2023-04-20 09:20:46
Our guest today is Mr. Melvin BROWN, Speaker of the State Parliament of the African Diaspora who did us the honor of answering our questions.
Thank you for introducing yourself!
I am Melvin BROWN, I am a lawyer in Panama and I am of Afro-Caribbean descent. My ancestors settled in Panama during the construction of the Panama Canal (in the 19th century). In October 2021, I was elected Speaker of the African Diaspora State Parliament.
Please explain what is the State of the African Diaspora?
The State of the African Diaspora is a political organization that structures the African Diaspora, so that it works with Africa in a pan-African spirit. We Africans living outside the continent consider that we must have a working relationship with the African continent and that our interests are the same as those of the continent.
When did you start to have an interest in the African continent?
Twenty years ago, I started to get involved in the issue of sustainable development and strategic planning for the socio-economic development of Afro-descendants. In particular, I had the opportunity to work in the United Nations Steering Committee (entity set up by Koffi Annan), of the United Nations Conference Against Racism in Durban in the early 2000s, where I represented at the a Panamanian civil society organization. It was during this time that I became familiar with the aims of Pan-Africanism. Through interactions with members of the Diaspora with extensive experience in the field, I have come to realize that while the Diaspora has 350 million members and the continent has between 1.3 and 1.4 billion , it makes sense for the Diaspora and the continent to work together. Africa despite colonialism and neocolonialism remains the richest continent on the planet. In the Diaspora, we have a lot of human and financial resources that if we combine our strengths and plan together, it can only result in a “win-win” situation. This cooperation will allow us to solve the problems that we have been facing for six hundred years.
From which regions of the planet do the leaders of your organization come from?
We have six regions which are: the African continent, Europe, Asia and the Pacific, North America, Central America and the Caribbean and South America.
What have been the main achievements of the State of the African Diaspora since its creation?
Various pieces of legislation have been passed, including on identity and citizenship, on spirituality and religious practice, and on culture and l’ethnocide. A town twinning project is currently underway as well as the establishment of “smart cities”. Campaigns to promote the Pan-African idea are implemented in various countries in order to raise awareness among Afro-descendant populations.
Is the Afro-descendant population of Central America and the Caribbean that you know well interested in the idea of traveling to Africa and establishing tourist links with specialized structures within African countries?
For me, it’s all about numbers. If the Diaspora has more than 350 million members, and its annual income exceeds several billion dollars in the Americas alone, those who operate in the field of tourism must put in place strategies aimed at developing the relations with Africa. If we take for example the return program set up by Ghana, it generated more than a billion dollars.
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