Dear TAP Fam, Happy Africa Day, 2024

Warm greetings from a cold and flooded Nairobi! I hope that wherever you are, you’re keeping safe and taking good care of yourself and your loved ones.

We are delighted to be publishing the 19th issue of TAP Magazine in what we hope will be a milestone year for this magazine. As a publication founded by a young man out in the diaspora, and that has since made a complete exodus back to the continent, we’re thrilled to be dedicating this specific issue purely to stories of enterprising young Africans who have left it all behind in the west and returned to the continent.

For the past decade, migration has been one of the leading political issues across the Western World. In Europe, many people live in paranoia of African migrants swimming onto their shores and taking over their villages, towns, cities, and countries; but most importantly, their jobs and way of life. This fear has led to the resurgence of extreme far-right groups, politicians, and political parties. Using fear, they have taken the opportunity to incite division and hate amongst the doubtful masse

It is probably worth mentioning that contrary to popular belief, the number of Africans moving outside Africa (per population) has not increased at all since the 1960s.When they do move, half of all Africans who leave their countries of origin end up in another African country and not anywhere across Europe, Asia or North America.

The African Union defines African diaspora as “people of African Origin who live outside the continent, and who, irrespective of their current nationality or citizenship, are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the African Union. This definition encompasses all African migration; historic, current, forced, voluntary, economic or humanitarian”.

With an estimated 350 million people of African descent living in the diaspora, it’s been fascinating to see that a lot more African people are now choosing to return to the continent after years abroad.

So why is it that more and more young African youth are choosing to leave the West and move back to Africa? Beyond systemic barriers that prevent most of these youth to fully actualise their potential, the next generation of young people across the globe aren’t comfortable just working for a paycheque in general. They want to feel that the work they do is valuable and impactful to real people. They want to be part of the continent's rebirth.

In this issue, we share the stories of seven young African women who’ve made the journey back to the continent. The seven profiles were part of our series titled “Homecoming” that interviewed over 50 young people who’ve moved back to the continent and produced 28 Television episodes for Deutsche Welle.

If you know of any young person in the diaspora who has been thinking about moving back to the continent, make sure you share the issue with them.

Special thanks to the entire TAP team, to all our contributors and to everyone else who helped in making this issue possible.

Click on the image above or on this LINK to read the entire issue.

As always, grateful for your support.

We Move!!

M O S E S “Ras” M U T A B A R U K A

Editor-in-Chief, TAP Magazine

TAP MAGAZINE ISSUE 19 | Africa's Diaspora Youth Returns

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