AFRICAN CULTURE IN THE DIASPORA

Leave a Comment / Journal / By

Authors

Agbo, James Etta – Ph.D
University of Calabar
Calabar, Cross River State – Nigeria
jamesagbo64@gmail.com
+2347034456531

Ndem, Affiong Kingsley – Ph.D (In view)
University of Calabar
Calabar, Cross River State – Nigeria
+2348131963433 ndemaffiong@yahoo.com

Abstract

African culture in the diaspora represents a dynamic and
evolving expression of heritage, identity, and resilience
shaped by historical migration, displacement, and
globalization. This study examines the transformation and
continuity of African cultural practices among diaspora
communities across different regions of the world. The
objective of the paper is to explore how African cultural
elements have been preserved, adapted, and reinterpreted
in response to changing social, political, and economic environments. Using a qualitative and historical review
approach, the study analyzes secondary data from
scholarly literature, historical records, and contemporary
cultural studies. Findings reveal that African cultural
expressions, including language, music, dance, religion,
cuisine, fashion, and identity systems, have remained
significant markers of cultural belonging despite centuries
of displacement resulting from the Transatlantic Slave
Trade, colonialism, and post-colonial migration. The
study further demonstrates that African culture has made
substantial contributions to global literature, media, art,
entertainment, and economic development. However,
challenges such as cultural assimilation, identity conflicts,
and cultural erosion continue to threaten cultural
preservation. The paper highlights the growing role of
digital technology, transnational networks, and PanAfrican movements in strengthening cultural continuity
and fostering connections between Africa and its
diaspora. The study concludes that African culture
remains a resilient and influential force that continues to
shape and enrich the global cultural landscape.

AFRICAN CULTURE IN THE DIASPORADownload

Works cited

Abubakar, Adebayo. Afrobeatand Global Influence:
Musica Resistance. University of Lagos Press,

  1. Achebe,
    Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Penguin Books, 1958. Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah.
  2. Alfred A. Knopf ,2013. Afolayan, Kunle. The Rise
  3. of Nollywood: Nigerian Cinemain Global
  4. Contexts. Oxford University Press, 2020. Agbo,
  5. James Etta & Ndifon, Mamina. ‘Prophecie and
  6. Prophetic Interpretations: Issues of Balance ‘in
  7. Igboscholars International Journal. P 283-
  8. 311.Vol.18No.4.Nov.2025.
  9. Akyeampong ,Emmanuel. Diaspora and Nationin the
  10. Globa lEra. University of Ghana Press,2019.
  11. Akinsanya, Akin. The Pan-African Movement: A Global
  12. Perspective. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
  13. Akpotha, Chioma. Social Media Influencers and African
  14. Popular Culture. CSM Publications, 2022.
  15. Alpers, Edward A. The African Diaspora: AHistory
  16. Through Culture. Indiana University Press, 2011.
  17. Anatsui, El.ElAnatsui:Art and Global
  18. Conversations. Museum of African Art, 2019.
  19. Asante, MolefiKete. Afrocentricity: The Theory of
  20. Social Change. Temple University Press, 2003.
  21. Biko, Steve. I Write What I Like: Selected Writings.
  22. University of Chicago Press, 1978. Brathwaite,
  23. Edward Kamau. The Development of Creole Society in
  24. Jamaica, 1770-1820. Oxford University Press,
  25. Brown,
    Karen McCarthy. MamaLola: AVodou Priestess in
    Brooklyn. University of California Press, 2001. Cesaire,
    AimÈ. Discourse on Colonialism. Monthly Review Press, 1972. Cone,
  26. James H. The Spirituals and the Blues. Orbis
  27. Books, 1991.
  28. DÌaz, JosÈ. The Music of the Afro-Caribbean Diaspora.
  29. Routledge, 2019.
  30. DuBois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Dover
  31. Publications, 1994.
  32. Eze, Emmanuel Chukwudi. Postcolonial African
  33. Philosophy: A Critica lReader. Blackwell
  34. Publishers, 1997.
  35. Falola, Toyin, and Matt D.Childs. The Yoruba Diaspora
  36. in the Atlantic World. Indiana University Press,
  37. Fanon,
    Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks. Grove Press,
  38. Figueroa,
    Emilio. Caribbean Music and Identity. University
    Press of Florida, 2007. Garvey,
    Marcus. Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus
    Garvey. University of Michigan Press, 1977.
    Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. The Signifying Monkey: A Theory
    of African-American Literary Criticism. Oxford
    University Press, 1988. Giddings, Paula. Whenand
    Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on
    Race and Sex in America. William Morrow,
  39. Giro,
    R. Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American
    Biography. Oxford University Press, 2009. Gomez, Michael A .Exchangin Our Country Marks: The
  40. Transformation of African Identities in the Colonial and
  41. Antebellum South. University of North Carolina
  42. Press, 1998. Gomez, Michael.
  43. Reversing Sail: A History of the African Diaspora.
  44. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
  45. Garvey, Marcus. Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus
  46. Garvey. Universal Negro Improvement
  47. Association, 1923.
  48. Hall, Stuart. Representation: Cultural Representations
  49. and Signifying Practices. SAGE Publications,
  50. Hammond,
    John. The Legacy of African Musicin Western
    Culture. Music Press, 2015.
    Harris, Alice. African Immigrant Entrepreneurs in the
    United States. International Business Press, 2020.
    Harris, Carmen. “The Influence of Caribbean Festivals
    in Global Culture.” Caribbean Cultural Studies,
    Cambridge University Press, 2020, pp. 142-160
    Herskovits, MelvilleJ .The Myth of the Negro Past.
    Harper & ow, 1941.
    Hochschild, Adam. King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of
    Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa.
    Mariner Books, 1998.
    Horton, James Oliver. Slavery and the African American
    Experience.
    Houghton Mifflin, 2004. James, C. L. R. The Blac
    kJacobins: Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution. Vintage Books, 1963.
  51. Jayasuriya, Shihande Silva, and Richard Pankhurst. The
  52. African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean. Africa
  53. World Press, 2003.
  54. Kefala, Daria. The Afrocentric Identity Movement.
  55. Columbia University Press, 2011.
  56. Klein, Herbert S. The Atlantic Slave Trade. Cambridge
  57. University Press, 1999.
  58. Lovejoy, Paul E. Transformations in Slavery: A History
  59. of Slavery in Africa. Cambridge University Press,
  60. Mbembe,
    Achille. On the Postcolony. University of California
    Press, 2001. Mead,
    Margaret. New Live sfor Old :Cultural
    Transformation in Melanesia .University of
    Chicago Press, 1991.
    Mintz, Sidney W., and Richard Price. The Birth of
    African- American Culture: An Anthropological
    Perspective. Beacon Press, 1992.
    Miller, Jason. “Cultural Erosionin African Diaspora
    Communities.” African Heritage and Identity.
    Oxford University Press, 2018, pp. 202-210.
    Mwangi, Kimani.“Kenya’s Diaspora Policy and Its
    Economic Impact.” Journal of African
    Development, vol.42, no. 1, 2021,pp. 77-89.
    Nwauwa, Akin. “Preserving African Languages in the
    Digital Age.” Language and Culture in Africa,
    Routledge, 2020, pp. 116-128 Okeke, Chigozie. “Nollywood and the Globalization of
  61. African Cinema.” African Cinematic Identity,
  62. Indiana University Press, 2019, pp.90-102.
  63. Paz, Octavio. The Labyrinth of Solitude. Grove Press,
  64. Pinho,
    Patriciade Santana. Afro-Brazilian Cultural Heritage
    and Identity. University of Chicago Press, 2007.
    Rodney, Walter. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.
    Panaf, 1972.
    Romaine, Suzanne. Pidgin and Creole Languages.
    Longman,1988. Rickford,
    John R. African American Vernacular English:
    Features, Evolution, Educational Implications.
    Wiley, 1999.
    Rosenberg, Jeffrey. African American Cuisine:
    AnEthnographic Study. Palgrave Macmillan,
    2013.
    Schreiner, Laura. Language and Identity in African
    Diaspora Communities. Oxford University Press,
  65. Smith,
    Paul. Slave Culture: Nationalist Theory and the
    African American Cultural Experience. Oxford
    University Press, 1994.
    Smitherman, Geneva. Talkin’ and Testify in’: The
    Language of Black America. Houghton Mifflin,
  66. Soyinka,
    Wole. ADance of the Forests: African Cultural Revival. Random House, 2018.
  67. Stewart, Donald. African American Dance: AHistory.
  68. Oxford University Press, 2001.
  69. Tade, Oluwatayo. “The African Diaspora and Africa’s
  70. Future.”African Unity and Global Cooperation,
  71. African Studies Press, 2021, pp.105-120
  72. Tate, Greg. Fashioning Identity: African Influencein
  73. Global Style. Cambridge University
  74. Press, 2019.
  75. Thornton, John. Africa and Africans in the Making of the
  76. Atlantic World, 1400–1800. Cambridge
  77. University Press, 1998.
  78. Tulloch, Carol. The Birth of Cool: Style Narratives of the
  79. African Diaspora. Bloomsbury, 2016.
  80. West, Cornel. Race Matters. Beacon Press, 1993.
  81. World Bank. Remittance Flows and African
  82. Development. World Bank, 2018

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *