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Column by Daniele Mezzana
Internet
The strenght of the online bonds
Networking, themes, services, politics and culture
It is not easy to talk of the African diaspora on the
internet: it is a very broad and articulate phenomenon since the ties among
Africans living abroad, and between the latter and their
respective homelands and communities of origin, are strongly supported by
the global network today. An initial analysis, however, allows us to establish
at least 4 topic areas concerning the presence of the African diaspora on
the internet: the phenomenon as such (that is, the diaspora as an "object"
of interest and study); the diaspora as a political and strategic theme;
services for the diaspora; networking among diaspora members. We shall provide
but a few examples.
Firstly, there is actually a great deal of talk
of the diaspora on the internet. There are, naturally, a great many websites
dealing with
the theme of the "forced" diaspora, of the
slavery of centuries past. But there is no lack of websites that present
and share also (or only) a reflection on the current diaspora of international
migrations. Reflections on the significance of this phenomenon are present,
amongst other things, in the website of the Economic Commission for Africa
of the United Nations (www.uneca.org).
Another example is the website African Studies Internet Resources, created
at Columbia University, that contains a section devoted to the diaspora
theme in its various aspects (see box). Links concerning the African diaspora
are also present, for instance, at http://dmoz.org/Regional/Africa/Society_and_Culture
and www.lib.iastate.edu/collections/eresourc/aa.html
or http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/region/african/indexpor.html
(with particular regard to the African diaspora in Latin America, as well
as the website http://home.pscw.uva.nl/verheij/history.html,
run by the University of Amsterdam). Other links are found at www.diasporaworld.com
and also at http://astro.temple.edu/~rgreene/lmaniWinds/links.htm
and
www.augustana.ca/~janzb/AFRI-PHIL1.htm,
that offer the opportunity to connect to sites specialising in music, philosophy
and more. The website of the Italian review Africa e Mediterraneo illustrates,
amongst other things, an initiative on African cartoonists present in Europe
(www.africaemediterraneo.it/rivista/presentazione.htm).
These reflections revolve around concepts such as human capital and brain
gain in order to identify, besides the problems, also the opportunities
linked to international migrations, particularly those of qualified personnel.
In effect, many different websites talk of the diaspora as a key issue for
development. Among these sites there is
www.un.org/Depts/eca/adf/wk8sumen.htm,
which contains a discussion list of the Economic Commission for Africa of
the United Nations, on "The Role of African Digital Diaspora in Enhancing
ICT Development in Africa" and thus on the influence that qualified
African emigrants can have in order to increase the presence of the African
continent in the global arena of information. Also as regards the United
Nations, there is the website of the "Africa Recovery" office
(www.africarecovery.org),
which presents materials on the African diaspora as a resource to be recouped
(see also www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/subjindx/134tech3.htm).
On another note, we may recall the joint
initiative of AFFORD (African Foundation for Development)
and BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development), concerning a cooperation
programme between NGOs and groups of the African diaspora present in the
United Kingdom (see box).
The African diaspora is also an interesting target for
various kinds of services offered online in various fields. These are
informative, cultural, commercial and entertainment
services available in websites explicitly addressed to individuals and groups
of the diaspora itself (in its various forms), such as www.africana.com,
www.tbwt.com,
www.everythingblack.com,
www.diasporalinks.com
and others still (such as the ones specifically aimed at French-speakers
- see box). Or, for example, there are assistance services available for
skilled workers and businesspeople who intend to move abroad (such as, for
Canada, the site www.dalma.ca) or information websites for those wishing
to work in the voluntary field (such as http://groups.yahoo.com/group/africaworld).
Networking among African diaspora members is
very intense, and ranges from chat lines to discussion groups on various
themes (for some links, see
www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Listserv/menu_Listserv.html,
www.sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/email.html
and www.africaonline.com/jive),
from websites created to connect expatriates with their homeland - as well
as to get to know certain countries better, such as Ethiopia (see box) or
Sierra Leone (www.salonelive.com)
- up to scientific or professional networks that use the internet as their
main form of communication and exchange. There is, for example, a network
of the African Distance Learning Association, with many links (http://unicorn.ncat.edu:80/~michael/adla),
another of women scholars of gender issues (www.uneca.org/aknf2001/srength.htm),
of mathematicians and computer science scholars (www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/index.html
and www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/computer-science/computer_science.html),
while users can consult a website of the Association of Nigerian Doctors
in the Americas (www.anpa.org).
This short list shows, once again, that there is a different image of Africa
on the internet; an image that is a long way from the
usual distortions and stereotypes - an image of which
the African diaspora is, in many ways, an emblem.
Websites
A more complete image of Africa: the internet can provide
up-to-date information on many aspects of modern African reality. This
feature will from time to time provide some suggestions on the subject.
THE REALITY OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
(www.columbia.edu/cu/web/indiv/africa/cuvl/diaspora.html)
A website run by New York's Columbia University that contains
many links on various aspects of the old and new African diaspora. The
links are contained in over 60 titles and concern themes such as professional
associations of Africans abroad, studies and directories on immigrant
communities, cinema, music, philosophy and more.
THE DIASPORA COMMUNITY AND DEVELOPMENT
(www.oneworld.org/bond/news/afford.html)
This website contains information on the cooperation between
British NGOs and African diaspora organisations in order to carry out
development programmes. Reflections on the weight and role of the African
diaspora are contained in a report from a leader of one of the organisations
involved, AFFORD.
(www.uneca.org/fdaiii/docs/fr_chikezie1.htm).
SERVICE LINKS FOR THE DIASPORA
(www.lehman.cuny.edu/depts/langlit/frenc/afrique.html)
This website offers a series of useful links not just for
African diaspora members, but also for anyone intending to deal with the
various aspects of the continent's reality (scientific information, current
political affairs, the daily and periodic press of various countries,
trade, culture and music, search engines).
ETHIOPIAN VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES
(www.ethioworld.com)
The Ethiopian diaspora in the world is the focus of
interest in this website, which contains various features (information
on the country; science and technology; trade, tourist and recreational
information; political news and more besides). The site also contains
reports and reflections on the social and political significance of the
diaspora and on the virtual networks of Ethiopian emigrants in the world.
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