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Kenyan journalist, historian, and researcher Levin Odhiambo Opiyo has called on African countries to open their borders to Haitians fleeing violence and political instability.
In a social media post, Opiyo urged African nations to especially consider women and children seeking peace and safety.
Opiyo argued that Africans and the African diaspora are “long-lost siblings” separated by centuries of slavery and colonialism.
He said offering Haitians a chance to settle in Africa would not only be a humanitarian gesture but also a symbolic reunion with their ancestral homeland.
“For Haitians willing to move to Africa, a journey to the continent would be akin to a journey back home,” Opiyo stated.
He proposed that African countries could divide among themselves those interested in relocating, grant them citizenship, and support their integration into local communities.
He further suggested that the African Union (AU) should spearhead such a programme, noting that the organisation already has a unit dedicated to African and diaspora affairs based in Addis Ababa.
However, he questioned whether the department is currently functional or active in reconnecting Africa with its diaspora.
Opiyo referenced early pan-African thinkers such as Martin Delany, Alexander Crummel, Edward Blyden, Marcus Garvey, and W.E.B. Du Bois, saying they envisioned a time when Africans scattered across the world would reunite with their ancestral continent.
He also criticised modern African leaders for what he described as misplaced priorities. “Many African leaders will accept Trump’s criminal deportees for ten pieces of silver but lock their borders to fellow Africans facing a humanitarian crisis in a foreign continent,” he said.