This article addresses historic emigration from Africa. See recent African origin of modern humans for pre-historic human migration.The
African diaspora refers to the communities throughout the world that are descended from the historic movement of
peoples from Africa — predominantly to the
Americas,
Europe and the
Middle East, among other areas around the globe. The term has been historically applied in particular to the descendants of the
West and
Central Africans who were
enslaved and shipped to the Americas by way of the
Atlantic slave trade, with the largest population in the
USA (see
African-American)., among others.
With regard to all historic migrations (forced and voluntary), the
African Union defined the African diaspora as
"[consisting] of people of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union. " Its constitutive act declares that it shall "invite and encourage the full participation of the African diaspora as an important part of our continent, in the building of the African Union. "