.ng/whoweare.php (Accessed 7 May 2016)
34
Tony Elumelu Foundation, http://tonyelumelufoundation.org/ (Accessed 7 May 2016)
35
It should be noted that the penetration of mobile telephony in Africa in 2015 was over 65%, which has led
to many innovations in the field of mobile payments developed by the M-PESA program of the Kenyan
company Safaricom. Adepetun A, 2015, ‘Africa’s mobile phone penetration now 67%’, The Guardian, 15
Jun, http://guardian.ng/technology/africas-mobile-phone-penetration-now-67/ (Accessed 7 May 2016)
36
The World Bank, ‘Yes Africa Can: Stories from a Dynamic Continent - Mobile payments go viral: M-
PESA in Kenya’,
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/0,,contentMDK:22551641~pa
gePK:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:258644,00.html (Accessed 7 May 2016)
37
Mo Ibrahim Foundation, http://mo.ibrahim.foundation/ (Accessed 7 May 2016)

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Table 3. Recognized African and African-descendent leaders
Sector Name, position, African- descent /country of origin
Public sector Heads of State
Barak Obama, President, EEUU (2008-present) (Kenya)
Nelson Mandela, President, South Africa (1994-1999)

Ministers/Secretaries of State
Colin Powell, Secretary of State, EEUU (2011-2005) (Jamaica)
Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State, EEUU (2005-2009)
Paula Moreno, Culture Minister (2007-2010) (Colombia)
Gilberto Gil, Culture Minister (2003-2008) (Brazil)
Cecyle Kyenge, Integration and Cooperation Minister, Italy (2013-2014) y Member of
European Parliament (2014-) (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Christiane Taubira, Justice Minister, France (2012-2016) (Guyana)
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Finance Minister, Nigeria (2011-2015)

Deputies/Mayors
Dianne Abbot, MP for Hackeney North and Stoke Newington, Labour Party (1987-
present) (Jamaica)
Rita Bosaho, Deputy for Alicante, Podemos, España (2015-present) (Equatorial
Guinea)
David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, Labour Party, UK (2010-present) (Guyana)
Kwasi Kwarteng, MP for Spelthorne, UK Conservative Party, (2010-present) (Ghana)
Kate Osamor, MP for Edmonton, Labour Party, UK (2015-present) (Nigeria)

Private Tidjame Thiam, CEO, Credit Suisse (Ivory Coast)

sector/Foundations Kenneth Frazer, President and CEO, Merck and Co (EEUU)
Ursula Burns, President and CEO, Xerox (EEUU)
Kenneth Chenault, President and CEO, American Express (2001-present) (EEUU)

11
 Aliko Dangote, President y CEO, Dangote Group (1977-present) (Nigeria)

Foundations
Koffi Appenteng, President of the Board of Directors, Ford Foundation (Ghana)
Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation (2013-present) (EEUU)
Mo Ibrahim, President, Mo Ibrahim Foundation (2006-present) (Sudan)
Academic sector Valerie Amos, President of the School of Oriental and African Studies, London
University, UK (2015-present) (Guyana)
Freeman A. Hrabowski III, President, Maryland University, Baltimore County (EEUU)
Gwendolyn Boyd, President, Alabama State University (EEUU)

NGOs Winnie Byanyima, Executive director, Oxfam International (2013-present) (Uganda)

Elhadj As Sy, General secretary, International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (2014-present) (Senegal)
Helen Gayle, President, CARE International (2006-present) (EEUU)
Kumi Naidoo, CEO, Greenpeace (2009-2015) (South Africa)

International and Koffi Annan, General secretary, UN (1997-2006) (Ghana)

regional Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Organizations (2010-present) (Nigeria)
Ertharin Causin, Executive director, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
(2012-present) (EEUU)
Carlos Lopes, Executive director, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
(UNECA) (2012-present) (Guinea Bissau)
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngucka, Executive director, UN Women (2013-present) (South
Africa)
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, President, Commission of the African Union (2012-present)
(South Africa)
Donald Kaberuka, President, African Development Bank (2005-2015) (Ruanda)

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The 'Africa Rising' narrative together with the visibility of African-descendent
leaders have resulted in the growth of groups of Africans in the diaspora
(organized by country or issue)38 to create platforms and initiatives to
mobilize the diaspora and African-descendants in the development of
Africa. These initiatives facilitate the mutual recognition and connection
between African-descendants outside and inside Africa.

In Europe, for example, for a little more than a decade ago, one can hear
the terms Afro-European39 and Afropean40, terms that have grown in
visibility and are used to create platforms that give visibility to the
experiences and contributions of Europeans of African descent. This visibility
has led to the existence of development initiatives that involve and help the
African Diaspora to create projects such as the Africa-Europe Diaspora
Development Platform (ADEPT).41 The most active and long lived
movements are the Afro-Latinos and of course those of the African
Americans in the United States. The youngest movements are in Asia, which
gradually across platforms such as associations of college students in India42
and promoting African presence and contribution in India since the
sixteenth century43, are giving visibility to African-descendants.

Platforms like Africa 2.0, a pan-African network of emerging leaders of

which I am a participant also operates from the diaspora and allows groups
in France, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Morocco and the United Kingdom to
collaborate on initiatives to promote employment and entrepreneurship
among African-descendants inside and outside the continent.44 There are
other similar platforms like Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance, which promotes
young entrepreneurs. But, what can be done to make them more inclusive,
so that their impact is felt in African-descendent communities around the
world?

In 2015, the UN opened the fourth International Decade for People of

African Descent, for its recognition, justice, and development, which has
been approved by the 193 member states. The decade, also known as the

38
Diaspora Organisation and Initaitives, The African Leadership and Progress Network
http://africanprogress.net/diaspora-organizations-2/ (Accessed 8 May 2016)
39
Afroeurope@s: cultura e identidades negras en Europa, http://afroeuropa.unileon.es/ (Accessed 8 May
2016)
40
Afrøpean: Adventures in Afro Europe, http://afropean.com/ (Accessed 8 May 2016)
41
ADEPT: Africa-Europe Diaspora Development Platform, http://www.adept-platform.org/ (Accessed 8 May
2016)
42
Association of African Students in India, https://www.facebook.com/AssociationOfAfricanStudentsInIndia/
43
http://indianexpress.com/article/research/african-rulers-of-india-that-part-of-our-history-we-choose-to-
forget/ (Accessed 8 May 2016)
44
Africa 2.0 Foundation, http://www.africa2point0.org/index.php?lang=en (Accessed 8 May 2016)

13
decade of African descent, focused on people of African descent outside
of Africa. The decade is also an opportunity for Africa to be highlighted for
positive things. If Africa and its Diaspora are reflected, development and
recognition will go hand in hand. This would result in not only 250 million
Afro-descendants claiming their rights, justice, and recognition but also
1,350 million Afro-descendants also claiming the recognition of the
contribution of African-descendants to global progress.

That is why a platform like AfroInnova –which offers visibility options, creates
relations and helps transform the narrative between African-descendants
inside and outside Africa– is pioneering and necessary. A platform like this
can help us look beyond what is in front of us, to think big, to identify groups
or individuals that may trigger this transformation. In doing so, we present a
more balanced, more complex narrative from Africa to its diaspora and
vice versa.

Conclusion: We are the ones we have been waiting for

Power is the ability one has to accomplish something, based on brute force,
intellectual capacity, resources (financial, networking, material, etc.). The
examples I have presented here suggest that groups and individuals from
the African diaspora, African-descendants in all sectors have those powers.
In order for this power to become a global power, to harness the power of
these individuals and individual initiatives into a collective power, there is a
need for recognition, unity and collaboration. These can help galvanize
some of these collective powers into sustainable development and justice
for Afro-descendants wherever they are. This will also help us seek
recognition for Afro-descendants contribution to the development of
humankind. United we can have a stronger and more meaningful voice.

When I asked Paula Moreno, President of Manos Visibles, what she thought
was the power of Africa and her diaspora, she immediately responded “the
power of Africa and her diaspora is cultural. Think about it Susana. Music,
literature, sculpture, paintings, theater, gastronomy, comedy… The visibility,
resonance, longevity and plasticity of the culture forms are probably
among the most impactful on the whole world.” In table 3 I did not include
cultural and sports leaders on purpose. I wanted to explore whether in
other sectors (political, business and foundations, etc) we had a similar
recognition and my argument is that we might have similar visibility that we
don’t know about. Reasons for this include the fact that we have often
allow culture and sports to overshadow all other sectors, simple because
we just don’t know and are not curious enough. As a result, we are losing
out. Culture can be African and Afro-descendants Trojan horse and
platform for recognition, justice and sustainable development.

14
Africa 2.0’s slogan is "we are the ones we have been waiting for." We are at
a perfect time in the world’s history – there is a strong body of research on
African and Afro-descendants experience, there are meaningful and well
recognised leaders both within the diaspora and in Africa across all sectors,
there is economic growth on the continent, there is a meaningful push for
science and innovation etc, and an opportunity to change the negative
reflections between Africa and her diaspora into something positive. Let’s
find out about each other, let’s work together, let’s harness the various
powers of its individuals and initiatives into something sustainable, so that
we can ensure that Africa and her diaspora are truly recognized and
respected as new global power.

Acknowledgments

Corporación Manos Visibles highlights the commitment and diligence of

CEAF and University ICESI in providing the space and necessary conditions
for the development of the initiative AfroInnova that was financially
supported by the Spanish Cooperation Agency in Colombia. Likewise,
Corporación Manos Visibles is thankful to CEAF (Centro de Estudios
Afrodiaspóricos) team at Universidad ICESI for the transcription and
translation of this document and Bibi Bakare-Yusuf for your excellent edition.

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 diaspora@manosvisibles.org
www.manosvisibles.org
AV Carrera 28 N°39 Bis A-63
PBX: (57) (1) 4873188
Bogotá D.C, Colombia

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