The New African Diaspora

The New York Times reports that since 1990 more Africans have voluntarily relocated to the United States and Canada than had been forcibly brought here before the slave trade ended in 1807. The key reason for these migrations has been the collapse of social, political, economic, and educational structures in their home countries, which has driven Africans to seek security and self-realization in the West. This lively and timely collection of essays takes a look at the new immigrant experience. It traces the immigrants' progress from expatriation to arrival and covers the successes as well as problems they have encountered as they establish their lives in a new country. The contributors, most immigrants themselves, use their firsthand experiences to add clarity, honesty, and sensitivity to their discussions of the new African diaspora.

Isidore Okpewho is Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Binghamton University. He is editor (with Carole Boyce Davies and Ali A. Mazrui) of The African Diaspora (IUP, 1998) and author of African Oral Literature (IUP, 1992) and Once Upon a Kingdom (IUP, 1998).

Nkiru Nzegwu is Professor and Chair of Africana Studies at Binghamton University. She is author of Family Matters: Feminist Concepts in African Philosophy of Culture.