Yes, there are a number of Diasporans who are a bit sceptical about returning home for one resason or another > Why Diasporans Are Not Returning Home. On the other hand, there are a those who have taken the step to return home permanently with those in this group having realised varying levels of success with their decision. It has either been one of the best decisions ever made or one filled with regret.
For singletons, the task of purchasing a one way ticket to Zimbabwe is not as daunting as they probably don’t have that much ‘baggage’. However, some returnees are families and for them, having a solid plan in place of how they are going to sustain themselves is of utmost importance. This includes things such as a steady stream of income, appropriate accommodation and reliable transportation just to name a few things.
Can you imagine leaving the comforts of London, Sydney, Dallas, Singapore or wherever. Places where you have an income, live in your own accommodation have a car or two and all the mod cons to taking up two rooms at your parents place? That’s what some families who move back home have to do to accommodate themselves in the interim. Living like this might be fine for a few days or weeks but it will more than likely reach a point when it will start to feel a little cramped and you are all in each others space!
Living in this state of being is not ideal especially so for women who are independent and used to having a space that is ‘theirs’. As they continue to live with their parents, the women don’t have a place to call home. Yes, you could say they are home but they aren’t in that comfortable homely place that has their own feminine touch that is home.
Another plight that diaspora returnee wives have to deal with is their husbands. Life in the diaspora is not easy and living in luxury comes at a cost. This then dictates that their men take a more active role around the house. This sees their husbands cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, helping out with the kids and so on.
In Zimbabwe, domestic workers are an affordable luxury which frees up husbands to take care of their business and also to be ‘Zimbabwean men’. Them being immersed back into the Zimbabwean lifestyle sees some of them become different people.
The wives of these husbands who have become someone else now see themselves having to follow the cultural and social expectations of a Zimbabwean wife. This sees them having to let go of certain liberties that they had grown accustomed to in the diaspora. For some it also means having to accept a third or more parties into their marriages as they are forced to accept the small house culture of Zimbabwe.
The above is only an example of what happens to some women. It isn’t the be all and end all for diaspora returnee wives. Some go through worse and for others, the transition to living in Zimbabwe all over again is relatively smooth. Everyone has their own story to tell.
Do you have anything to say on the pros and/or cons faced by Diasporans on the return home?
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