Black People: A Failed Diaspora — The Only Group That Identifies By Skin Colour

When Your Identity Is Tied to Your Continent and Skin Colour, You Lose Yourself. The Absence of a Thriving Black African Diaspora Community In Europe, Asia, and North America Q U E S T I O N: What connection do Nigerians, Kenyans, Zimbabweans, and Congolese share that would justify forming a unified diaspora "African Community"? S U M M A R Y: In this video, I explored why no significant Shona, Igbo, Hausa, Kikuyu, or Wolof diaspora communities exist in Europe and North America, despite hundreds of thousands of people from these groups living there. While they may have established sprawling third generations in these regions, they have not made a notable impact with their unique cultures and heritage. Instead, we often hear the vague term "African Community", which lacks specific meaning. A diaspora is a large group of people who leave their homeland and spread across the world while maintaining cultural, religious, or emotional connections to their origins. However, many Africans do not share this connection. In fact, some ethnic groups are more closely related to regions in West and South Asia than they are to each other. There isn't a specific industry that the Nigerian diaspora community have established, or that is recognised as a Nigerian footprint in the diaspora, nor can the same be said for Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, or Angola. In contrast, we can easily identify established industries from prominent diasporic communities from India, Vietnam, Lebanon, Turkey, or Korea. Koreans, Chinese, Italians, Germans, Poles, Lebanese, and Indians all share strong cultural, religious, linguistic, historical, and emotional connections to their origins. Conversely, the so-called "African community" lacks these shared ties, making it unlikely to emerge as a cohesive group that could effectively represent Africa's diverse cultures. What commonalities exist between a Nigerian, a Zimbabwean, and a Congolese person that would warrant forming a unified diaspora community? For instance, the Hausa are the largest ethnic group in Africa, with a population larger than both North and South Korea, the UK, or France, respectively. Yet, most people outside Africa are unfamiliar with them. Instead, when black people from Africa are viewed, they are often lumped together as part of the "African community". This happens because when people from the African continent migrate, they often identify primarily by skin colour and adopt a monolithic identity based solely on their continent of origin. In the United States, we have well-defined diaspora communities, such as those of Mexicans and Cubans, each contributing to their respective industries and establishing recognisable brands. However, what industries have the Nigerian, Ghanaian, Kenyan, or South African communities established in the U.S. or Canada? Instead, they are often categorised under the broad and diluted label of "African Community", lacking a dominant industry that represents them. It's essential to recognise that "African" is not a race. Over 280 million people on the African continent are classified as Africans but are not black. Despite the significant presence of Nigerians, Kenyans, Angolans, and Ghanaians in Europe and North America, these groups lack cohesive diaspora communities. A quick look at landscapes in Europe, North America, and beyond reveals industries often dominated by Chinese, Indian, or Turkish diaspora communities. Successful diaspora communities are built on shared language, cultural traditions, and heritage. The term "African" does little to help, as no such unified identity truly exists. What industries are Nigerians in Europe and America prominent in? What about Kenyans, Ghanaians, or people from other African countries? They often lack a clear sense of identity, language, culture, or direction because they have suppressed their unique identities in favour of a broader skin colour label, "black", or an overarching continental label, "African". When people do not share the same language, cultural heritage, and history, the chances of forming a successful diaspora community diminish. This lack of commonality often leads to disagreements, which is why "Africans" or "blacks" frequently find themselves in conflict—stemming from different ethnic groups and nationalities that do not share cultural traditions or heritage.