The word Diaspora originates from the Greek word meaning ‘to scatter,’ a diaspora is defined as a community of people who do not live in their own country of origin, but rather, maintain their heritage and culture in a new land. 

The concept of Diaspora has existed for centuries and is mentioned in the Greek translated version of the old testament. One of the earliest recorded diaspora events was when the Spartans exiled the Messenians described by Thucydides in his “history of the Peloponnesian wars.”

Scholars are now separating different kinds of diaspora, depending on their origins and intentions. Colonization is one of the causes of what could be termed a diaspora as colonizers claimed stolen land and started populating them with their populations from their originating countries. Slavery from Africa created one of largest diaspora populations in the United States of America.

In much more modern times and terms, the global diaspora are now mainly made up of immigrants who leave their homelands to go and work in a foreign country. These immigrants may or may not seek citizenship in their new foreign countries but they all tend to have some connection back to their homelands, either culturally or because of family and friends. 

There are several very powerful diasporas across the globe, and a very interesting proposal from The African Union, is that the global African diaspora be given voting representation in an all Africa union and that they be recognized as a separate country for voting rights. The African Union is headquartered in Ethiopia.

“The African Union defines the African Diaspora as “Consisting of people of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union.” Its constitutive act declares that it shall “invite and encourage the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of our continent, in the building of the African Union.” 

The largest global diaspora at the moment is estimated to be India with a Diaspora population of approximately 18 million in 2020, with the majority of these living and working in Saudi Arabia, the U.S.A. and the U.A.E. . Mexico and Russia have approximately 11 million each with China at about 10 million. 

It is estimated in 2020, that approximately 4,5 – 10 million Lebanese are diaspora scattered across the globe. This is far higher then the internal population estimated to be about 4,5 million. The lebanese diaspora mainly left Lebanon for better employment opportunities but more recently, because of civil war and the recent collapse of the economy and massive devaluation of the currency.