African migration to Ireland might be a relatively recent phenomenon, however, African diaspora organisations' contribution is already being felt. This month, we met with Mr. Mbemba Jabbi, the Acting Director of the Africa Solidarity Centre Ireland, an ADEPT member organisation based in Dublin.
Recently Mr. Jabbi was rewarded with the International Diversity Leadership Awards for Honourable Service to the African Diaspora in Ireland. In his interview to ADEPT, this international development activist, entrepreneur and migration and development consultant spoke about the situation of the African diaspora in Ireland.
1. Tell us about your background
My name is Mbemba Abdulie Jabbi, I am originally from the Eastern part of the Gambia, at the border with Senegal.
I have a background in community development and I worked with a microfinance Non-Governmental Organisation dealing with women entrepreneurs in the Gambia between 1990 and 2002. There, I was a community development officer, then I have worked as a regional microfinance officer for 3 years (1999-2002).
In 2002, I travelled to Ireland to start a Bachelor of Art (BA) Degree in Development Studies fellowship with the Irish Government through Kimmage Development Studies Center. After that fellowship, I stayed in Ireland to start a Masters in Rural development, which I funded myself. After I finished my Masters programme, I got the opportunity to work for one year with an Irish NGO in Sudan, Darfur Region.
When I came back, I continued my studies, doing a Diploma in Community Development and another Master's in Management, all funded by myself. I started working for the Africa Centre in 2007 and naturalized to become an Irish citizen after 5 years of living and working in Ireland.
2. What are the specificities and challenges of the African diaspora in Ireland?
The African diaspora in Ireland covers a lot of nationalities. Most of them come from English speaking African countries. Many came to Ireland for studies, some came as doctors, nurses and engineers, others because of their links with the Irish missionaries and a few asylum seekers and refugees. Starting from the year 2000, the number of migrants grew up, including people of African descent coming to Ireland for work. They came from the US, the Caribbean, etc. to work with multinational companies like Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, PayPal, etc. There are over 70,000 people of African descent living in Ireland and 60% of them are youths.
Regarding the social cohesion and peaceful coexistence between the African and Irish communities, there is a lot of institutional racism. Finding a job is a difficult mission for African migrants. Firstly, the qualifications of many African migrants are not recognized, their name, when seen on the curriculum vitae, disqualify them for an interview and the asylum status did not allow them to work until recently. However, being employed facilitates integration.
Besides it, many young students face real difficulties in finding a job, as some of the employers have a hostile attitude, considering Africans a threat, rather than an opportunity. As employers are not welcoming and seeing the number of young migrant growing, many people see Africans as a treat for their employment.
In terms of the migration priorities, Ireland does not have a clear integration policy. Most of the policies are developed and implemented without consulting migrant associations. Moreover, when it comes to African organisations working on migration issues, there is a lack of funding opportunities.
The funds are rather allocated to Irish organisations, which have a very approximate understanding of the migrant needs and specificities. At the same time, these Irish organisations get information on migration through diaspora-led organisations.
While talking about international development, the government does not involve diaspora-led organisations in aid development and cooperation policies in their countries of origins or descent.
I see this situation as the result of a lack of coordination between the different African diaspora organisations. The role of the diaspora is to come up with more policy engagement and make sure the situation changes now.
We are about to make a case on the funding available for the African diaspora organisations and ensure we also get to contribute to integration and development issues.
Nonetheless, we are proud to witness many positive advancements and success stories within the African diaspora in Ireland.
We see more Africans working at the government level and starting their own businesses. We have African doctors, lecturers, lawyers. This is indeed a positive side of our presence in Ireland. However, these accomplishments are still very limited and more should be done to provide opportunities for African talents.
3. What was the purpose behind the creation of the Africa Center?
The Africa Centre was founded in 2000 and officially launched in 2001 as a charity organisation. It was born from the desire to change the image of Africa broadcasted by individuals and charity organisations, using poverty reduction cause to increase fundraising.
That is why, a small community of African students, professionals and asylum seekers gathered together to change this negative image of Africa in Ireland through the foundation of the Africa Centre.
Our work began with the teaching classes on Africa's political issues and lectures about the continent. In addition, the Centre aimed to become a platform for African asylum seekers, allowing them to get information and integration support.
Since then, the Africa Center has been supporting the diaspora through different aspects: education, community participation and international development.
In 2006, the Center developed 'Africa also Smiles', a cross-curricular post-primary resource in 2010 that explores the 'successes and strengths’ of the African Continent. The programme is dedicated to primary and post-primary teachers.
The Africa Center is also working on facilitating community dialogue and participation for the effective integration of African diaspora, promoting the inclusion of multiple African perspectives in development education discourse, working with African diaspora organisations and individuals on development projects in African countries and informing and influencing policy. It already became a tradition to celebrate the African Liberation Days and we are launching in October 2018 the United Nationals International Decade of people of African Descent (2015-2025).
4. What are the projects and fields of activities of the African Center in Africa?
We are currently developing a program for youth and women entrepreneurship in order to ensure better job opportunities and decent living conditions to people, for whom migration should be a choice, rather than a necessity.
We would like to engage both, the Irish and the African governments in changing the narrative about migration and build up national policies based on the respect of human rights and dignity. We consider more efforts are needed to develop the continent’s potential, without pushing people to risk their lives in dangerous journeys.
5. You were recently awarded with the International Diversity Leadership Awards, what does this prize mean to you?
It was a complete surprise and when it came, I felt extremely honoured and privileged to receive it. The award boosted me to do even more. It reconfirmed I am on the right way, and this recognition inspired me to get even more engaged and follow my vision.
Even though the award is on my name, it represents the work done by the entire African diaspora in Ireland. The people behind the award are those working hard to make sure the voice of the voiceless diaspora is heard in Ireland. This is why, this award is a big congratulation to all of those who have worked for a better integration and visibility of the African diaspora in Ireland.
This award comes with another commitment motivating us to do more for the African diaspora in Ireland.
6. What message would you like to send to other diaspora organisations?
Diaspora development is OUR responsibility, nobody else will do it for us. We need to be the voice of the voiceless diaspora and make sure their voices are heard. Europe is their home too, so we need to be sure this place is better for everyone.
Regarding Africa's development, some need to understand, that diaspora is part of the system, because some of us will be going back home. We are sending the remittances and our children are investing in our countries of origin. We understand both, African and European realities, we have the skills and the resources and would like to work with actors on the continent to drive development in Africa.
Finally, we need to invest in youth, because they are the leaders of today! Let us help provide opportunities for our youth, so they can create their own jobs and grow up to create more employment within our communities.
