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According to a new report, Being African: How Africans Experience the Diaspora, African youths in diaspora experience different types of discrimination, from exoticisation (the practice of portraying or regarding someone or something as originating from a distant foreign country) in France, to microaggressions in the UK, and surveillance and profiling in the US.

The latest research report by narrative-change organisation, Africa No Filter, investigates how young Africans experience their diaspora, how they define being African, and the basis of their belonging. It also looked into how they negotiate relationships with other Africans and how the prevailing stereotypical narratives about Africa impact perceptions about the continent among diasporic youth.
 
The report found that while life in the diaspora is marked by various types of discrimination, diasporic African youth have a unique double heritage that makes them proud of African languages, food, music, and history, while also strongly relating to the language and culture of their host country.
 
Their perception of Africa was also not overly influenced by the many negative narratives about the continent in mainstream media. Instead, they relied on interpersonal relations and social media, and sometimes travel to the continent, to access knowledge about being African. Furthermore, experiences of discrimination and recent racial reckonings in the host countries were also driving an increased interest in Africa.
 
Moky Makura, Executive Director at Africa No Filter, said: “This report is a must-read for African governments and host countries in the diaspora because it focuses on an under-researched group. The unique, first-hand accounts of life in the diaspora are an opportunity for African governments and host countries to think about how to turn young Africans in the diaspora into an economic, social, and cultural asset for their host and home countries.”

The report was authored by academics Lusike Mukhongo, Winston Mano, and Wallace Chuma.