gal-dem’s week-long series exploring histories of movement, survival and diasporic identity

Whether it’s the Xhosa people’s journey to Zimbabwe, the diminishing Iraqi Jewish community, Chinese-Jamaicans, the Indo community in the Netherlands or the Cape Malays of South Africa – the rich history of these often-overlooked diasporas must be told and heard. Within the context of ever-growing Western xenophobia and the cruel enforcement of borders, this gal-dem series explores how migration has been a part of human history for thousands of years. And if you dig deeper, most historic movement of groups has also been a result of violence, colonisation and imperialism – Forgotten Diasporas seeks to highlight this.

As a magazine for people of colour of marginalised identities, it’s important for us to keep telling our stories before they get forcibly erased and forgotten. This week-long series takes the reader on a journey from the past up until the present day, delving into how each diaspora has dealt with the trials and tribulations of their migration, as well as the persecution they faced along the way.

Forgotten Diasporas often tells heartbreaking and unexpected stories of migration, displacement and adjustment. But it also reminds us that even in the most difficult circumstances, marginalised communities not only survive in their new countries – they thrive.