"If I only get a visa": configurations of residential preferences and contemporary migration of Africans to Europe and North America.

Abstract

The chapter starts with a description of the trends of migration of Africans from Sub-Saharan Africa to Europe and North Africa. We show how the number of Sub-Sharan Africans migrating to Europe and North America, although small, is increasing. We further illustrate the preference of Western Europe and North America by African migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa over other destination areas, such as the Middle East, Oceania and Asia. This is followed by a description of the push-push paradigm of migration. The second section involves a historical analysis of the evolution of the push-pull paradigm or negative-positive image of Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe and North America in relation to the migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa. It is concluded that the long history of perpetuating the attractive-unattractive dichotomy has not only deprived Africa of its skilled human resources, but also stifled its development efforts in some respects (Rodney 1973; IOM 2003; Taiwo 2010; World Bank 2011a) and promoted the European and North American legacies and achievements. It is important to note from the onset that this chapter strictly focuses on voluntary immigrants. Secondly, although the argument we advance in this chapter may apply to other cases of migration in other continents, such as Asia, South America, Central America and Eastern Europe, this chapter strictly explores the migration of Africans from Sub-Saharan Africa. Also the chapter does not discuss migration of North Africans. This is because of North Africa's proximity to Europe and the perception of North Africa as relatively more developed and advanced than Sub-Saharan Africa. Lastly the chapter examines migration of Africans from Sub-Saharan Africa from the colonial period to date, and not the slave period.