Very little has been until the present written about Slovenes in Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula; thus the author has decided for a thorough research. In it he ascertains the quantitative dimensions of the presence of Slovenes and of their descendants, and Slovene culture in that space. Žigon observes standard, but to political-geographical circumstances adequate acculturation processes, particularly in members of the second generation of Slovene emigrants. He typologises the “categories” of Slovene emigrants by states, which he visited within the frame of the project, and in regard of cause for emigration, and age-social specifics. Thus Žigon studied in detail Slovene identity in Egypt, The South African Republic and in Kenya. In analysing individual typical groups he mentions Slovene female missionaries (and a missionary) in Egypt – missionary as a form of emigration is in this contribution not dealt with, yet the role of clerics was in preserving Slovene identity in Egypt of crucial significance.
The article is given specific weight with the report on the presence at the foundation of the first modern society of Slovenes in the mentioned area (in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2001), and on the first larger meeting of Slovenes in South Africa, which was soon followed by the foundation of a Slovene society (March 2002).
The states in which a relatively large number of Slovenes live are: Egypt, The South African Republic, Kenya, Jordan and Israel; also to be mentioned are Ghana and Kuwait. We can find individual emigrants in other states, for example in Namibia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Guinea Bissau, Algeria, Tunis etc.O Slovencih v Afriki in na Arabskem polotoku je bilo doslej znanega oziroma zapisanega zelo malo, zato se je avtor odločil za temeljitejšo raziskavo. Pri tem ugotavlja tako kvantitativne kot kvalitativne razsežnosti navzočnosti Slovencev, njihovih potomcev in pa slovenske kulture v tem prostoru. Opaža standardne, vendar političnogeografskim razmeram primerne akulturacijske procese, predvsem pri pripadnikih druge generacije slovenskih izseljencev. »Kategorije« slovenskih izseljencev tipologizira po državah, ki jih je obiskal v okviru projekta, ter glede na vzrok izselitve in starostno-socialne specifike. Tako se podrobneje loteva slovenstva v Egiptu, Južnoafriški republiki in Keniji. Pri analiziranju posameznih značilnih skupin se dotakne tudi slovenskih misijonark (in misijonarja) v Egiptu – misijonarstva kot oblike izseljenstva se v tem prispevku sicer ne loteva, vendar pa je bila vloga klerikov pri ohranjanju slovenstva v Egiptu odločilnega pomena.
Članku daje specifično težo poročilo o navzočnosti pri ustanovitvi prvega sodobnega društva Slovencev na omenjenem območju (v Nairobiju, Kenija, novembra 2001) ter o prvem večjem srečanju Slovenk in Slovencev v Južni Afriki, ki mu je kmalu sledila ustanovitev slovenskega društva (marca 2002).
Države, v katerih trenutno živi relativno večje število Slovencev, so: Egipt, Južnoafriška republika, Kenija, Jordanija in Izrael, omeniti pa velja še Gano in Kuvajt. Posamezne izseljence lahko najdemo tudi v drugih državah kot npr. Namibija, Tanzanija, Zimbabve, Bocvana, Gvineja Bisao, Alžirija, Tunizija itd
