The aftermath of peculiar events that makes up "black" history such as the slave trade expeditions of the 1400's, the "Scramble for Africa" agreement in Berlin in 1885, the wave of colonialism that captured most African states in the early 1900's, racial segregation of people of colour in the Americas, Europe and South Africa, as well as modern mass migration have all contributed in different measures to the spread of many indigenous African persons all over the world.
For us at Power of Africa, we have been able to identify, compartmentalize and engage with a broad spectrum of our audience/viewers (many of whom share a deep connection with Africa) from outside Africa by celebrating heroic achievements, speaking to the heart of issues and spreading the African message of communal love, peace and hope.
It is for this reason that we examine five (5) countries across the world where one is likely to find lots of Africans living in them outside of Africa.
African diaspora populations include but are not limited to: African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Afro-Latin Americans, Black Canadians – descendants of enslaved West Africans brought to the United States, the Caribbean, and South America during the Atlantic slave trade. Also, Afro-Saudis, Afro-Omanis, Afro-Syrians, Afro-Palestinians, Afro-Iraqis, Afro-Jordanians, Afro-Iranians – descendants of the Zanj whose ancestors were brought to the Near East and other parts of Asia during the Indian ocean slave trade.
Some of the countries with the highest African diaspora population include -
5. COLOMBIA
The Colombians of African descent are known as Afro-Colombians. With an African diaspora population of about 4.9 million, Colombia has the third highest population of African diaspora members in the western hemisphere and the fifth largest globally. Africans were brought as slaves by the 1520s from various West African nations including Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ghana among others to replace the reducing population of native Americans.
They were forced to work on large haciendas, cattle ranches, sugar cane plantations and gold mines. Currently, people of African descent make up over 10.6% of the population of Colombia.
4. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Afro-Dominicans refer to all Dominicans of African ancestry. The number of Afro-Dominicans whose ancestors were brought from Central Africa and West Africa in the 16th century is about 9.2 million. The population also includes all the other immigrants from the French and Anglo Caribbean nations who came to the Dominican Republic during the 20th century. The majority of the immigrants are from Haiti. The Afro-Dominicans are the significant minority population in the country.
3. HAITI
Afro-Haitians refer to all the citizens of Haiti of African descent. Many are the descendants of enslaved people who were once brought to Haiti by the French to work on plantations. The majority of these people came from West Africa and Central Africa mainly from Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Angola, Sierra Leone, Benin and Senegal among others. Haiti has over 10.1 million Afro-Haitians which accounts for 95% of the nation’s population.
2. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA)
Although the Trans-Atlantic slave trade brought a majority of the slaves to the United States, many Africans also migrated to the United States voluntarily. Today, many people continue to emigrate from various countries in Africa to the United States. The United States alone had over 1.6 million African born people by 2010, and the number is still growing.The top countries of origin for the African-born people living in the United States include Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. The United States has an African Diaspora population of over 46.4 million people which is about 13.6% of the entire country's population.
1. BRAZIL
Brazil has an estimated 55.9 million people of African descent, making it the country with the largest African Diaspora population. The Portuguese started the slave trade during the 1550s, and they managed to trade over five million enslaved people from Mozambique, Congo, Angola, Nigeria, Benin, and Ghana. About 50% of those captured were brought to Brazil and forced to work on the mines and sugar plantations in northeastern parts of the country which includes the present-day Bahia and Pernambuco states. The slave trade was the foundation of the economy of the country, and after it ended in 1888 many enslaved people settled in Brazil.
credit: (Ref: World Atlas)