Editorial

Professor Mulugeta F. Dinbabo

Editor-in-Chief, African Human Mobility Review (AHMR) University of the Western Cape Email: editor@sihma.org.za

This issue consists of a book review and four articles. The review was made by Daniel Tevera of a book entitled "Expanding Boundaries: Borders, Mobilities and the Future of Europe-Africa Relations", edited by Jussi P. Laine, Inocent Moyo and Christopher Changwe Nshimbe (2021). The reviewer made a critical and scholarly evaluation of the entire book. According to Tevera, the book, which is organized into three parts, provides an interesting perspective on various issues. The reviewer concludes that this book is an important contribution to the literature on borders, mobilities and the future of Europe-Africa relations, despite the fact that a few chapters would have benefitted from a more in-depth discussion of the relevant issues.

The first article by Meron Zeleke is entitled "The Complex Transit Trajectories of Ethiopian Female Migrants". Using a qualitative method of research, which involved the collection and analysis of non-numerical data, the author explored opinions and experiences of the complex transit trajectories of Ethiopian female migrants. The author's data collection method defies the commonly recognized trend of "methodological nationalism" in migration research. This empirical study suggests that such an approach fails to grasp the essence of the complex nature of transitioning by moving beyond such an orientation. The author underlines the need of taking a diachronic approach when studying transit migration paths, given that the transit experience is not always tied to a certain location and time, as evidenced by the experiences of Ethiopian female migrants reported in this research. The findings of this study shed light on Ethiopian female migrants' complex transit experiences in two different transit locations, as well as their agency in determining their mobility/ immobility, redefining their destinations and transit pathways, and settling, a theme that has escaped attention in prior works on female migration from Ethiopia.

The second article by Leander Kandilige, Thomas Yeboah and Theophilus Kwabena Abutima is entitled "Citizenship, Belonging and Crisis-Induced Returns of Ghanaian Migrants from Côte d'Ivoire". The research employed a qualitative research design involving semi-structured interviews conducted with six categories of participants in Ghana and examines the experiences of returned Ghanaian migrants who were victimized and trapped in a conflict situation in Côte d'Ivoire in 2002-2003 and 2010-2011. Despite their passive role as perpetrators of violence, Ghanaian migrants were subjected to harassment, intimidation, and physical attacks, which contributed to painful feelings long after the crisis ended. Overall, this work makes a significant contribution to the literature on the vulnerabilities of migrants caught up in crisis situations, as well as policies and emergency actions to address migrants caught up in crisis situations. These findings have significant implications for emergency responses to migrant crisis situations.

The third article by Johannes Machinya is entitled "Migration and Politics in South Africa: Mainstreaming Anti-Immigrant Populist Discourse". Methodologically, this paper is based on an analysis of selected political actors' mediated performances like press statements, public speeches, interviews, or other statements posted on social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube, and how these politicians presented their messages with a conspicuous anti-immigrant populist appeal. The author examined several political players and conducted a critical discourse analysis in terms of anti-immigrant rhetoric, identifying crucial trends in how political actors mediated immigration discourse. This paper underscores that what feeds and bestows social legitimacy to xenophobia is the foregrounding of an anti-immigrant populist discourse in the mainstream political discourse with the participation of political leaders from across the political spectrum. In general, the paper provides an in-depth analysis of the status quo of the anti-immigrant populist political discourse being entrenched and normalized in the mainstream political discourse and highlights areas for improvement.

The fourth article by Samson Olaoluwa Faboye is entitled "Examining Nigeria's Digital Identity Project as a Tool for Economic Inclusion and Regional Integration". A qualitative research methodology and secondary data analysis -mainly documentary reviews - were applied to explore the core themes of the topic. The study claims that African countries should invest in and develop their own digital database management infrastructure in order to reduce their reliance on the European Union (EU) and China. Furthermore, the study recommends that, similar to Frontex's work in the Schengen area, a central regional and continental border control agency based on an AU-managed database may assist with the coordination of digital identification throughout the continent for immigration and customs reasons. The outcomes of this study suggest that digital technology is pervasive in all aspects of human life and serves as a means of navigating the globalized digital world.

With effective academic writing and presentations, good organization, and critical argumentation, the authors produced an outstanding research output. I am confident that African Human Mobility Review, Volume 8, Number 1, 2022 provides a significant resource for scholars, practitioners, and students.