Africans in Poland, also known as Afro-Poles or Afro-Polish ( pl, Afropolacy), are citizens or residents of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

who are of African descent. As of 2023, among European countries, the proportion of people from Africa is one of the lowest.

History

The origins of the Afro-Polish community are rooted in educational immigration to the

Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million ne ...

. The Communist government strongly supported anti-colonial movements in Africa as part of broader Soviet policy. From the 1950s to the 1980s, many Africans emigrated to Poland to pursue their educations. While most African students in Poland returned to their countries of origin, many decided to remain in Poland and acquire citizenship. The contemporary Afro-Polish community is composed of many of these Africans and their descendants. In 1955, the 5th

World Festival of Youth and Students The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of Students after 1947. History The festival has been held regularly since 1947 as an eve ...

was held in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. Organized by the leftist, anti-imperialist

World Federation of Democratic Youth The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) is an international youth organization, and has historically characterized itself as left-wing and anti-imperialist. WFDY was founded in London in 1945 as a broad international youth movement, ...

, the festival invited thousands of delegates from around the world, including almost 1,000 Africans. The Communist leadership of Poland wished to express solidarity and promote socialism to Africans from colonized nations. This was one of the earliest Polish encounters with non-white people, following the end of the multicultural and multiethnic Second Polish Republic following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The

Polish Press Agency The Polish Press Agency ( pl, Polska Agencja Prasowa, PAP) is Poland's national news agency, producing and distributing political, economic, social, and cultural news as well as events information. The agency has 14 news desks in its headquarters ...

was given the task of documenting the African visitors, which began an ongoing series of Polish press photography depicting African visitors and residents of Poland.

Notable Afro-Polish citizens or residents

Current

Entertainment and media

* Mamadou Diouf – Senegalese-born musician *Klaudia El Dursi – Actress * Robert El Gendy – Journalist and television personality of Egyptian descent *

Sara James Sara Zofia Egwu-James (born 10 June 2008) is a Polish singer and songwriter. She won the fourth series of the Polish talent show ''The Voice Kids'' and represented Poland at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021. Early life and education ...

– Polish-born singer of Nigerian descent *

Patricia Kazadi Patricia "Trish" Tshilanda Kazadi (born 17 March 1988 in Warsaw) is a Polish actress, singer, dancer, and television personality. Parents Kazadi's mother is from Łuków in Lublin Voivodeship, while her father is from the Democratic Republic ...

– Polish-born actress of Congolese descent *Ferid Lakhdar – Singer * Omenaa Mensah – Polish-born TV presenter of Ghanaian descent * Omar Sangare – Polish American actor, academic, poet, and theatre director *

Patrycja Soliman Patrycja Soliman (born 3 December 1981) is a Polish film and stage actress. Biography She was born to an Egyptian father and a Polish mother. In 2006 she graduated from the Aleksander Zelwerowicz State Theatre Academy in Warsaw. Patrycja So ...

- Actress, Egyptian father *

Aleksandra Szwed Aleksandra "Ola" Szwed (born 8 August 1990 in Warsaw, Poland) is a Polish actress and singer of Polish and Nigerian ethnicity. She was a popular child actress, starring regularly since 1999 in '' Rodzina zastępcza'' (''Foster Family'') televisi ...

– Polish-born actress of Nigerian descent *

Ifi Ude Diana Ifeoma Ude (born 1986 in Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' ...

– Nigerian-born singer

Political and social activists

* Killion Munyama – Zambian-born

Civic Platform Civic Platform ( pl, Platforma Obywatelska, PO)The party is officially the Civic Platform of the Republic of Poland (''Platforma Obywatelska Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''). is a political party in Poland. It is currently led by Donald Tusk. It ...

former member of the

Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...

* John Godson – Nigerian-born

Polish People's Party The Polish People's Party ( pl, Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe, PSL) is an agrarian political party in Poland. It is currently led by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Its history traces back to 1895, when it held the name People's Party, although i ...

former member of the

* Krystian Legierski - LGBT activist, of Polish and Mauritanian descent

Sportsmen

Babatunde Aiyegbusi Babatunde Łukasz Aiyegbusi (; born May 26, 1989) is a Nigerian-Polish professional wrestler and former football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Commander Azeez. He previously played ...

– Polish-born professional wrestler of Nigerian descent * Michael Ameyaw - Footballer of Ghanaian descent * Ishmael Baidoo - Ghanaian footballer * Ferdinand Chi Fon - Cameroon-born retired footballer * Martins Ekwueme - Nigerian footballer * Sofia Ennaoui - Athlete, Moroccan father * Kelechi Iheanacho - Nigerian footballer * Benjamin Imeh - Nigerian footballer * Maxwell Kalu - Nigerian footballer * Thomas Kelati - Basketball player of Eritrean heritage * Tafara Madembo - Footballer of Zimbabwean descent * Alain Ngamayama - Footballer of Congolese descent * Emmanuel Olisadebe - Nigerian-born footballer * Natalia Padilla - Footballer of Moroccan descent * Artur Partyka - Former high jumper, Algerian father * Yared Shegumo – Ethiopian-born distance runner, who specializes in the Marathon * Jeremy Sochan - Polish-American basketball player * Mouhamadou Traoré - Senegalese footballer * Stanley Udenkwor - Former footballer of Nigerian descent *

Izu Ugonoh Izuagbe Ugonoh (born 2 November 1986) is a Polish mixed martial artist and former professional boxer and kickboxer. He is a graduate of the Jędrzej Śniadecki University School of Physical Education and Sport in Gdańsk. Early life Izuagbe wa ...

– Polish-born boxer of Nigerian descent

Deceased

Entertainment and media

August Agbola O'Browne August Agbola O’Browne (second name also spelled Agbala, Agboola, surname also spelled Brown or Browne; 1895–1976) was a Nigerian jazz musician who is believed to have been the only black participant of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. Biography ...

- Jazz drummer, Polish resistance member

Military

Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski (25 October 1769 – 29 September 1802) was a Polish general and military commander, who fought for France during the Napoleonic Wars. He is the first known Polish general of African descent. After enlis ...

– Polish-born

Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

General of English and African descent

Sportsmen

* Robert Mitwerandu - Footballer of Zimbabwean descent

Other

* Abdulcadir Gabeire Farah – Somalian-born historian and social activist. * Maxwell Itoya – Nigerian immigrant in Poland, who was killed in a police raid on a flea market. * Simon Mol - Cameroonian anti-racism activist arrested for knowingly spreading HIV virus *

Eduard von Feuchtersleben Eduard Freiherr von Feuchtersleben (1798–1857) was a Kraków-born mining engineer and writer. Biography Von Feuchtersleben was born in . His parents were Josephine (1772–1801) and Ernst von Feuchtersleben (1765–1834), an engineer from Hild ...

- Engineer and writer

Notes

References

{{African diaspora Ethnic groups in Poland Polish people of African descent

History

Notable Afro-Polish citizens or residents

Current

Entertainment and media

Political and social activists

Sportsmen

Deceased

Entertainment and media

Military

Sportsmen

Other

See also

Notes

References