On 8 November in Dakar, Mamadou Mignane Diouf, coordinator of the Senegalese Social Forum, made a resounding call for a radical reappraisal of how migration is viewed. Speaking at the opening of a National Forum on the European Union’s migration policy, he argued that migration should be understood as “a demographic and economic component linked to well-being”.

Mr Diouf believes that the current approach is fundamentally flawed and harmful. “As long as migration is viewed as anything other than this, our perspective on the issue will remain completely false, paving the way for xenophobia, discrimination and the construction of walls instead of bridges.” 

The event, organised by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation — whose West Africa regional representative is Armin Osmanovic — brought together researchers, activists and civil society representatives from ECOWAS and Europe for a series of ten discussion panels.

The president of the Senegalese Social Forum reminded attendees of the historical and intrinsic nature of human mobility. He emphasised that humanity “has never been static. Sedentary periods in history are very short. Humans do not have two feet to remain motionless”, drawing on historical references ranging from Pharaonic Egypt to ancient West African kingdoms.

Mamadou Mignane Diouf stressed the importance of fundamental rights, reminding participants that “no one is a foreigner on God’s earth” and that “the right to mobility is recognised by the United Nations”. 

He sharply criticised what he termed a “historical paradox” in Europe’s stance. He then went on to denounce a blatant contradiction: “Following three centuries of Europe’s exploitation of our resources, our fish and our people, the continent now expects us to remain static and refrain from entering its borders. It is an insult to the history of humanity.” 

He urged African participants to reject any “imposed hierarchy” and called for psychological emancipation: “Never harbour a feeling of inferiority. You are not foreigners in America or Europe. Birds migrate, fish migrate,” he concluded. 

Mr Diouf also emphasised the need for strong citizen mobilisation, given that international diplomacy “is a game of deception”. Reiterating his main objective, he said: “Another world is possible, but only if we put human value back at the centre of discussions on population movements and migration.” 

At the close of the event, Armin Osmanovic from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation called for “rebuilding a collective ‘we’ in order to resist unjust migration policies and extremist shifts around the world”. He lamented the tendency to view migrants solely as disposable labour and advocated a more inclusive approach aimed at improving living conditions for all.