KOCHI: For decades, stories of migration that originate from Kerala shores have almost instinctively washed up in the Gulf, and occasionally in Europe. Africa, despite its long and layered connections with the state, has remained absent.
“This is true from the lens of scholarship as well as public imagination,” highlighted Somy Solomon, a scholar at the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR).
Bringing Africa to its deserved space in both these spheres is a new joint initiative by KCHR and Norka Roots, a government body that acts as a primary interface for non-resident Keralites.
Titled ‘Mapping the Migration Profiles of Keralites in Africa’, the project will begin with a pilot study in Ethiopia. “The trade links between Kerala and parts of Africa date back roughly two millennia. Archaeological evidence has hinted at these exchanges, but comprehensive studies have remained limited,” said Dineshan Vadakkiniyil, KCHR director.
Indeed, migration in Kerala’s popular vocabulary almost exclusively conjures images of West Asia or Europe, and Africa occupies a neglected space. “The new initiative is an attempt to fill that void,” Dineshan added.
If earlier movements between Kerala and Africa were shaped by commerce, it deepened during the colonial era and continues to date in modern migration patterns.
“The study, too, is structured along similar phases. Historical, colonial, and contemporary,” Somy said.
Elaborating further, she added, “In addition to individual journeys of people, the linkages between Africa and Kerala have also been part of a wider institutional setting. For example, Kollam is the primary processing hub for African raw cashew nuts in India.”
Interestingly, Ethiopia, too, had institutional engagement with Kerala once. “They had invited teachers and administrators to serve there,” highlighted Somy.
This is one reason why the country was selected for the pilot study. The other was the fact that it was never fully colonised. But the project is not simply retrospective, Dineshan pointed out.
Contemporary migration continues steadily between the two regions.
“Students from Africa pursue higher education in Kerala. At the same time, Malayalis, across sectors such as mining and labour to professional and managerial roles, are increasingly seeking new horizons on the continent. Several also hold influential positions,” the director said.
Norka Roots’ involvement is central to the project. “Beyond financial backing, the agency will play an instrumental role in coordination, archival access and bureaucratic facilitation. A government-backed agency lends its own institutional weight,” Ajith Kolassery, CEO of Norka Roots, said.
Kerala, too, stands to gain immensely. The project will enrich Kerala’s historical understanding of its global presence, strengthen diaspora outreach, serve as a valuable resource for researchers studying migration and Indian Ocean histories, and build a digital repository that will support future collaborations.
The project will bring together personal narratives, photographs, letters, memorabilia, institutional records, and community memories to create a lasting archive of Kerala’s Africa connections.
“In doing so, we not only record movement, but also reframe Kerala’s migration imagination,” Ajith concluded.
Why do it?
To preserve lesser-known migration histories of Keralites in Africa
To understand Kerala’s transnational ties beyond the Gulf
To record intergenerational diaspora experiences before they disappear
To build a scholarly and public resource on Kerala–Africa relations
Call for public participation
KCHR and Norka Roots have invited Keralites who lived or worked in Africa, as well as their families, to contribute memories, photographs, documents, and personal stories. For information/participation, contact: kchr.africanmigration@gmail.com