By Hans Ngala
As a journalist, I have been following the news and observing how the United States and other Western countries are tightening their immigration policies. Sadly, these new restrictions seem to disproportionately affect black and brown people. And as I thought about the mounting obstacles to emigration, I wondered why we, particularly Africans, believe that a better life can only be found in America or Europe?
In my experience, African churches reinforce the emigration dream. Sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly. From Christian music to social media influencers and literature, we hear about the “good” news of those who’ve made it to Western countries. It’s not uncommon to hear about songs and stories in churches, testifying to a successful Schengen or Green Card application. Such testimonies condition African believers to associate divine favour with emigration. One rarely hears sermons that celebrate staying to build local communities. Instead, spiritual success is often equated with material advancement—typically symbolised by Western affluence or obtaining a passport to some Western country.
Ironically, as Africans scramble to leave our continent, the Chinese and Russians are flocking in. Many African emigrants have died in transit in the Sahara, on the Mediterranean, as they seek to get to Europe, and many have perished in the dangerous Darien Gap in Latin America, while others have been trafficked by drug cartels that operate in Latin America’s jungles. Others are horribly mistreated in transiting countries. A good number sell everything they have in order to reach Europe or America. Some resign from critical positions, such as teachers and doctors. Directors of African companies are lured by the promise of better pay elsewhere. But is it really worth it?
Do They Want You? Will They Love You?
The increasing animosity towards people of colour—even from some fellow Christians—in the West surely demands reflection on the part of African Christians, particularly those willing to risk life and limb to get there. Why are we so ready to risk everything, abandon our homes, and endanger our lives, breaking immigration laws along the way, just to be rejected? This question is even more searching when we consider our own continent at present. Africa desperately needs the skilled labourers she’s producing. We can’t afford to be exporting our talent and skills, especially to countries that don’t need or appreciate them.
Staying in Africa may not seem easy for those in war-ravaged places. Not so long ago, the Norwegian Refugee Council ranked Anglophone Cameroon as the world’s most neglected crisis. We’re all familiar with the terrible state of other places across the continent: DRC, Sudan and the Central African Republic. Even a leading country on the continent like South Africa insists it can’t take more asylum seekers, while it also grapples with its ongoing racial issues. All of this begs the question: what are African believers doing to accommodate one another, proclaim peace and create jobs?
Why Do We Think West Is Best?
The rise of Pentecostal churches over the last two decades, which sell the idea of prosperity and a good life in the here and now, have also profitably packaged the emigration message, which might explain why even Africans with high-paying jobs desire to obtain a passport for the West. The recent case of one of the world’s wealthiest TikTok influencers, Senegalese-born Khaby Lame, highlights how irresistible we seem to find countries like America. After overstaying his US visa, Lame was deported by ICE agents.
One Cameroonian commentator, Professor Francis Nyamnjoh from the University of Cape Town (UCT), writes on this phenomenon of Africans seeking greener pastures overseas, using Cameroon as an example. He puts it thus, “To many people in or seeking high office, Cameroon is little more than a farm tended by God, but harvested by man. Does it not strike one as odd, that a president, minister, director or general manager flies his pregnant wife to France, Switzerland or America to have their baby in order to gain French, Swiss or American citizenship or to feel prestigious and superior? Does such a person feel that Cameroon is a country with a future?” Nyamnjoh continues, “If a minister, who should be a shining example of patriotism, I suppose, prefers foreign citizenship, will it surprise anyone that that minister saw Cameroon as a farm or a plantation that needs clearing out when it is time to harvest?”
Are We Confusing Emigration With the Gospel?
The above raises more questions. What role has the African church played in cementing this idea of “West is best” in the minds of Christians? Is it perhaps the many prayer sessions broadcast from Pentecostal megachurches, where testimonies abound from congregants about how they prayed and fasted for an American or European passport, and finally got it?
By reducing successful emigration to a matter of “breakthrough” or God opening the door, we ignore the astronomically complex socio-political aspects of the matter. But more than this, by focusing on flying away from the continent, the church inadvertently ignores the systemic issues plaguing her nations: poor governance, corruption and unemployment. Rather than equipping believers with the solid theology and tools to tackle these root causes, the message is too often nothing more than faith-keyed escapism.
This isn’t to say African Christians should never emigrate. There are legitimate reasons for seeking safety, better education or reuniting with one’s family. But the problem arises when emigration is the only perceived pathway to the good life, and when those who stay are seen as failures or as even lacking faith.
The Bible is not silent on migration. From Abraham to Moses, from the Exodus to the diaspora New Testament church, movement has always been a part of God’s story. But it is always purposeful. It’s more than a mere escape. Joseph went to Egypt under duress, but became a solution to famine. Ruth left Moab for Bethlehem and became part of Christ’s lineage. Paul travelled extensively to preach the gospel. None of these migrations were for greener pastures, in the narrow economic sense. They weren’t the result of idolatrously chasing a better life.
Towards a Biblical Perspective on Emigration
Africa Is Not Somehow Inferior
Firstly, we must question the narrative of inferiority that suggests Africa is a cursed land, while the West is some kind of “Promised Land.” This is a colonial mindset reinforced by media, history, and yes—religion. The African church must reclaim the theology of place. God can bless you here in Africa. We do not need to cross seas to find purpose or prosperity.
The African Church Must Invest in Her Continent
Secondly, churches must move from consumerism to activism. It is not correct to teach Christians to “sow a seed” and expect a visa. African churches must begin advocating for systemic reforms, job creation, entrepreneurship and education. The church must teach stewardship of local resources and mobilise believers for national transformation. The example of black churches in Apartheid-era South Africa pushing for civil rights is just one recent example African believers can learn from. Let us actively push for reforms instead of simply staying on the sidelines to fast and pray.
Love Outsiders and Strangers
Thirdly, believers must practice radical hospitality within Africa itself. If African Christians cannot accommodate their displaced brothers from neighbouring countries, how can we expect Europe or America to do so? Churches should be sanctuaries for refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced peoples. This hospitality is not only biblical, it’s desperately needed.
African Leaders Need to Lead
Finally, Christian leaders must lead by example. Those in positions of influence must decolonise their minds and hearts. The lure of the West is real. But so is the opportunity to make a lasting impact on our continent. Africa’s future will not be built by absentee landlords or political exiles. It’ll be built by those who stay and serve.
Africa Needs Her (Christian) People
This is not a call to abandon all dreams of emigration. Rather, it is a caution. Don’t let your desire for emigration replace mission. If God calls you to stay, stay and build. If he calls you to go, go with purpose. But never confuse your worth—or your calling—with the country printed inside your passport. The continent needs you. And, more importantly, God can use you right where you are. For there are endless opportunities to serve right here in Africa.
NOTE: This article was originally published by The Gospel Coalition Africa in South Africa.
