African Diaspora: the scattering of people from Africa and the sowing of their cultures globally.

Our many journeys—over land, across oceans, through time—separate us and bring us together again and again. The Museum of the African Diaspora invites you to recollect these journeys and reconnect with the four themes emerging from them: Origins, Movement, Adaptation and Transformation.

Origins Our origins are in Africa two million years ago. As we move, adapt and transform, new origins take root and the cycle continues. Movement Individuals, families and communities move continuously, sometimes seeking fresh prospects, sometimes forced by slavery, war or famine. Always, our movements reinvent us, remixing the possibilities. Adaptation People and cultures evolve as the traditions and memories we carry with us creatively engage new surroundings and other cultures. Transformation We transform ourselves in dialogue with new places, creating new traditions and new cultures. We carry the seeds of creativity that can transform adversity into hope.

On this website you will find content that speaks to these four themes—they are, singly, or in various combinations, behind every story, image, interview, animation, essay and article. As you explore, you will find your own nuances. This is the point. Everything shades into everything else, depending on the initial trajectory of your departure and the perspectives you encounter along the way.