Episode 10:

Africans Outside Africa: Life in Diaspora Around the World

The study of Africa is not limited to one continent. Africa itself is entwined with the rest of the world through politics, cultures, foodways, and technologies. Also, over the course of centuries, African and African descendant people have taken root around the world. The story of the African diaspora intersects with the history and legacy of slavery and imperialism but also with the search for economic and educational opportunity. The African diaspora brings into focus the way people survive, adapt, flourish, forge new identities, and take root, even when displaced from an ancestral home. In this episode, we explore the African diaspora, considering its origins and the way communities outside of Africa maintain a sense of Africanness in their forms of expression and communication.

Guest Bios

Sean Jacobs

Sean Jacobs is an associate professor of international affairs at the Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs at The New School. He is founder and editor of Africa is a Country and author of Media in Postapartheid South Africa: Postcolonial Politics in the Age of Globalization.

Sunn m'Cheaux

Sunn m’Cheaux is a Gullah/Geechee Charleston, SC “binya” (native) speaker. He teaches Gullah in the African Language Program. He’s also fluent in various Afro-Caribbean creoles, including Bahamian Creole English and Jamaican Patois. Sunn is an artist, activist, and social commentator for whom representation and preservation of Gullah/Geechee culture, language and people are integral to his work.

Kevin Toro

Kevin Toro is a history and social studies teacher at Arlington High School in Arlington, MA and educational consultant working on issues of race and racism.

Free Resources and Featured Books

Episode Acknowledgements

Thanks to Sean Jacobs, Sunn m’Cheaux, and Kevin Toro for sharing their insights and expertise.                                                                                                                             

Thanks to Nico Rivers for audio editing, mixing and mastering this episode. 

Special thanks to the Boston University African Studies Center and the Teaching Africa Outreach Program for collaborating and providing support for this podcast.

Image Credits

“Elizabeth’s Hands” by Liz West, under CC BY 2.0.

Photo of Sean Jacobs provided by The New School website.

Photo of Sunn m’Cheaux provided by Harvard University website.

Featured Music

  • “Bazaruto” by Xylo-Ziko, from the album Polyrhythms, under CC BY-NC 4.0. This track has been excerpted and overlaid with narrative.

  • “Djerba” by Xylo-Ziko, from the album Polyrhythms, under CC BY-NC 4.0. This track has been excerpted and overlaid with narrative.

  • “Fogo” by Xylo-Ziko, from the album Polyrhythms, under CC BY-NC 4.0. This track has been excerpted and overlaid with narrative

  • “O Holy Still” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Vacant Distillery, under CC BY-NC 4.0. This track has been excerpted and overlaid with narrative.

  • “Myrian” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Tyrano, under CC BY-NC 4.0. This track has been excerpted and overlaid with narrative.

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