Diaspora Meets
Africa

Building meaningful relationships between Africans, African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, and the global African Diaspora through culture, education, mutual aid, cooperative economics, and community building.

Who We Are

Diaspora Meets Africa (DMA) is an Afrocentric mutual aid, cultural restoration, and cooperative development community dedicated to strengthening relationships between Africans and members of the global African Diaspora.Rooted in the principle of Ubuntu, “I am because we are,” DMA exists to help reconnect people, knowledge, culture, resources, and opportunities across the African world.We believe Black people across Africa and the Diaspora already possess immense knowledge, creativity, talent, resources, and collective power. Our mission is not charity. Our mission is restoration, relationship-building, shared learning, collective responsibility, and cooperative development.Through education, cultural exchange, community building, business development, and mutual aid DMA seeks to help restore what has been fractured while building systems that support future generations.We believe that as Black people, we have a responsibility to one another and to the generations that come after us. We are committed to helping our communities remember who we are, reclaim what has been lost, and build the institutions necessary for long-term flourishing.

Our Mission

A connected global African family, building together.

We envision a connected global African family working together to create thriving communities rooted in culture, knowledge, wellness, self-determination, and collective responsibility.We believe stronger relationships can lead to stronger communities, institutions, businesses, and families, and to greater opportunities for future generations.Through shared learning, cultural restoration, community development, and economic cooperation, we seek to help build sustainable pathways for Black people across both the African continent and the Diaspora.

Who We Are

To build meaningful relationships between Africans, African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, and the global African Diaspora.

EducationCultureCommunityMutual aidCooperative economics

Our Philosophy

I am because we are.”

Diaspora Meets Africa is rooted in Ubuntu.

Our work is grounded in:

Individual and community

The well-being of individuals is connected to the well-being of the community.

Shared strengths

Africans, African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, and the global Diaspora all hold knowledge, experience, and strengths that can uplift one another.

Invest from within

We should not rely solely on outside institutions. We identify, strengthen, connect, and invest in the resources already present in our communities.

OUR WORK IS GROUNDED IN

  1. Mutual Aid

  2. Cooperative Economics

  3. Community Accountability

Text

  1. Cultural Restoration

  2. Collective Responsibility

  3. Institution Building

What We Believe

We believe:

  • Community is a form of wealth.

  • Cooperation creates opportunities individuals cannot achieve alone.

  • Black people across Africa and the Diaspora possess immense knowledge, creativity, talent, and collective power.

  • Economic development should strengthen communities rather than extract from them.

  • Knowledge should be preserved, shared, and passed forward.

  • The African world is strongest when it is connected.

  • We have a responsibility to one another and to future generations.

  • Cultural restoration and community development must happen together.

  • Development should happen with communities, not to communities.

What We Do

01/05

Education & Knowledge Restoration

We believe the preservation and restoration of knowledge are essential to rebuilding strong communities.

Areas of focus include

  • Book studies and political education
  • African-centered curriculum development
  • Pre-colonial history and knowledge systems
  • Language learning
  • STEM education
  • Tutoring and academic support
  • Scholarship and college readiness pathways
  • Intergenerational learning
  • Cultural preservation
  • Knowledge documentation before traditions, stories, recipes, practices, and community wisdom are lost

Current Studies

Recent studies have included:

Post Traumatic Slave Syndromeby Dr. Joy DeGruy
How Europe Underdeveloped Africaby Walter Rodney
Blueprint for Black Powerby Dr. Amos Wilson

DMA has also facilitated learning opportunities involving youth in Ghana through virtual discussions and educational programming.

02/05

Youth & Family Development

We believe youth development is community development.

Future initiatives may include

  • Tutoring programs
  • Mentorship
  • Leadership development
  • STEM enrichment
  • Childcare and babysitting support networks
  • College preparation
  • Scholarship programs
  • Educational support systems
  • Youth exchanges
  • Rites-of-passage experiences
  • Africa travel opportunities
  • Cultural immersion programs
  • Leadership experiences across the Diaspora and African continent
03/05

Cultural Exchange & Relationship Building

DMA seeks to create opportunities for:

  • Dialogue
  • Cultural exchange
  • Relationship-building
  • Community conversations
  • Language learning
  • Cross-cultural understanding
  • Shared learning across generations and borders
  • Building trust between Africans and the Diaspora
04/05

Cooperative Economics & Entrepreneurship

We believe economic development should strengthen people, families, and communities.

Areas of interest include

  • Women’s cooperatives
  • Agricultural development
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Small business support
  • Producer partnerships
  • Community investment
  • Cooperative ownership models
  • Economic self-determination
  • Business incubation
  • Cross-continental partnerships
05/05

Community Development

Our long-term vision includes helping build communities that support the full development of people and families.

Areas of interest include

  • Housing initiatives
  • Schools
  • Community learning centers
  • Health and wellness programs
  • Food sovereignty initiatives
  • Agriculture and fish farming
  • Water systems and boreholes
  • Technology and innovation hubs
  • Sustainable village development
  • Community infrastructure projects
  • Community-owned resources

The DMA Ecosystem

DMA operates through an interconnected ecosystem designed to support relationship-building, community development, entrepreneurship, and long-term sustainability.

Diaspora Meets Africa (DMA)
The DMA Ecosystem

Connects People

DMA serves as the community hub through education, cultural exchange, relationship-building, membership, and collaborative learning.

Pure Harvest Co.

Builds Businesses

Pure Harvest Co. is one example of Africa-Diaspora economic collaboration through partnerships with producers and women’s cooperatives in Ghana. The company helps demonstrate how relationship-building can lead to economic opportunity and sustainable development.

AfriLink Global Services

Supports Growth

AfriLink helps entrepreneurs, organizations, and projects access partnerships, resources, technical support, and growth opportunities.

RAFADA Collective

Protects the Mission

RAFADA provides stewardship, governance, accountability, and mission alignment across the ecosystem.

Builds Businesses

DMA connects.
Pure Harvest
builds
AfriLink supports.
RAFADA protects.

Dr. Naa Kotey-Quaye

Founder & Relationship Architect

Dr. Naa Kotey-Quaye is an anthropologist, connector, and community builder dedicated to strengthening meaningful relationships between Africans and members of the global African Diaspora.Through Diaspora Meets Africa, she creates opportunities for cultural exchange, partnership development, mutual learning, and community collaboration while helping build bridges between communities across borders.

Crystal Thomas

Managing Member & Systems Architect
Founder & Relationship Architect

Crystal Thomas is a business professional, entrepreneur, and systems builder with a background in underwriting, financial analysis, operations, and community development.As Managing Member and Systems Architect of Diaspora Meets Africa, she focuses on building the structures, partnerships, initiatives, and systems that transform vision into sustainable impact while connecting people, culture, and opportunity.

Join Our Community

Diaspora Meets Africa welcomes Africans, African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, and members of the broader African Diaspora who believe in collective growth, shared learning, cultural restoration, and cooperative development.

We are currently developing a membership structure designed to reflect our values and remain accessible to community members across both the African continent and the Diaspora.We recognize that people contribute in different ways. Some may contribute financially, while others contribute through teaching, organizing, mentoring, community service, skills, and leadership.

All contributions matter.

Stay Connected

Interested in learning more about Diaspora Meets Africa?

Join our community to receive updates about:

  • Educational programs
  • Book studies
  • Cultural exchanges
  • Youth initiatives
  • Travel opportunities
  • Cooperative development projects
  • Community discussions
  • Future membership opportunities