Impacts of Xenophobia and Nativism on Pan-Africanism in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

Xenophobia and Nativism are among the main obstacles that are beleaguering Africa’s unity and progress. The early African leaders, particularly, during decolonisation process, nursed and developed an ambitious strategy of coordination and cooperation by designing a platform of uniting all black race across the world. Unfortunately, misrule, misgovernance and myriads of political and socioeconomic issues strangled the Pan-African Movement. This is perceived in terms of the upheavals in Xenophobia and Nativism across the three Continents. This study examined the impacts of Xenophobia and Nativism on the Pan-African movement in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. The study is a descriptive theoretical and also an empirical analysis of the causes, manifestations and effects of Xenophobia on a universal declaration of the black world unity taking the three continents which have an umbilical cord of fraternal ancestry. A qualitative phenomenological paradigm was used in data collection and analysis. Documented sources including books, journal articles, reports, media and internet sources were consulted while thematic content analysis was deployed for analysis. The study explored some groundbreaking issues and emerging ones on the role played by Xenophobia and Nativism in hindering the successful movement and expansion of Pan-Africanism across Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. A comparative nature and dimension of the issues were discovered across the three case studies. Practical policy implications were presented on how to surmount the challenge and propel ahead for a most workable Pan-Africanism and by extension, for universal prosperity of the black nations in the 21st century and beyond.