Across the African diaspora, the legacies of colonialism, slavery, displacement and racial injustice continue to shape daily life in ways that are often unspoken but deeply felt. These inherited harms – known as intergenerational trauma – show up in our bodies, our relationships, our communities and even in the land itself. Healing them requires more than services or policy shifts. It requires connection, imagination, solidarity and a reweaving of relationships that history has strained or severed.
Collective Healing: The UK African Diaspora with Africa and the Caribbean, takes on a question that is both powerful and long overdue:
How can the UK-based African diaspora-led voluntary and community sector work collaboratively with the voluntary and community sector in Africa and the Caribbean in healing intergenerational trauma?
In a world where systemic anti-Blackness continues to retraumatise communities, this research offers clarity, hope and direction. Drawing on interviews with practitioners across three regions, on-the-ground organising, and deep engagement with healing practices rooted in African and Afrodiasporic traditions, the project shines a light on what healing looks like, and what genuine, equitable collaboration requires.
It reveals not only the pain communities carry, but also the extraordinary creativity, resilience and leadership that already exist within African and Afro-descendant groups globally. It shows that while there are real barriers – from funding systems embedded in colonial logic to cultural differences and capacity constraints – there are also clear, actionable pathways to build relationships rooted in trust, shared values and collective liberation.
What makes this research especially important is that it centres the voices of young, Black, grassroots organisers who are already doing the work of healing through community care, political education, creativity and solidarity. Their insights remind us that healing and organising are not separate efforts; they nourish each other. And that repairing ties across the diaspora, Africa and the Caribbean is not just desirable, but necessary for our shared future.
About the authors:
Moet Semakula-Buuza
Moet Semakula-Buuza is a facilitator and community organiser with experience in migration, race equity, and climate-related work. They currently work with Black Lives Matter UK on Project Timbuktu, an education programme exploring Black history and leadership. Moet also volunteers with Care4Calais, providing administrative and wellbeing support to individuals navigating the UK immigration system. They are involved in the Planet over Profit campaign with Friends of the Earth, where they produce creative materials exploring the global impacts of environmental extraction. In addition, Moet contributes to leadership development initiatives with Black grassroots leaders through the Nia Upeoni Black Systems Change and Leadership course.
Aliyah Green
Aliyah Green is a facilitator and organiser working across racial and environmental justice spaces. She supports youth engagement through campaign training and political education programmes that promote systemic awareness and leadership development. She is the co-founder of It’s Just Economics, a learning initiative introducing young people to alternative economic thinking. Aliyah is involved in Friends of the Earth’s Planet over Profit campaign and Black Lives Matter’s Project Timbuktu. She works at the Environmental Funders Network and serves as a trustee at Debt Justice and The Equality Trust.
