If you’ve been paying attention to global news and trends, you may have noticed that Africa is experiencing something of a renaissance. The world is (finally) taking notice of Africa, and we’ve been celebrating this throughout the continent and within the African Diaspora—particularly the recent migrants settled in various countries around the world, who have helped give rise to this renaissance.
Across the globe, other communities of African descent have also been quietly, but unapologetically, reclaiming their space, their African roots, their standards of beauty and creative expression, their right to exist as people of African descent. These are the communities who survived and emerged from the horrors of slavery and oppression. Nevertheless, they carved out new cultures, languages, foods and identities that have endured for generations.
Despite being gone from the continent for so long, their African roots remain.
This collection of stories illustrates the ways in which the historical African Diaspora, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, has been acknowledging, embracing and celebrating their African heritage, while contributing to Africa’s rise.
Image by Thomas De Wever / Getty Images.
Yuniya Khan
With more than 20 years in international nonprofit and social enterprise spaces, Yuniya’s work has focused on youth development, education programs, entrepreneurship initiatives, and talent acquisition for nonprofit organizations. Originally from Guyana, she has lived and worked in El Salvador, Brazil, and South Africa.
A storyteller at heart, Yuniya is the founder of The Emerge Project, a multimedia storytelling initiative that aims to elevate the voice and impact of "ordinary" Black grassroots entrepreneurs and community leaders in South Africa and Brazil. She is also the founder of Uplift Global Consulting, which provides program management, storytelling, and partnership-building services to nonprofits and mission-centered organizations, with a particular focus on Africa and the African Diaspora. She currently leads Africa No Filter’s Storify Africa Fellowship, a narrative change program linking African journalists and content creators with international organizations and philanthropies who want to tell better stories about Africa.