Not Just A Crisis: A Conversation On African Migration

Africa is often depicted as a continent of mass migration, following the high number of migrants experienced in the past few years. According to statistics, As of 2007, an estimated seven million African migrants were living in Organisation For Economic Co-Operations and Development countries. This increase in numbers has been constituted by Climate change and environmental degradation, armed conflict, and political, economic and food crises, which have continued to force people to flee, hence the high number.

African migration has primarily become synonymous with the European migration crisis; in doing so, it has neglected and silenced other inspiring and compelling narratives from Africa.

This debate, Not Just A Crisis: A Conversation On African Migration, looks at the modern-day complexities of African Migration, including Identity, Residency, and Citizenship, and breaks down who best defines how we view ourselves and our own identity through the stories of two scholars based at King’s College London.

Through their stories it’s evident that there is a crisis in both intra-regional migrations and extra-regional migration.

The debate began with introductory statements by Aida Abbashar, a final year History and International Relations student at King’s College London, followed by Natasha Chilambo from Zambia and Wadeisor Rukato from Zimbabwe, who are both Masters students in Leadership, Security and Development at the African Leadership Centre, King’s College London.