Challenging the ‘Western’ Narrative: Africa and the Migration Crisis

Abstract

This article seeks to give a critical analysis on the ongoing migration discourse both from an academic and policy perspective. It provides a perspective of Africa’s long history of hosting migrants and refuges including Europeans. It therefore addresses the question as to whether African states have lived up to their refugee and migration protection commitment. By doing so, it also criticizes Europe’s unfair, aggressive, and inhumanly migration policy towards migrants, asylum seekers, and refugee, particularly Africans.  By analyzing existing data on migration, this article debunks the notion that a migration crisis is by nature an African one as if Africans are the only ones entering Europe. This scapegoating of Africans by portraying the continent at disarray will be examined closely. In that light, the article employs an Africanist line of thinking to deconstruct this narrative. This includes referenced interviews offering perspectives on this subject matter. The key question asked is as to what extent the EU should be accountable for human rights’ violation in third countries? The focus is on European Externalization of its borders to third countries in particular North Africa. It takes as an example the 2022 Melilla massacre described by western authorities as a ‘stampede’ in which migrants and refugees were killed while trying to enter Spain. This massacre took place at the borders between Morocco and Spain.  

Key words: Migration, stampede, Democratization, Externalization, Human Rights