Re-Think Migration in Africa: The Current Geopolitical Challenges of Migration

Abstract

This study is part of the field of political and social geography and African studies. Its aim is to address the current geopolitical issues (migration policies, migration systems and dynamics, forms of otherness, clandestine migration and different routes, the role of borders in migration as a geostrategic tool) of migration in Africa. To bring scientific rigor and clarity to our study, we draw on both methodical approaches from social and political geography, life stories, ethnographic observation and various documentary sources. Reflection on the current migratory situation in Africa leads us to discuss the impact of the colonial era on the continent through colonial economies centered essentially on the exploitation of African natural resources such as minerals, rubber and cotton. This reality has engendered, on the one hand, an African migratory system represented by the migration of labor from rural regions to economic centers, creating demographic and economic imbalances within African countries; and on the other hand, a migratory system between colonizing countries and colonized countries. It's true that Africa is a continent of glaring disparities. It's a multi-ethnic, plural space that conceals flagrant socio-spatial inequalities, which are becoming increasingly acute. This area of the world becomes a space of paradoxes par excellence, insofar as wealth and poverty are intertwined. As a result, the spatial injustice between North and South generates a great deal of frustration among Africans, and has an impact on the construction of a hopeful migration project. Moving elsewhere offers would-be migrants the right to dream, rebuild their lives and shape their values. This ultimate goal is made possible by cosmopolitanism and the desire to discover a different culture. In the current context, Morocco is becoming a new frontier for Europe. Its geographical and geostrategic position makes it both a place of transit and residence. Indeed, moving there or leaving generates new urban dynamics in Moroccan cities, creating new forms of otherness between migrants and locals. Such mobility generates ephemeral, relocated territorialities that shape the urban landscape of African cities, in this case Moroccan cities. Migration is a highly complex phenomenon, involving individuals and their societal lives on the one hand, and states and their integration policies on the other. Indeed, dealing with the issue of migration in its political, economic, social, cultural and diplomatic dimensions is a necessity, and raises a legitimate question: how can we think about the geopolitical stakes of migration in Africa? To answer this major question, we propose a two-point plan. The first section will address current migration dynamics in Africa. The second deals with migration policies in Africa and future challenges in Africa and in third section, we will look at the future challenges of migration in Africa.