When it comes to immigration, Europe is moving to the right. Italy is promoting the idea of outsourcing asylum procedures to third countries. The Netherlands is introducing tough new immigration laws. And in Austria, the anti-immigrant Freedom Party is tasked with forming a government.
Immigration issues also loom over next month’s elections in Germany, with debates on both legal and undocumented immigration set to be key issues heading into the vote, as the election is also expected to reflect a significant shift to the right. It is one of the Misinformation and disinformation regarding this issue is rampant on social media.
But most of those stories explore the nature of migration from where it begins, taking into account the perspectives of those who wish to leave their homelands and how much they actually leave behind. I almost never put it in.
Hadi Yakubu of the pan-African activist movement Africans Rising says this has made migrants one of the most disenfranchised and misunderstood groups in the world.
“Politicians are making calculations about immigration policy and elections based on what the message should be about[protecting]borders,” he told DW, adding that this type of campaign panders to some voters. He added that some people do, but not everyone.
Only a small number of African immigrants choose to go abroad.
Yakub believes that in any election, voters tend to lack information about the nature and root causes of immigration. “There are some misconceptions about immigration, especially in Africa,” he says. “We focus too much on the Western perspective on immigration, but there is also an African perspective.”
“The data shows…that the majority of people in Africa want to move to another part of Africa. But no one is talking about it.”
According to the United Nations, around 80% of African migrants remain on the continent, seeking opportunities in neighboring countries and economic powerhouses such as West Africa and the Republic of South Africa.
Jakub said that leaving such crucial statistics out of Europe’s migration debate only sacrifices immigration as a whole, making them less welcome and more susceptible to racism and xenophobia. Then he said.
“African perspective” on immigration
Jakub added that the current rhetoric across the EU is mainly focused on security issues. In his view, it is an “act of scapegoating” given the small number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
Certain regions of Africa are not immune to at least some of the same xenophobic rhetoric.
DW correspondent Diane Hawker in Johannesburg said there were “rising tensions with the South African community and some civil society groups,” particularly with the increase in Zimbabwean immigration to the country in recent decades. , highlighted the xenophobic reactions this trend has provoked. .
“Some South Africans say that too much immigration limits the resources available and makes it harder for South Africans to find work, especially with high unemployment.” ”
However, many of the jobs and jobs undertaken by Zimbabweans involve menial labor or fill important gaps in the informal economy, such as running corner shops known as ‘spaza shops’ in city blocks. Yes, Hawker added.
In fact, according to a joint report by the OECD Development Center and the International Labor Organization (ILO), immigrants contribute as much as 5% to South Africa’s GDP growth each year. About half of the country’s immigrants are thought to be Zimbabweans.
A quarter of Europe’s workforce is already foreign
Mr. Yakub said destination countries should value these contributions to their economies and avoid alienating foreigners, and that the economic benefits brought by immigrants would be lost to their home countries if they did not leave. He said it must also be remembered that he would have stayed.
“We need a lot of these skills in our own countries,” he added, stressing that he wants to encourage people to stay in their home communities and strengthen African societies.
Yakubu believes that mass immigration will ultimately only “contribute to stagnation” of the entire country and its economy, as seen in the example of Zimbabweans who have come to South Africa over the past two decades, and similar I believe this also applies to immigrants coming to Europe.
The ILO said in a report last month that nearly 25% of all workers across Europe are currently foreign-born, compared to less than 5% globally. This implies a significant loss of potential workers and social contributions in their countries of origin.
Many European immigrants also walk a tightrope between trying to improve their own lives and wanting to uplift their loved ones back home.
“People who go abroad will also send money back home through remittances, which will at least contribute a little to the local economy in Africa,” Yakubu told DW.
Yakubu said many African countries make it easier for foreigners who want to migrate to the continent than for Africans who want to go to other parts of the continent. They say they are not doing enough to provide alternatives to migration. Go to the continent and try your luck there.
Mr Hawker explained that there is a balance between pull and push factors that needs to be considered in the immigration debate. In South Africa’s case, he said most Zimbabweans did not come purely for better economic opportunities, but that “political factors” were at play. Instability (in Zimbabwe) is contributing to increased migration patterns. ”
In places like Zimbabwe, this mass exodus creates a visible sense of brain drain in the long term. In fact, several studies show that despite large remittances, immigration is the main reason why the country’s economy remains in ruins. Zimbabweans will return home.
Yakub believes that this situation should be seen as a tragic loss of talent and human capital, even at a policy level.
“Usually our governments even have to borrow money to finance their budgets so that they can educate their citizens from low levels (schooling) to high levels. That’s where we contribute to society.”
Move to Africa, not from Africa!
Yakubu said African countries need to change their image of the continent in this migration debate. Instead of continuing the post-colonial narrative of failed states, he proposes the idea of turning Africa into an attractive destination for immigrants, rather than a place people actually want to escape to.
“We need to emphasize that migration is not just people moving from Africa to Europe. There are many Africans moving within Africa, and there are also Europeans coming to Africa,” he said. He told DW, adding that everyone should feel the following: Pride in the African continent. “This is where we all come from.”
“Africans and Europeans, we must work together,” he said.
Meanwhile, pressure is rapidly growing in some parts of Africa to welcome more foreigners willing to spend their money locally, posing unique challenges.
“Currently, there are calls for the South African government to speed up the issuance of visas for digital nomads, allowing them to work in the country and also enable them to contribute to the economy,” Hawker emphasized. The increasing number of people visiting the Cape of Good Hope on a semi-permanent basis has meant that many local residents have been priced out of many housing markets.
“So this is also a big part of the immigration debate in South Africa right now,” Hawker added, noting that no matter which direction migration patterns go, there will be consequences.
Whether these outcomes are presented as opportunities or pitfalls appears to be in the hands of elected officials in every country.
“There is a generation of young people who do not want to be limited by the artificial borders that European colonialists have drawn across the continent,” Yaqub concluded.. “We shouldn’t let politicians dictate the rules when it comes to immigration.”
This article is an edited version of an episode of DW’s AfricaLink podcast
