"We want to go home!" Afro Americans request for asylum in Africa

"We want to go home!" Afro Americans request for asylum in Africa Petition seeks asylum for African Americans from African governments

An online petition by the hashtag #WeWantToGoHome campaign is asking African governments to open their borders to African Americans who seek to cross the Atlantic, in a direction opposite to that of their ancestors, and return to the continent as asylum seekers

It may sound strange to some who believe that the United States of America truly is the “land of the free”, especially when compared to some African states’ draconian laws on freedom of expression and homosexuality. But just because it looks rich and smells funny doesn’t mean it’s manure.

A group has started a campaign urging African governments to offer asylum for African Americans who are experiencing daily institutionalised repression in the USA. The petition authored by a Brenda Pearson is targeting 2,500 signatures. At the time of writing, there were already 2,330 signatures on it.

Garvey was unique in advancing a Pan-African philosophy
to inspire a global mass movement and economic empowerment
focusing on Africa known as Garveyism. Promoted by the UNIA
as a movement of African Redemption, Garveyism would eventually
inspire others, ranging from the Nation of Islam to the Rastafari movement

We understand that Africa is a continent with vast and dynamic cultural tapestries and thus there is no one-size-fits-all place where we can return. We are simply asking that we have the opportunity to return to the birthplace of our ancestors in order to try to rebuild and heal from our trauma. In return, we will bring all of the talents, skill, and richness that we have given to America in order to help make your nations great while still preserving your cultural identities.

The #WeWantToGoHome movement also has a Facebook page where 1,139 people are in support of the initiative.

Strange as it may sound or read, perhaps there is some substance to it. One can only imagine how much fear is growing in the US’s African American communities in the past few months as more and more innocent individuals are killed at the hands of white police officers for no other reason than the colour of their skins. It is, however, an interesting coincidence that such a campaign would come into being during the tenure of the US’s first African American president who is, at the time of writing this, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia having just addressed the African Union.

This was the same course advocated by Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X.

Garvey was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements. He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) and the Black Star Line, which promoted the return of the African diaspora to their ancestral lands. The shipping was to be used to bring back Afro Americans back to Africa.

Malcolm X: The unsung hero of
Black emancipation

Also while Martin Luther King (Jr) advocated for inclusion and integration  of Afro American into the American society, Malcolm X, argued for a separate African State in American preferably back in Africa. Towards this move, Malcolm visited some African countries including Nigeria.

Prior to the 20th century, leaders such as Prince Hall, Martin Delany, Edward Wilmot Blyden, and Henry Highland Garnet advocated the involvement of the African diaspora in African affairs. 

Check out the petition and support the campaign at Change.org.

- This is Africa







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