Reframing African Migration to Europe: An Alternative Narrative

Abstract

The increased flow of refugees and migrants poses challenges, opportunities and obligations for countries around the world. In the EU, these flows have resulted in substantial political tensions and divisions, whereby migration has emerged as a key theme and policy instrument. While the African and the European Unions have long been engaged in a partnership on issues in relation to migration, the increased levels of irregular migration together with their associated human tragedies have highlighted the importance of cooperation on migration between Europe and Africa. In addition to the mere policies, this chapter looks into underlying attitudes and the prevailing narratives surrounding African migration to Europe. It is put forward that the opportunities of immigration have been overshadowed by the more protectionist and security-oriented rhetoric in the wake of the recent so-called refugee crisis. Worries about its consequences for society, welfare institutions and labour markets have influenced not only public opinion but also political action, causing temporary closings of borders, cultural divides and even expressions of racism and xenophobic nationalism. The sudden influx of refugees turned into a political crisis, giving rise to populist parties and right-wing ideology, becoming conflated also with other forms of migration. The resultant prevalent rhetoric on the migration problem largely outperforms the scientific evidence that European countries will simply not manage without migrants. The European attempts to “secure” or “protect” its borders have undoubtedly failed. Much of this is because migration is often seen as a border security issue—as something that needs to be combatted against. This chapter seeks to debunk the common misconceptions about migration and suggests an alternative narrative that is based on mutual interests.