PAN-Africanism gets fresh speed in Caribbean

Augustine Ogbo serves as a doctor, treating patients in clinics in Striking Caribbean Island of St. Lucia.

When he returns to his home in the coastal city of Rodney Bay, he sees for his second job – as the owner of a Nigerian Techway and a single chef.

“Aguy soup and fafu, it is more popular … they also love Jolof Rice,” Dr. Ogbo says, seeing a list of its customers’ favorite dishes.

29 years old from Nigeria – Population 230 million – but in 2016 crossed the Atlantic for St. Lucia – Population 180,000 – to train as a doctor.

He established his home-based Techway in 2022 after being asked for Nigerian fare by his St. Lucian friends in 2022.

Tech uve is now concluded, Dr. Ogbo tells the BBC, and not just because the customers of his island feel that the food is delicious.

“They know that we all have ancestral origin. So most of the time, they want to stay in contact with him,” Dr. Ogbo says, interested in African culture “tremendously” increased because he came almost a decade ago.

St. Lucia is not alone in this incident.

Crossing Caribbean, desire to re -connect with population African heritage has been strengthened over the years.

The people of Caribbean are expressing African pride through cultural means, such as food, clothes and travel, while the governments and institutions of both the Atlantic are meeting to create economic relations.

Africa has a long appearance in Caribbean.

A significant part of the islands’ population landed from slaves West and Central Africans, which were forcibly taken to the Caribbean by European traders in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Slavery was abolished in most of the Caribbean during the 1800s, while freedom from European powers came in the next century.

The descendants of the slave people retained some African customs, but developed their own standalone cultures on a large scale, which differ from the island to the island.

In the past, there have been major campaigns to encourage African pride, as Dorbrain O’Marde, which run the Antigua and Barbuda Rape Rape Rape Commission.

“It was especially strong in 1930, and then in the 1960s – we saw a major outporing in the sink. [American] Black power movement during that period, “he says, talking to the BBC on the island of Antigua.

Mr. O’Marde believes that the Caribbean is looking at a fresh, more promising version of such “Pan-Africanism” (a word was used to describe the idea that people of the African dynasty should be integrated).

“It has widen beyond psychological and cultural subjects and we are now talking in comprehensive economic terms, such as strong transport links between Caribbean and Africa,” they say.

“We are in a separate stage of pan-Africadism-one that is not going as before.”

One thing that separates this wave of African pride from those who had come before.

A entertainment and cultural venture lecturer at the University of West Indies Dennis Howard says that a “important” zodiac of Jamaica is connecting with Africa through platforms like Tikok.

“People are learning more about black history beyond slavery,” he tells the BBC from his home in Jamaica’s capital, Kingston.

A music style of Mr. Howard Nigeria and Ghana also pointed to the global rise of Afrobets.

They feel that in particular, the popularity of Afrobates in Jamaica is partially below the desire to re -connect with the continent.

“Through music videos, [Jamaicans] Seeing that parts of Africa are similar to Jamaica and developed. We had a concept of Africa as this place where it is backward and this pure dirt is the road … music is changing it. ,

When asked online about some Jamaican commentators – that the islands do not need to reconstruct their African heritage because they have their own equally valid, hard -von Jamaica heritage – Mr. Howard said the two are not separate.

“Our entire culture is African, with a little spraying of Indians and European and Chinese. But for the most part it is African-rituals. It is the most prominent part of our culture,” they say.

People bending in their African heritage are not only consuming culture, but are actually going on flights and searching for the continent.

Tourism Authority at Ghana – Once a major departure point for slaves is being sent to Caribbean – BBC reported that in recent years there has been “significant increase in holidays” from islands.

Similarly, South Africa’s Kansul Warner Gunner says that in the last two or three years, his office has seen an increase in local people traveling to South Africa, Ghana and Kenya.

“I see a lot of interest in safari and I think people also begin to feel that South Africa and other African countries are really very well developed,” Sri Gunar says.

Even Burkina Faso, an economic struggling country under military rule which is well known for tourism, is apparently in the list of buckets of some people. Mr. O’Marde says that some of his countries want to visit the country Due to the pan-African inclination of his leader, Ibrahim Trara,

Going from Caribbean to Mother Continent, however, may be complex, travelers are often forced to fly through Europe.

Earlier this year, in a speech in which he referred to himself as a “daughter of Africa”, the Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Motley called for the creation of “Air and C Bridge” between Africa and Caribbean.

He said, “We do these changes, not only for the heads of the state, but also for the common people who want to trade, travel, and wish to create a shared future,” he said.

Major institutions such as the African Union, African Development Bank (AFDB) and African Export-Assay Bank (Afreximbank) are working at the “trade” angle, hosting conferences and establishing a memorandum with their Caribbean counterparts.

Afreximbank says that the trade between the two regions can jump from $ 730m (£ 540m) to $ 1.8BN (£ 1.33bn) by 2028, provided that the correct position is achieved.

But currently, Africa and Caribbean have some of the world’s lowest indicators for transport infrastructure, logistics quality and customs efficiency according to the World Bank.

In an attempt to reduce trade barriers, the leading mines of Granada and this year Bahamas called Africa and Caribbean to launch a common currency.

The Bahamanian Prime Minister Philip Davis told the delegates at an Afreximbank meeting in Nigeria that he should “seriously” on the same digital currency, while Dickon Mitchell of Granada said: “Such a step would be symbolically and practically our shared identity not only as business partners, but rather really the members of the Varawik Africa”.

Achieving more than 60 countries to coordinate and launch a standard system would not be an easy achievement, but Mitchell said that it should be done if areas have “control” [their] Own future ”.

Back to St. Lucia, Dr. Ogbo says their efforts to bring Agui, Fubu and Zolof for local people are a small but worthy contribution in strengthening the relationship between Africa and Caribbean.

In June, Nigerian President Bolt Tinubu signed various cooperation agreements with St. Lucia during the state visit and Dr. Ogbo saw Africa Chops as its expansion.

“I can say that I am working hand in hand with the Nigerian government and even the St. Lucian government to promote African culture,” they say.

Doctors and businessmen are now trying to upgrade their food business to a full restaurant – and they hope that “cultural exchange” between Africa and Caribbean also goes from strength to strength.

“It’s amazing!” He says. “I really, really excited about it.”