In 2022, the Partnership for Research with African Newcomers (PRAN) was launched with the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Consisting of a network of researchers led by Professor Philomina Okeke-Ihejirika from University of Alberta’s Faculty of Arts – Women and Gender Studies, the research team include faculty members from University of Alberta, Dalhousie, McGill, Mount Royal, Queen’s, University of Toronto, University of Western Australia, York University as well as select community and non-government institutions. At York University, the project team consists of Professors Joseph Mensah, Valerie Preston, Elaine Coburn, and Getrude Mianda.
PRAN is dedicated to optimizing sub-Saharan African immigrant and refugee (SSAI) settlement and integration. It facilitates dialogue, pioneering innovative research, developing new tools and resources, charting new training pathways, and raising new questions to improve Canada’s immigration policy, programs, and services. It adopts a holistic approach deeply rooted in incorporating traditional African knowledge systems and engaging with communities throughout the research process.
Guided by the concept of Ubuntu– “I am because we are“ to amplify Sub-Saharan African immigrants' resilience and ability to thrive, the project actively collaborates with diverse partners, including academics, non-government organizations, post-secondary vocational institutions, private partners, and government organizations. By integrating research projects, collaborating with partners, and applying effective communication and knowledge mobilization strategies, significant progress has been made through several initiatives to understand the challenges that Sub-Saharan African immigrants face, provide them with valuable resources, and build strong partnerships to help them thrive in their new home, Canada.
In a recent PRAN interview with Prof. Joseph Mensah, he elucidates the trajectory of his academic work and how PRAN fits into his research agenda.
What influenced you to go into your field?
“I started off as a physical science student, focusing on Biology, Chemistry, Math, and Physics, but eventually drifted to Geography with which one is able to gain insights into both physical and social processes concerning the human condition. My increasing fascination with different cultures and places landed me in Human Geography, where I now specialize in issues of migration and population dynamics, especially concerning Africa and its people”.
What is one thing you wish someone had told you when you were just starting out in your field?
"Anyone close to me knows that I am a true Philosophy enthusiast; for me, we do not call it the foundation of all disciplines for nothing. However, I wish someone had told me to pay equal attention to the study of Classics, as a sociocultural and spatial analyst. Believe me, the intrigues and life lessons one gets from the mythologies of Sisyphus and Tantalus, for instance, are simply hard to beat".
How does PRAN fit into your research agenda?
“As you might have gathered at the various PRAN meetings and conferences, many emerging scholars see people like Sophie, Phil, and me as the pioneering cohort of Black continental African scholarship in Canada. In my particular case, my book, Black Canadians: History, Experiences, Social Conditions, puts me squarely in virtually all the major historical and social science debates on Blacks in Canada, with the book serving as an authoritative source or a point of departure for the increasing number of Black African scholars in the Canadian academy. Many of my earlier writings, including Black Canadians and even the more recent Boomerang Ethics: How Racism Affects Us All, deal with the settlement and integration problems of Blacks in Canada, examining their racial problems in employment, education, sports, city life, etc. Now, my focus has shifted to issues of “return migration,” in which older Black African immigrants are the main protagonists. The way I see it, Black continental African immigration in Canada is now in its mature stage—not only temporally speaking, but also in terms of its sophistication, magnitude, and the diversity of the immigrant pool. Accordingly, in addition to the usual challenges of settlement and integration, the Black continental African immigrant population is also grappling with complex issues of transnationalism, mental health, gender power dynamics, intergenerational tensions, social protection for the elderly, and, of course, return migration. PRAN’s foci are on newcomers (most of whom are in their late 20s to early 40s), while my research has shifted more to those in their mid-50s and beyond—the complementarity between PRAN and my work is, thus, obvious”.
At the centre of the PRAN project is the notion of resilience. What does communal resilience mean to you and how do you practice it?
“As a dialectician, my immediate inclination in theorization is to look for embedded contradictions, ambiguities, and tensions in pursuit of a synthesis that highlights underlying structure, processes, and internal relationships. For me “communal resilience” is the ability of a community to withstand, recover, and adapt to challenges and, indeed, come out even stronger. I see it as a dialectical concept, imbued with contradictions and tensions having to do, for instance, with the clash between individual values and interests, on the one hand, and those of the community, on the other. Similarly, there are tensions in ascertaining short- versus long-term goals, just as there are often contestations between community mobilizations toward resilience, as against resistance. The practical manifestation of communal resilience, from my standpoint, often comes in community engagement and mutual support by way of social networks and social capital, with inspiration from our common heritage and our shared experiences of anti-Black racism in Canada. My personal efforts in the community have centered mainly on ways and means of empowering people who are marginalized in our community by promoting inclusivity and social justice”.
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On Sunday, March 2, 2025 from 2-8pm in Toronto, EUC Professor Joseph Mensah will deliver a talk at The Victory of Adwa's 129th Anniversary on Black Independence Movements. The event is a celebration of African Resistance against Colonialism. The Battle of Adwa, fought on March 1, 1896, was a historic victory where Ethiopian forces, under Emperor Menelik II, decisively defeated the invading Italian army. This triumph preserved Ethiopia’s sovereignty, marking it as one of the only African nations to resist European colonization during the Scramble for Africa. Adwa became a symbol of Pan-African pride and resistance, inspiring movements for freedom and independence across the continent.