African Diaspora in Australia

Posted March 6, 2010 by cdrotsky

According to the Australian Research council the movement of Africans to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> began with the so called First Fleet in 1788. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region> transported its criminals from its overcrowded jails to the British colonies in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Americas</st1:place></st1:country-region>, until the American Revolution (which lasted from 1775 to 1783). After the Revolution, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> refused to accept prisoners, so <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region> had to find another place to send them. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Botany Bay</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region></st1:place> was the chosen destination The First Fleet consisted of 11 ships and about 1500 people in all. The fleet landed at <st1:place w:st="on">Botany Bay</st1:place> between 18 and 20 January 1788. Many of the Africans on these ships were freed slaves who had gone to Britain after the American revolution to later become convicts while others may have boarded the fleet when it stopped in the Cape to replenish food supplies. According to research most of the African convicts eventually earned their freedom and were given land grants and married local women.<o:p></o:p>

Currently Africa has increased in importance in the context of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s migration programs. For example, in 2003-04 and 2004-05 around 70% of entrants under <st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region>'s Humanitarian Program were from Africa, while people born in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">South Africa</st1:country-region></st1:place> comprised the third largest group of 457 visa holders (i.e. temporary business entrants) as at 31 December 2007, this is according to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.<o:p></o:p>

Census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that there were 248,699 people born in Africa who were resident in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> in 2006. This accounted for 5.6% of the overseas-born population. Almost three quarters (72.6%) of the Africa-born resident population were from Southern and East Africa, 22.9% from North Africa and 4.5% from the Central and West Africa region.The largest group were born in South Africa (104,133 or 41.9% of the total Africa-born population living in Australia), 13.5% were born in Egypt, 8.1% in Zimbabwe, 7.7% in Sudan, 7.3% in Mauritius, 4.0% in Kenya and 2.3% in Ethiopia. Africa-born people also came from 51 other countries, each contributing less than 5,000 persons (or less than 2.0% of the total).<o:p></o:p>

SETTLER ARRIVALS BY BIRTHPLACE, Three main regions of Africa, 1997–98 to 2006–07

Tags: African, Diaspora, in, Australia, Africans

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