Having travelled from West Africa to Europe and then North America, Éric Agbemelo has seen the world while maintaining a connection to his home continent. Now based in N’Djamena, Chad, this Togolese man sees travel as a school of life, and returning home as a responsibility: to share the knowledge he has gained and help build a better Africa.

Born to an agronomist father and a mother who had studied in France, Éric Agbemelo grew up in a world where mobility came naturally. Born in Togo, he developed a passion for exploration at an early age by accompanying his father on Care International missions.

“Travelling has taught me from an early age that diversity is not an obstacle, but a source of wealth,” he reveals.

His first journeys took him to Benin, Ghana and Burkina Faso before he reached Europe. After earning his baccalaureate in Germany and Belgium, he embarked on countless trips across the continent.

“In Belgium, we were what I like to call the summer camp generation. Every holiday, with our backpacks, we’d tour Europe – Switzerland, France, Czechoslovakia, Spain…”

In 1996, he crossed the Atlantic to the United States and settled in Canada two years later.

From discovery to transmission

The idea of building a bridge between the two continents first emerged in Canada. This ambition led to the establishment of AICA Universel, an organisation designed to foster stronger ties between Canada and Africa. The Centre International des Canadiens d’Afrique (CICA) was later established as a space for learning and cultural exchange.

The centre offers language training in English, French and Arabic, as well as computer skills training. “The idea is to enhance the abilities of young Chadians so that they can meet international standards,” explains Éric Agbemelo.

However, CICA’s ambition extends beyond these courses: it also aims to be a place for dialogue. “Our mission is twofold: to promote Canada in Africa and to highlight Africa in Canada. We want to build human, cultural and professional bridges between those who leave and those who return.”

For Éric, travel has never been about escape or seeking comfort. It is a search for meaning.

“My grandfather used to say that the hunter who goes into the forest and finds what he is looking for returns to share it with his people. I too see my travels as a hunt for knowledge. I want to bring what I’ve learned here back to Africa.”

Another way of talking about migration

With hindsight, Éric Agbemelo recognises that mobility encompasses far more than just geographical movement.

“To travel is to confront different realities and ways of thinking and ways of living. You don’t travel to see what you want; you travel to discover what others have to offer. It changes your perspective.”

He regrets the negative portrayal of migration in the media and political discourse. “Migration isn’t just about Africa. People have always moved around. You can’t lock a person up in a cage. Exploring new places is part of our existence.”

For him, leaving one’s country does not mean severing ties with it; but rather, rediscovering it in a different way. “To travel is to transform oneself, but also to return. Travel hasn’t taken me away from Africa; it has brought me back to it in a new way.”

Travel as a connection, not a break

Through the Centre International des Canadiens d’Afrique, Éric Agbemelo now shares the values he learned while travelling: curiosity, tolerance and respect. “My international experiences are part of my DNA,” he says.

For this global citizen, travel is not exile, but a vital means of connecting people and reconciling one’s roots with openness.

“Learning to love difference without losing one’s roots is what travelling is all about.”