ABCs of a Realistic African Diaspora Engagement



Almost every African country is trying to engage with its diaspora. However, in general, when it comes to how to convince the African diaspora to work with their country of origin, most of the methods used are not working. One of the first things that comes to the mind of most Africans living in Africa is to ask the diaspora to help them, forgetting that no one is helping the diaspora for free. In contrast, the first thing that enters the mind of most diasporas is not how to help Africa, but whether Africa knows why they have left the continent and what they are doing/facing abroad!

 

Do I need to underline that many African immigrants have left the Black Continent because they were chased away by some leaders and sorcerers who, today, are begging them to invest back home? What can’t I say about the massive and forced migration of Africans to America during one of the darkest and wicked ages of human history a few centuries ago? I even wonder how many people realize that the largest African diaspora population is in Brazil! Most Africans leaders are not trying to better know and understand their diaspora before asking them to come invest their money in Africa. Sometimes, I even wonder how many African Professionals in the Diaspora are richer than the African leaders who are begging them for money. Worst, some African leaders act as if their diaspora have forgotten the wounds they have suffered in Africa before finding a way to flee the continent of Kwame Nkrumah. Undoubtedly, a lot of basic first steps needs to be addressed in order to start aligning the mentality of Africa with that of its diaspora. Otherwise, the synergistic coalition needed for African Diaspora Engagement (www.DiasporaEngager.com/Africa) will continue lacking!

 

The migration of the diasporas from their home country to their new country of residence is a kind of “divorce or break up” with their roots. Some Africans have had some bad experiences with their own people that they do not even want to reverse their “divorce” with the continent of Nelson Mandela and of Prof Brice Sinsin. Other immigrants have been highly afflicted by the people in their home country that they do not want to hear any request coming from them. No intelligible man dates a woman by starting to ask about anything that is supposed to be last. Moreover, no reasonable man can win back his ex-wife or ex-girlfriend, and vice versa, by starting the conversation with a list of requests or a list of things that the ex must do. Sadly, certain political leaders who orchestrated the migration of their own people cling to power and then, ask their diaspora that they and their ancestors have hunted to come and invest in their country. These types of diaspora engagement cannot work, particularly in the African context where people seem to pull each other toward the bottom of the misery pit. At the same time, many foreign countries are taking advantage of the divergences among the Africans!

African Diaspora Engagement Must be like a Love Story. Why? check out www.DiasporasNews.com.

African Diaspora Engagement Must be like a Love Story. Why? Check out www.DiasporaEngager.com/Africa

 

The involvement of the diaspora in the development of their home country must follow certain basic rules of courtesy. I believe that Africa and its diaspora need to start “dating” each other in a format similar to that of a man trying to win back his ex-wife or ex-girlfriend, and vice versa. However, while some people that have broken up can easily find new loves, it is not easy for most diaspora to quickly forget their roots and embrace the culture of their new country. This implies that many opportunities still exist to start engaging the African Diasporas in a dialogue with their homeland which dearly needs them. For this dialog to succeed, it must not begin with begging the diaspora to come back to Africa or to invest in Africa. Similarly, the diaspora should not inaugurate this dialog by requesting that the African political leaders change overnight. The African Diasporas need to know that, though their new life abroad has changed the way they used to think, many of their brothers and sisters in Africa still act as if they have no brain or if they cannot get rid of the legacy of the colonial ignorance and slavery. Therefore, the African Diaspora must be tolerant with their own people who need to be willing to realign and renew their mentality so that synergistic coalitions can be fostered in a win-win framework for the advancement of our dear Africa rather than allowing the so-called super powers to continue poaching their rich lands and mines like the cake of their grandmother or like their heritage or like the field of their slaves that they are still trying to enslave with diverse model of modern technology, negotiation, aids, partnership, and legislation!!!

 

Please, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that every African diaspora engagement effort has failed. Indeed, several people and organizations have successfully engaged with Africa and its diaspora in a positive way. Many Africans living in Africa and in the diaspora have also contributed to the development of their homeland. We take advantage of this opportunity to thank those Africans, African diasporas, their friends, partners and stakeholders who have made a positive difference in Africa.

However, after spending years working on the African problems and writing books on African Development, I can conclude that, when it comes to engaging the African diaspora in the development of Africa, ten questions need to be asked first:

  1. Who are the African Diaspora?
  2. Who is who among the African Diaspora?
  3. Where are they living?
  4. What are they doing?
  5. What problems are they facing?
  6. Why did they leave Africa?
  7. How can Africa help them to heal some of their wounds?
  8. What can we do to forgive each other and embrace a new journey of partnership?
  9. How can we partner rather than how can they help us?
  10. How can we initiate this partnership without bringing up money as the first issue?

 

And these questions must be answered without forgetting the millions of African-Americans, (descendants of the slaves or African Descent individuals of descendants of former slaves), whom some stupid and/or naive Leaders think are not worthy to be called African Diaspora! It is after these questions are sincerely addressed that Africa and its Diaspora can start talking about who can do what for who? Without following these simple strategic steps, the African diaspora will just keep creating thousands of African Diaspora Associations, while the African Political Leaders will keep creating more Political Parties in Africa, yet, sinking Africa, remaining at odds and, therefore, unable to work together to create positive change. If you like this article, you will be also interested in joining the Global Diaspora Engagement Platform and the African Diaspora Platform at http://DiasporaEngager.com/miniRegister. Anyway, I, Dr Roland Holou www.RolandHolou.com would like to hear from you.

God bless Africa and its People!!!

 

How to Engage the African Diaspora in the Development of Africa?

How to Engage the African Diaspora in the Development of Africa?



Why Immigrants and Diasporas Cannot Easily Return Back Home



Human migration is a universal problem that is here to stay. Human beings, and even wild animals, move because they are usually trying to solve a problem. For instance, when the weather is getting bad, many animal species know how to migrate to avoid exposing themselves to environmental conditions that can threaten their existence. Certain animals that cannot migrate, hibernate to avoid the bad weather like winter! Wild animals which are unable to migrate nor fully hibernate, usually suffer during the rough season, and some even die!

 

When human beings move, they also have in mind the notion of finding a better life. I do not think many people move to a new place just to willingly expose themselves to detrimental conditions that will hurt or kill them, unless they are terrorists, which is a bad thing. However, because of political limitations, human beings do not have the freedom to migrate to wherever they would like. In most cases, people are restrained to their native countries and unable to move abroad because they lack finances, government approval, connections, vision, and support from family or friends. Usually, when human beings manage to leave their home country for another country, they do not easily return back, unless something threatens their dream abroad, or some better opportunities open up in their home country, or they are repatriated from their residence country back to their native country. Even so, those who are repatriated want to return back to the country they just came from!

 

When it comes to the diaspora of the developing countries, if stinginess, unforgiveness, and selfishness can be added to the already-complicated equations among the diaspora and those residing in the same country, most of the immigrants allow pride to get in their way and would prefer dying abroad than returning back to their native country. It is in this critical condition that most countries are begging their diasporas to give back or to invest in their development.

International Immigrants Platform

Join the International Immigrants Platform at www.DiasporaEngager.com/miniRegister

 

Nevertheless, a handful of educated people living in the Diaspora would like to return to their country of origin or country of residence, but in most cases, a very few organized structures exist to facilitate that type of movement. Some people don’t even know who to talk to or where to start in order to return to their home country. This is because many developed countries do not have a clear plan to integrate or incorporate their diaspora and returning immigrants into the development of their own country. Many immigrants have returned or have been returned to their home country, but have failed due to a lack of programs to help them integrate into their new environment. Numerous traveling agencies and businesses assist people in planning their travels, but very few specialize in helping diaspora members return to their home country even if it is for a short stay to contribute to their nation’s development. After arriving to a new country and being surprised by the many hurdles they have to overcome, once realizing all the obstacles, certain immigrants oftentimes want to return home but lack the funding to do so.

 

The problem is more complex for the educated people living abroad. Indeed, some diaspora members studied at a very high cost; some may have even acquired debts (e.g. student loan, cost of living abroad), and after graduation, they would like to return back to their home country, but unfortunately, they can’t afford it, because the salary they will make in their home country cannot allow them to pay their debt and have a decent life. Furthermore, if they return, they will likely not find the tools and resources to practice what they have learned. However, if someone (e.g. government, nonprofit) can assist them in paying off that debt and having a decent job, some diaspora members would love to return home. A solution must be found for this global problem.

In our next post, we will discuss what DiasporaEngager is doing to solve this complex problem. Please stay tuned! Meanwhile, you can join our efforts by registering a free account at : https://diasporaengager.com/miniRegister



14 Top Secrets That You May Not Fully Know or Understand About The Global Diaspora! – Part 1



Greetings from DiasporaEngager, www.DiasporaEngager.com, the world’s #1 and largest diaspora engagement network platform!

Today, we would like to share with you some of the secrets that many individuals and nations do not know or understand about the global diaspora that they dearly want to give back to their home country! Before we start diving into strategies and ways to finally engage the international diaspora with the development of their nations, we feel like it is very important that we  shed light on some of top secrets regarding this issue! The french people will say “secret de  polichinelle”. Here it is:

Based on a massive data collection and painful diagnostics, here are the dilemmas that most diasporas, their home countries, and their country of residence find themselves in:

  1. For many reasons, most people leave their country of origin to go into adventure hoping for a better life that, unfortunately, they don’t usually find as originally planned.

 

  1. For most people living in the diaspora, getting better opportunities to solve their problems and achieve their adventure dream is their main priority.

 

  1. People and organizations in the country of origin of the diasporas (particularly developing countries) address most of their needs for assistance to their relatives in the diaspora, thinking that all of those relatives are really having a better life abroad.

 

  1. Some people in the country of origin of the diaspora are mostly interested in receiving free gifts back from the international diaspora regardless of their success or not.

 

  1. At the same time, nothing is that free for the diaspora in the foreign countries they find themselves in. Most of the free things the diasporas get abroad are not enough to really help them find a sustainable way of success. Therefore, to really succeed abroad, most diasporas have to pay a high price.

 

  1. Usually, at their turn, most people living in the diaspora (at least the newcomers/migrants and those who are struggling to succeed) tend to ask the people in their host country to help them.

 

  1. Not only are native individuals, organizations, and businesses in the diaspora country of residence overloaded with requests for free help, but also, they would prefer the diaspora members (who are living by them) to buy their professional services and products rather than just ask for free help.

 

  1. Usually, most diasporas are not well understood for instance because of the language and cultural barriers, but also because of a lack of integration into their new environment where sometimes, the autochthonous are barely making it in this global economy in decadence!

 

  1. As the diasporas have their problems that they cannot solve, so the people and organizations in the diasporas’ host country have their own that they cannot or they do not want to solve free of charge those of the diaspora.

 

  1. Meanwhile, certain organizations and governmental institutions strategically take advantage of this situation that many people and nations do not and/or can not fully understand or share.

 

  1. Because of the problems mentioned above, it generally takes too long for most diaspora members to achieve their goals and succeed. Nevertheless, many diaspora members behave like if  life abroad is a paradise or the “Eldorado”. Therefore, instead of telling the truth to their people so brain drain and immigration can be sightly reduced at the profit of many nations which are sinking, many people lie and/or prefer to believe in lies!

 

  1. The diaspora members who succeed, or who we think succeed, do not usually reach their full potential, and if they do, it takes too long to get there.

 

  1. By the time they succeed, most diaspora members incur a lot of debt, frustrations, and other problems that cause them to focus on themselves rather than really thinking about helping those in their country of origin as the latter wish in their claim of “diaspora give back”.

 

  1. Some of those who succeed and who want to give back do not know where the real needs are and how they can engage themselves and others. Unfortunately, when some give back, many corruptible systems poison their good will! And a whole lot more!!!

 

To solve these problems, DiasporaEngager was invented. DiasporaEngager aims at being the premier provider of liaisons and strategies between all Diasporas, people and organizations in their home country as well as in their host countries, to set the developmental and global environment to detect, harvest, and transfer resources, services, and opportunities between people, organizations, and nations in a win-win framework, and much more.

This platform can benefit yourself or someone you know.

To register to DiasporaEngager in order to start using the platform to address your problems or help others, please click here: https://diasporaengager.com/miniRegister.php.

 

You can also join our Newsletter list today by clicking here.

 

Stay tuned! We have a lot more to say. It is very important we understand the complexity of the problem related with immigration, diaspora international problems/opportunities, etc., before we start talking about ways to engage with the global diaspora!

 

For any questions, feel free to contact us.

The DiasporaEngager Team!

want to find and engage with a diaspora? Sign up at https://diasporaengager.com/miniRegister. It  is free!

Want to find and engage with a diaspora? Sign up at http://diasporaengager.com/miniRegister. It is free!