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My father’s dream was for him to be buried in his birthplace and have the call to prayer resonate over his grave," says Nadia Elbhiri, whose father passed away last year in London.
Ms Elbhiri, who was born and raised in west London, fulfilled her father’s dream when she repatriated his body to Morocco last year, where he was laid to rest in Larache, a small fishing village in the north of the country.
“London was always his home but Morocco was always in his heart,” she says.
This desire to be buried in the place you were born is strong for many first generation African migrants in the UK.
The demand is so huge among the British Moroccan community that, according to embassy officials, at least 95% of first generation migrants are buried in Morocco.
A system is now in place to cover repatriation costs.
[SIZE=5]‘Very stressful’[/SIZE]
Ebenezer Commodore found it tough repatriating his uncle’s body back to Ghana this year.
[B]Despite the uncle having lived in London for at least 30 years, Mr Commodore’s family put him under pressure to fly the body home.
“My uncle’s mother rang me and said: ‘Bring my son’s body back home’. There was no way I was going to argue with the head of the family. You just can’t.”
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So he had to find ways to raise the funds.
Mr Commodore eventually came up with $7,500, and his uncle’s body was sent home for burial.
In cases like this, many in the diaspora have to keep their loved one’s body in a morgue for several months, until there is enough money.
“This waiting is very stressful for those who have cultures where burial needs to take place quickly,” says Fortune Huruva, who coordinates the Zimbabwean Burial Community in Manchester city in northern England.
But the emotional stress, financial costs and family pressures are so high when it comes to repatriation, that some in the diaspora wonder whether it is really worth it.
[B][I]“It’s a waste of money,” says Junior Chankira.
The 40-year old, who was living with her husband Martin in Manchester for 16 years, repatriated his body back to Zimbabwe in 2014.
“If Martin was buried here I would visit his grave every week but now I can’t. I come home to an empty flat all for what? For tradition?”
Ms Chankira says that if she had children she would have been able to fight against her husband’s family’s wish, but she gave in due to emotional stress.
“Our families back home need to understand that our lives are in the UK now. I know when I die, I will see Martin again, regardless of where I am buried.”
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