The histories of Europe and Africa are intertwined. The peoples and cultures in Africa and Europe have had a long-standing and close relationship spanning from early human activity and ancient trade systems to the expansion of massive empires and contemporary economic, cultural and social exchanges today. This lesson will provide a brief introduction to African influences in Europe from antiquity to the present.
Lesson Objectives
- describe the social and historical contexts of the terms ‘Euro-African,’ ‘Afro-European,’ and ‘Africa-Europe/Europe Africa’
- recognize African contributions to Europe from prehistory to present
- evaluate an Afro-European community in Europe
- present an African cultural survival in Europe
The presence of people of African descent in Europe is generally viewed through the prism of slavery and colonization, obscuring a much older shared history.
Olivette Otele
“Euro-African”, “Afro-European” and “Africa–Europe/Europe–Africa”
Africa and Europe have always shared commonalities and mutual borrowings through a network of exchanges that has been obfuscated by racial and ethnic radicalism for a very long time. “Euro-African”, “Afro-European” and “Africa–Europe/Europe–Africa” are terms that define different approaches and perspectives on the cultural, economic and political encounters occurring and have occurred between the two continents. In general, Euro-African and Afro-European are understood as heritage created as a result of contacts between the two continents. Euro-African puts the accent on aspects with greater European imprint than African; Afro-European highlights experiences that privilege African imprints over European; and Africa–Europe/Europe–Africa addresses the cultural experiences of the two continents, whose word order indicates the predominant version of each narrative. This is important because the construction of Europe has relied on close exchanges with Africa from early human migrations, trade between African and European civilizations and empires, colonization of Africa by Europe, and post-colonial interactions in cultural, economic, and political spheres today.
Course Review: African-European Histories from Antiquity to Present
The history lessons included in the first half of this course touched on the longstanding relationship between the peoples and cultures of Africa and Europe from prehistory into the present, and they explored the many ways Africa has shaped and continues to shape the European experience. The Pre-history to Empires lesson introduced the earliest impacts of African influence on the European continent with the arrival of Homo sapiens, or modern humans, out of Africa and into Europe approximately 45,000 years ago. The lesson attests to close trade relationships between European and African empires from interactions with Greece and Rome through antiquity to the European conquest of Asia and the Americas by highlighting contributions of Africa in European expansion such as the role of African leaders and soldiers in Roman territories throughout Europe. The lesson continues to show the extensive economic, social, cultural and biological exchanges between Europe and Africa through historical migrations, trade routes, and globalizing networks. The African-European Relations before 1900 emphasized close trade relations between African and European empires, and the integral role trade with Africa played in European expansion into the Americas. The Colonialism and Independence lessons introduced the enlistment of African soldiers, voluntary and involuntary, in European wars and the outcomes of their participation.
African Europe
People of African heritage have contributed greatly to Europe’s music, literature and more. But their achievements have long been overlooked. Olivette Otele traces a long African European heritage through the lives of individuals both ordinary and extraordinary. She uncovers a forgotten past, from Emperor Septimius Severus, to enslaved Africans living in Europe during the Renaissance, and all the way to present-day migrants moving to Europe’s cities. By exploring a history that has been long overlooked, she sheds light on questions very much alive today—on racism, identity, citizenship, power and resilience.
Despite a growing body of evidence show ancient linkages between the peoples and cultures on the continents referred to as Africa and Europe today, African Europeans are still widely believed to be only a recent presence in Europe. As Otele writes, ‘In Europe they are often referred back to their African origin – even if they were born on European soil, and hold the nationality of the country in which they grew up. However, I think this designation has the merit of reflecting the diversity of origins, experiences and backgrounds of people of African origin.’ (Otele 2021 click here)
Migrations of people from Africa to Europe is often traced back to the mass enslavement of African people, but it is much older. People from the African continent have been present in the Roman Empire since antiquity. Some of Africans became illustrious figures such as the emperor Septimius Severus (145-211) who was born in what is now Libya, or Saint Augustine (354-430) and Apuleius (124-170) who came from North Africa. The African presence in Europe continued over the centuries. Frederick II, king of Sicily and Holy Roman emperor from 1220 to 1250, welcomed Africans into his court and employed them in his service. He even made one of them, John “the Moor”, his chamberlain. Until the end of the fifteenth century, Arab and North African Muslims ruled over most of the Iberian Peninsula. And from the mid-fifteenth century onwards, wealthy families in central and northern Italy began to employ servants from Africa. Many Renaissance paintings bear witness to this.
A shared history between Africa and Europe is much older and richer than what has been represented in European and American education which is centered on viewing African history through the prism of the slave trade. This historical moment has somehow eclipsed, or masked, the rich history that came before.
Race and Racism in Europe
Before the seventeenth century, colour prejudice against Africans did exist, of course. But from the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, the divide between Christians and Muslims outweighed most other considerations. Moreover, this prejudice was also directed virulently against other white-skinned groups, such as the Irish, who were perceived as savages by the English.
The real turning point was the development of the slave trade, when the Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, Spanish, Swedes, and Venetians became embroiled in this frenzied race for profit. Theories about the racial inferiority of Africans were then developed by Europeans to justify the slave trade.
Racist acts targeting Black cabinet-level officials in Italy and France have put a spotlight on the experiences of the 7-10 million people of African Descent in Europe / Black Europeans. A visible minority in Europe often unacknowledged despite a centuries’ long presence in Europe, Black Europeans have increasingly become the targets of discrimination, pernicious racial profiling, and violent hate crimes impacting equal access to housing, employment, education, and justice.
Europe today grapples with the complex intersection of national identity, decreasing birth rates, increasing immigration, security concerns, and a rise in extremist political parties and vigilantism. In this context, the experiences of Black Europeans increasingly serve as a measure of the strength of European democracies and commitments to human rights. The briefing discussed the work of Black European rights organizations and the efforts of the international community to address issues of inequality, discrimination, and inclusion for Black Europeans, in addition to discussing similarities and work with African-American civil rights organizations.
Theories about racial inferiority were developed to justify the slave trade
This had a lasting effect on the perception of Africans after 1700. It was at this time that black people were dehumanized and regarded as commodities. This is well-documented from a historical point of view. We have numerous log-books, registers and account books that attest to this.
From that moment on, European identities were perceived as superior because of their economic power. Indeed, the slave trade changed people’s perceptions, but it also shaped and sedimented identities, by accentuating the separation between whites on one side and blacks on the other.
Afro-European Communities in Europe
are individuals residing in Europe who were born in Africa, this includes both individuals born in North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
In the European Union as of 2019, there is a record of approximately 9.6 million people of Sub Saharan African or Afro-Caribbean descent, comprising around 2% of the total population, with over half located in France. The countries with the largest African population in the EU are:
blob:https://www.nbcnews.com/39f709fe-e255-46ca-a4a3-af34ca9cff41
| Country | approx. Population | Community Facts and Links |
|---|---|---|
| France | 5,464,000 | In 2020 more than 600,000 nationals of African States were legally resident in France. The largest comes from Mali (76,500 individuals) followed by Senegal (67,000) and the DRC (64,000). According to various data sets from the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies, around 3 million French nationals of sub-Saharan African origin live in France as naturalized citizens and/or second-generation immigrants. Watch: ‘Traveling Noir: Sights and Sounds of Paris’s ‘Little Africa’ Neighborhood |
| Italy | 2,300,000 | There are approximately 867,000 people of sub-Saharan African descent living in Italy. Close proximity to North Africa provides a strong Arabic influence. especially in the southern portion of the Italian peninsula and islands such as Sicily and Sardinia. More than 1.5 million people of Arabic or Berber (Amazighe) descent from North African countries such as Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia. To learn about Arabic influences in Italy, read ”A beacon of hope’: Sicily’s enduring North African heritage.‘ |
| Spain | 1,500,000 | There are currently 1,301,296 people in Spain who were born in countries of the African continent (excluding the 1,802,810 born in Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands which are Spanish territories geographically in Africa.) There are approximately 700,000 Black People (people born in Sub-Saharan, Caribbean or Latin American countries) living in Spain as well as 800,000 people from Morocco. Close proximity between Spain and Morocco makes Spain a common entry point for illegal entry into Europe. to learn about African migrations into Spain, read ‘More than 6,000 migrants swim to Spanish outpost in North Africa, prompting military response‘ and ‘The long history of African immigrants in Spain.‘ |
| Germany | 1,000,000 | More than one million people of African descent live in Germany. Cities with sizeable African and Afro-German communities are Hamburg, Darmstadt, Frankfurt am Main, Bonn, Munich, Berlin and Bremen. Hamburg has the largest absolute number of African-born nationals, whereas Darmstadt and Frankfurt have the highest share of African residents in regard to the population. For more information, read ‘The African Diaspora in Europe: African Germans Speak Out.’ |
| Netherlands | 500,000 | Roughly 500,000 people in the Netherlands are of Sub-Saharan Africans ancestry with a majority of the population linked to former Dutch colonies in the Caribbean. There is also a sizable population of Cape Verdean, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Somali, Angolan and other African communities of more recent immigrants. for more information, read ‘Blakely A. (2005) African Diaspora in the Netherlands.’ |
| Portugal | 450,000 | There are over 200,000 Sub Saharan born immigrants in Portugal, majority from the ex-colonies in Africa. such as Angola, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Cape Verde and Mozambique. As a direct result of colonization and Portugal’s leading role in the mass enslavement of African people, the country’s capital of Lisbon is shaped by string African influences in architecture, music, food, and culture. To learn more, read ‘How To Spend A Day In Black-Owned Lisbon, Portugal.’ |
| Belgium | 410,000 | More than 400,000 residents have roots in the former Belgian colonies of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi as well as other French-speaking African countries. While Belgians confront their colonial past in the wake of global protests over the death of George Floyd in police custody, a neighborhood in Brussels seen by some as a haven for Black citizens. For more information, read ‘Matonge, an African home in Brussels.’ |
| Sweden | 316,500 | In 2020 more than 300,000 people with roots in Africa lived in Sweden, most of whom are recent immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers from Somalia and Eritrea. For more information, visit ‘Mapping African Immigrants in Sweden.’ |
African Influences in Contemporary European Music
Africa’s musical diaspora has spread far and wide throughout Europe, and many African musicians have relocated to Europe and proliferated African rhythms through radio stations across the continent to cultivate a European Afro-Beat. A few examples include Luanda born and Lisbon raised, Pongo, in Lisbon wherea genre called Kuduro thrived. The energetic and punchy dance music born in Luanda in the late 1980’s became a staple of Pongo’s sound ever since her musical debut and her sound has evolved into a blend of Electronic and Pop styles, layered with Portuguese and Kimbundu rap verses that largely reflect on the struggles Pongo has endured as a young African woman trying to make it in Portugal’s music scene.
Gaël Faye is an author-composer-performer, rapper and writer who focuses his artistic expression on exploring his experiences growing up in Burundi during the civil war and trying to rebuild himself after immigrating to France during his adolescence. Gaël’s particular style of French hip-hop fuses elements of Soul, Jazz, Semba, Congolese Rumba, and Sebene. His autobiographical song “Petit Pays (Small Country)” formed the basis for his award-winning novel, and later, feature-film of the same name.
Born in the region of Algeria that gave birth to Raï music, Sofiane Saidi is the inventor of oriental glam. At 17 Sofiane immigrated to Paris, an began a variety of musical projects including collaborations with Acid Arab and Kenzi Bourras. Sofiane’s evolved sound, mixing Raï with genres such as Jazz, Trip-Hop and Electro, soon put Raï music at the pulse of Parisian nights. For his latest album El Ndjoum, he collaborated with 7-piece band Mazalda to create an explosive mix of Raï and contemporary electronic music forming Algerian soul music.
References and Resources
- Goodwin, Stefan. 2008. Africa in Europe: Interdependencies, Relocations, and Globalization. Lexington Books.
- Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. ‘The African Diaspora in Europe.’
- Adams, Anne V. “Showing Our Colours/Afro-German Women Speak Out.” London: Open Letters, 1992.
- Blackshire-Belay, C. Aisha. “The African Diaspora in Europe: African Germans Speak Out.” Journal of Black Studies, vol. 31, no. 3 (Jan. 2001): 264-287.
- McBride, David, Leroy Hopkins, and C. Aisha Blackshire-Belay. Crosscurrents: African Americans, Africa, and Germany in the Modern World
- Adi, Hakim. “Pan-Africanism and West African Nationalism in Britain.” African Studies Review, vol. 43, no. 1 (Apr. 2000): 69-82.
- Bullen, Roger. “France and Britain in Africa. Imperial Rivalry and Colonial Rule (A Review).” The English Historical Review, vol. 88, no. 349 (Oct. 1973): 864-866.
- Ciecko, Anne. “Representing the Spaces of Diaspora in Contemporary British Films by Women Directors.” Cinema Journal, vol. 38, no. 3 (Spring 1999): 67-90.
- Laachir, Karima. “North African Diaspora in France and Colonial Legacies.” In Diasporas: Movements and Cultures, ed. Nick Hewitt and Dick Geary. Nottingham: Critical, Cultural and Communication Press, 2007.
- Alpers, Edward A. The Journal of Modern African Studies. vol. 7, no. 3 (Oct. 1969): 544-546.
- Wuyts, Ann (22 October 2011). “Evidence of ‘upper class’ Africans living in Roman York”. The Independent.
For Discussion in Canvas
Research and describe a contemporary Africanism in Europe. Identify the social and historical context; does it have ancient roots or is it a more recent phenomena?
When you complete the lesson, move on to Africa in Latin America.