Afro-Romanians

Afro-Romanians
Total population
?
Regions with significant populations
Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Iași, Craiova, Constanța, Oradea
Languages
Romanian language, French language, English language, Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Creole Languages, Afro-Asiatic languages, Languages of Africa
Religion
Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, Catholicism, Judaism, Traditional African religions, Protestantism, Jehovah's Witnesses, African diasporic religions, Atheism, Irreligion, Rastafari

Afro-Romanians are Romanians who are of African descent. Afro-Romanian populations are mostly concentrated in major cities of Romania.[1] Africans have been immigrating to Romania since the Communist Era.[2]

The majority of African-Romanians are of mixed ancestry, usually being the children of a Romanian parent and an African student who came to Romania. Nicolae Ceaușescu had a plan to educate the African elites.[3] Most Africans who studied in Romania during the Ceaușescu era came from Sub-Saharan African countries such as Central African Republic, Sudan, DRC, Republic of the Congo,[4][5][6][7] and other states, primarily from West Africa and Equatorial Africa, with which Ceaușescu developed close relations,[8] as well as from Maghreb (see Arabs in Romania).

Since the early 60s, young people from around the world came to study in the Socialist Republic of Romania. The communist state leadership wanted to link mutual friendship with different countries.[9] It is estimated that during the communist era, about 10,000 Sudanese young people studied in Romania.[10]

After the fall of the communism, the numbers of Afro-Romanians increased.[11][12] Currently, in Romania, most Africans are students, refugees, guest workers [13] or children from mixed-families of a Romanian parent and an African student or worker who came to Romania.[14] In 2020, asylum applicants from Somalia and Eritrea represented the 6th and 9th highest numbers among asylum applicants in Romania.[15]

Demographics and areas

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In Bucharest, although Afro-Romanians live in all parts of the city, most of them are concentrated in the Giurgiului and Baicului areas.[16]

The number of individuals with African ancestry is unknown, as Romania does not keep statistics on race. According to mid-2020 UN estimates, most immigrants to Romania from the continent of Africa originate from North Africa, with the most common countries being Tunisia (2,000), Morocco (1,000), Algeria (1,000) and Egypt (1,000).[17] (these are the only African countries listed in that study). In addition, there are also 1,000 Brazilians in Romania[17] and they may have (partial) African ancestry.

The origins of Romanians whose ancestry is from Sub-Saharan Africa are varied. During the Ceaușescu era, the sub-Saharan African students who came to study in Romania were primarily from areas of Francophone Africa and Northeast Africa (especially Sudan),[18] as Ceaușescu had formed diplomatic relations with the leaders of some of those countries.[19][20] More recently, the African population has diversified, coming from a variety of countries. The highest numbers of asylum applicants from Africa are from Somalia and Eritrea (as of 2021).[21]

Notable people

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Fashion designers

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Modelling

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Music

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Politicians

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Sports

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Television

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Studenţi străini în România" (in Romanian). Jurnalul Național. 22 May 2009. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Epoca de Aur a prieteniei româno-arabe: Câți bani avea de recuperat Ceaușescu din Orientul Mijlociu" (in Romanian). Adevărul Financiar. 25 September 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  3. ^ "Republica Africa Centrală, la picioarele lui Ceauşescu" (in Romanian). Adevărul. 22 February 2013.
  4. ^ "Republica Africa Centrală, la picioarele lui Ceauşescu". 21 February 2013.
  5. ^ "Cum i-a vândut Ceauşescu lui Mobutu Sésé Seko tractoare şi televizoare româneşti". historia.ro. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Studenţi străini în România". jurnalul.ro. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Povestea africanilor care spun Romania, te iubesc" (in Romanian). Stirileprotv.ro. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  8. ^ Issues of Romanian foreign policy Archived 1 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Romania din Sudan. Africanii care vorbesc, iubesc si simt romaneste" (in Romanian). Stirileprotv.ro. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  10. ^ "Povestea africanilor care spun: "Romania, te iubesc!"".
  11. ^ "African Pastor Lifts Migrants' Spirits in Romania". 3 December 2019.
  12. ^ "In Romania, Congolese refugee does as the Romanians do".
  13. ^ "Tot mai mulți muncitori din Africa vin să lucreze în România. Aici primesc salarii chiar și de 20 de ori mai mari". Stirileprotv.ro. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Mulatrii romani, o minoritate inedita Interviu". Ziare.com. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  15. ^ "În perioada de pandemie, România a primit cel mai mare număr de solicitanți de azil din istorie. Cei mai mulți copii care ajung din țări ca Afganistan, Siria și Irak sunt singuri, lipsiți de familie" (PDF). salvaticopiii.ro (in Romanian). 22 September 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  16. ^ "New ethnic minorities in Bucharest A. Agglomerations of: 1. Greeks, 2.... | Download Scientific Diagram". Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Immigrant and Emigrant Populations by Country of Origin and Destination". www.migrationpolicy.org.
  18. ^ "Povestea africanilor care spun: "Romania, te iubesc!"". Știrile ProTV (in Romanian). Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Republica Africa Centrală, la picioarele lui Ceauşescu". historia.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  20. ^ Matache, Cristian (28 March 2024). "Prietenii lui Nicolae Ceaușescu ne-au rămas la suflet". Puterea.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  21. ^ "În perioada de pandemie, România a primit cel mai mare număr de solicitanți de azil din istorie. Cei mai mulți copii care ajung din țări ca Afganistan, Siria și Irak sunt singuri, lipsiți de familie" (PDF). www.salvaticopiii.ro. November 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
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