Paper short abstract:

This paper investigates the migration trends among African youth, focusing specifically on the experiences and impact on identity and space from the Kenyan perspective.

Paper long abstract:

Heightened rates of unemployment, governance crises, persistent gender disparities and the threat/ actualities of climate change make migration a practical coping strategy for African youths. This phenomenon of seeking opportunities in the global north, commonly known by its Nigerian appellation as "Japa," reflects a complex interplay of socio-economic, political, and cultural factors. This paper investigates the trend among Kenyan youth, focusing specifically on migration experiences impact on identity and space.

The paper argues that beyond the economic opportunities, education and pursuit of a better life, a certain construction and negotiation of identity driven largely by individual self-perception, cultural ties, and national dis/affiliations informs how Kenyan migrants position themselves in the trending phenomenon of migration.

We hope to show how the physical displacement of Kenyan youths to the global north reshapes their understanding of international space. The overarching aim is to demonstrate what migration and its aftermath poses for identity and space and how implications arising therefrom can reshape understanding of Africa and its discourses.

Key words: Japa, Migration, identity, international space, coping strategy