ABSTRACT
As the birthplace of humanity, Africa holds an important place in the history of migration. However, since the first humans left Africa, the history of migration across the continent has been intimately tied to the rest of the world. In the earliest years, access to resources (land, water, food) proved most significant, but as lineages and communities grew larger and more complex, they needed to expand into new territory to ease demographic pressures. As time went on, these Africans created kingdoms that stretched into nearby areas, and individuals and families moved to create trade diasporas, to make religious pilgrimages, or to find work. In other cases, Africans were forcibly enslaved and put to work, not just internally, but outside of the continent as well. The imposition of colonial rule throughout most of Africa reshaped migratory patterns, both voluntary and involuntary. These trends continued after independence, with fewer restrictions than had been faced during the colonial period. In recent years, war and violent conflict have made refugees or internally displaced persons out of more than ten million Africans. Africans have also begun to voluntarily migrate to the rest of the world in search of greater economic opportunity.
