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ABOUT US
The Federation Afro Diaspora Network is a federation of independent organisations that take shared responsibility for social issues affecting the African diaspora community. The Federation facilitates connections, knowledge sharing and widely supported decision-making while respecting the identity and independence of its member organisations. Guided by a shared vision, we work to increase social impact, visibility and lasting influence. With particular attention to the Netherlands, the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Suriname, FADN focuses on themes such as social justice, heritage and identity, education, civic participation and sustainable development.
We encourage shared responsibility, knowledge exchange and substantive collaboration within committees, enabling organisations to contribute to widely supported solutions while retaining their own identities. FADN serves as a platform, a dialogue partner and an advocate. By bringing together expertise, experience and perspectives, we develop widely supported positions that represent the shared interests of the African diaspora community through collective decision-making. In this way, we contribute to lasting solutions to issues affecting the African diaspora.
We are more than a network: we are a movement. A movement that believes in solidarity, bringing together expertise from different organisations, and shared leadership. Together, we build lasting connections and a future in which the widely supported positions of our members resonate strongly at local, national and global levels.
Position of the Federation: culture, values and inclusivity
The Federation deliberately chooses not to establish a specific cultural, religious or philosophical standard.
The term Afro refers to a shared origin within the African diaspora, rather than a single, uniform culture. Africa comprises many countries and regions with diverse cultural traditions. Culture is shaped by geography and personal experience and therefore cannot be defined by a federation without excluding others.
The Federation therefore does not prescribe cultural or religious norms. Doing so would inevitably lead to exclusion, whereas the Federation was established to connect people and organisations and promote the community’s development.
Shared cultural values
What the Federation does recognize and support are shared cultural values that arise from a common history and social context. These values are expressed through connecting forms of expression, such as:
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food and coming together,
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dance and movement,
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music and rhythm,
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art, storytelling, and creativity.
These expressions do not constitute a fixed culture or prescribed norm. Rather, they are ways in which people meet, recognize one another, and connect — regardless of differences in origin, religion, or tradition.​
Our core values
The Federation recognises and supports shared cultural values rooted in a common history and social context. These values are expressed through activities that bring people together, such as:
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food and gatherings;
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dance and movement;
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music and rhythm;
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art, storytelling and creativity.
These expressions do not constitute a fixed culture or prescribed standard. They are ways for people to meet, recognise shared experiences and connect, regardless of differences in origin, religion or tradition.
