By Daimone Siulapwa
This month make exactly one year since I returned home to resettle after having spent almost 2 decades in the Diaspora, to be exact, 19 years and 4 months.
Today, I buy myself a large whisky and celebrate my survival, Africa is indeed a jungle and in a very good way. You need to be mentally prepared before you put your foot here. but home is home…. At some stage everything loses meaning as compared to the feeling of being home amongst your people and your family that you love….. I have no regret I made up my mind to resettle back home.
Just bought my first farm, I hope to retire there in about 10 years and not in an OLD AGE HOME…I am 41 years this year.
There are three ways to go back home when you live in the Diaspora,Dead in a Coffin, by deportation or by voluntary re-location. We don’t have control over the first two and they are the easiest, the last one we do have control and is the hardest of them all.
Voluntary resettlement can be due to old age, sickness or you have completed your studies, or you have made your fortune or you are just tired of living in another country… you just want to go home..
How long have you been away?” People asked me year in and year out and the next question would be, how can you stand it, don’t you miss home?
Aren’t you ever going back?”
When you have been living out there for a year, or may be four years,it’s easy to answer that question….. I am going back home definitely,
but, five year is a different story, ten years is another story…twenty years … it looks impossible
Many people will say “Yes, I miss my country, but I find it hard to believe it really is possible to go back home and resettle comfortably. When I first left my country in, I told myself I would be back home in five years or less. Get in, get my degree or earn myself some money and bang.. back home.. Now here I am, am glad am back home,but it took me almost two decades and not five years.
Are you ever going back home? The words send a chill down people’s spine.Everyone has their reasons for leaving their home country—better
education, the promise of a better life, political expediency, etc. It doesn’t matter because when we get there (wherever “there” happens to
be), we are all exiles of some sort. For some, it makes no difference since they have no intention of going back to their countries. They
embrace their new lives to the fullest, infused with self-congratulation and gratitude at the rare moments when they spare a thought for the people and country they left behind; thankful to have escaped the horrors that continue to plague the unfortunate in their homelands.
And then there are those like me, who, even as they build a life in their country of exile, even as they dig deeper and more solid foundations in other lands, cast a longing eye to the homes of their hearts.
We are the “keyboard activists” ( the Blog masters, Musana Wa nzili,THE SAINT, Mushota, MMD Bootlicker, Zedian, Umupondo, Wanu Ngwee,INDEPENDENT OBSERVER, Nubian Princess and many more ) who follow every event in our homelands with breathless anticipation, fingerspoised over keyboards to send words of praise, of chiding, of encouragement, of displeasure, to the numerous online news sites.
We are the perennial protestors and demonstrators, who camp out at our embassies to protest our governments’ policies, who refuse to patronize companies whose operations in our countries are detrimental to the welfare of our fellow citizens. We are the activists, who organize our fellow citizens and encourage them to share in our vision of a better future for our country.We are the doctors, the engineers, the computer scientists, the
lawyers, the students, the accountants, who, even as we sit behind a desk at work or in class or in a research laboratory, ponder on how we
can use our knowledge and expertise to benefit our countries, better still, how can we go back home after so long?
Yet, tinged with the hope and the desire to return is the mouth-drying, nausea-inducing Fear. The dread of finding out that we don’t fit in anymore with “our” people and in “our” society (How many friends do we have left? How many people can we relate to?). The fright of realizing that we’ve been gone too long and everything has changed beyond our ability to cope. The terror of acknowledging that we have become too used to the customs and conveniences of our adopted nations, the horror of giving in to the panicky voice inside us that says we can’t make a difference. The more we desire to achieve a level where we can affect the outcome of things in our countries, the deeper we find ourselves enmeshed into the fabric of life in the hands of our exile.
My sisters and brothers, it is possible to go back home and resettle.What we all need to do is plan carefully, as what we want to do when we get back home… do you want to start a business? Do you want to go into politics or charity work?
The exposure you have so far acquired can help your country be a better place for our future generation, we can’t all make million of dollars to take back home but we can all positively contribute to the development of our countries.. Africa needs you.
The name of the game is contacts. Being over there puts us at a major disadvantage because we’re out of the loop. Spending some time working
for someone else before branching out on own covers you somewhat because you can use the time to develop your own contacts. You could
also find a local partner who has the prerequisite knowledge and understanding of the system, though it may be very tough to find honest partners.
Look for like-minded people anywhere, everywhere. There are lots of people around who think the way you do, just looking for the right contacts, the right person, or the right project to come along.
I know, always, accompanying this maze of terrors, is the bigger, less acknowledged fear that in a five to ten years we will be too old to
resettle back home… Have no such fear, it is possible, age or your financial situation should not be an issue.
But you need to ask yourself a few questions and answer them as honestly as you can to yourself, reflect on them and give yourself a minimum of 2 years on the plan to resettle back home….
Some question to reflect on would be..
1. Is it possible to really go back home?
2. What should I do to prepare?
3. How long should I plan?
4. What happens with my citizenship in my adopted country?
5. How does my spouse fit in?
6. What do we do with our children?
7. Should I go into business or should I start my own business, or should I become a politician or join the government?
Good boy, back to the land!
LORD only if you come back with more than a million dollers. Zed can be very frastrating with a hell lot of bariers that hinder ones progress(GRZ being one)
Nice article bro.Gives some good food for thought.
This is another boring article, we have been to what you call diaspora, personally i have lived in the UK for 7and half years studied my MBA and MSc and worked abit..It all depands with what kind of mind you had when u were leaving Mother Zambia..Its easy to start again…MIND SET!!
@*****,why then did you read it all if it’s boring,the man is just sharing his life and encouraging others to come home and settle.What is oring sbout that.Would you have loved to read about this man being a destitue or a drunkard in the diaspora?Mulekwata amano yakwika na bantu not fye aya ku sukulu.
Good article. I have noticed, many Zambian who fail to go back home are those who have not invested at home. they eat all the money and live large in foreign land and show off to fellow zambians. forgetting the very pipo they are showing off to are living modest in foreign land and investing back home. live modest in foreign land and invest home please
You forgot one other reason for relocation:- When you swindle an SA citizen of R100,000 & you scamper back to your home country with the hope that MMD wins the elections & RB gives u a job becoz of the bootlicking articles you’ve been writing.
ahhahahah i know the guy in question, nice one
lol
I don’t think he was based in RSA, he was based in the UK!!
Not only in South Africa but also in Bots
That’s no good reason to finally go back home … it defeats the purpose if you have to go because of some mischief then want to pretend to be a good ole-boy. The whole world is one’s home and like Thomas Jefferson put it, we are all citizens of the world. One day when the whole world has developed there will be no borders, African, Europerean, Latinos, Americans, Russians and Asians will decided to live wherever they will want to as they will be governed by a single Federation. There will be free movement, and no need for passports … just live another hundred more years and you will live in that world.
Thanks Marie-Anne
Back to the jungle, now do something about our jungle-land.
Brilliant analysis
Good Morning
Thank you Lord brother you have just answered my question 2013 Zambia here we come with my family
”Run away kid, and never return”
Simba was encouraged to run away from paradise. That’s in Lion King.
If only you knew what potential for greatness is in your home country!! But you need to be brave and have a plan. It takes some nerve to establish yourself anywhere. If you are addicted to salary and all the nice feelings that come with it, you will not cross over to the land of the free.
”Run away kid, and never return”
our land is not a jungle.i love Zed and i wouldnt do anything for the sake of money,money is not hapiness,watever we have at one point,we will leave them,life is an accumulation of moments,i love africa coz it gives me alot of challenges and challenges if overcome will give u happiness.welcome back soldier boy we hope to enjoy your contribution to the growth of this nation.but its not a jungle unless u imply that wewho have never been in the diaspora are wild animals.u should have edited that line seriuosly.
maybe i will return but as things stand now zambia is not a favourable place to be for me. i would love to go back home one day god willing.
Very good article and wake up call. Am glad there are so many patriotic Zambians out there. I’ve lived outside Zambia for 17 years now, but my heart is home. So, YES it’s possible and important to go back home at some point. Our country needs alot of its sons and daughters with international exposure to help it improve the standards in every aspect of life. Every country we admire was like Zed at some stage and we too can make it. I see greatness in our country which with right attitude can take us high up there. SO, GOD BLESS ZAMBIA!!
Just come pipo zambia yali pwalala. Imagine a guy like Mmembe decides who to be the president.
lol………….
And just to think its seriously true. How sad!
It’s good you went back Daimone otherwise you would be languishing in jail here in S.A.Even you have saved us the trouble of going to ‘ghost shows’ which you would organise.We just so relived you left.And thank God MMD lost coz we thought they would offer you a job.
Siulapwa, you ran away after swindling people here. Don’t cheat us that you went back willingly. Try to come here, you know what will happen to you. You are such an embarassment to all Zambians. Mwaliba bwana so don’t give us lectures here no matter how good.
Is that so? I knew this is no true life bottom-of-the-heart article. Thanks for the insight boss.
@ Chapter 5.lol!thanks for the heads up….although noticed something fishy about the article:)
Great article!
A couple o things:
1. Yes you have control over ‘deportation’ – unless you break the law by committing a serious crime whose punishment is deportation, you should never worry about deportation; you have a slight ‘control’ over death too – if you eat KFC and Maccas 24/7 and drink drive, then your coffin may be bought sooner than you expected.
2. The notion that you have to be physically stationed in a country for you to make a positive is wrong. In today’s ‘One World’ you can make massive contributions in Zambia even when you are overseas. What happens with international companies who owners live overseas? We have movie stars for example living in Hollywood and investing in Italy, UK or Australia.
3. You forgot to tell us how you are doing so far in your one year.
well said Jigga!!well said….let him tell us how he is doing.:d
4. You have articulated reasons why most people don’t want to go back home. But for many, well for me anyway, is career. If I were to go back home today, I don’t think I would utilise my engineering skills even to a quarter’s potential. We are a consume country and unless I go there and start a company where there will be no customers, I would be ‘doomed’.
(i) Kids also play an important role – you want them to get the best education abroad
(ii) In Zambia, unless you are a political bootlicker, it’s hard to make a head start… that’s my impression anyway
5. Finally, good to know you paid homage to some of our greatest internet trolls… I wonder whether you were one of those names, hahaha ?
There’s something sinister happening here with this author. I have read 2 comments from South-African flagged (or based) people (i.e. @ #6 MARIE-ANNE and @ #17 Chapter 5) accusing this author Siulapwa that he allegedly swindled someone’s money and ‘ran’ away to Zambia. Can we have more on these allegations… anyone no more? I mean Zambia and S/A are pretty close and cops have cooperative agreements in place, wouldn’t he be arrested if these allegations were true?
Siulapwa, are these allegations true?
Natubwelele kumwesu bonse bane & make ZED a better place for generations to come! Pantu mukesa ifitumbi! dnt worry,we shall bury u. Hey diaspora dwellers,there is now a new cemetery in Lusaka,U guys can afford. U better buy your one room in advance.
Some of us would love to come back but we are gay. The thought of being treated like criminals over something so very trivial precludes us… or at least me… from ever seriously thinking about coming back no matter how much we want to help or how much we miss our families or just wanting to be ‘home’. Oh well…
:d Being Gay can not be trivial anyway. Do n’t bring such home please.
and now your ka brother Humphrey decides to go in exile..hahahaha..let the youngman come back..he’s safe!!
Is South Africa diaspora too? This Sialupwa family, kaya mwe, and I wonder why they die by lightening. And who can read that silly long article? F#@%$ only..
You would have to be mad to go back to Zambia with the cobra at the helm. Very soon I see Zambia replicating Zim with a very high proportion of it’s population living outside it’s borders.
I returned home in 2007. Dare I admit on an unplanned return, hence my family is still stuck Stateside, I am relatively confortable and was able to juggle 3 high profile jobs before I settled in this one media house. My family will not come for fear of the unknown. The wifey turned up last year, pleaded for me to return to America, but on realising the stuff I’d been through in 15 years I passed and counterproposed a family re-union Permanently!!!! ….back here, the wife flew back and two weeks later, my divorce papers arrived in the mail. I sighed a relief for whatever, but true, you got to deeply think about returning home, it could be the end of your family.
interesting! what things did you go through in the 15 years?
There is nothing special about being in the diaspora that can make a sensible person forget home. it is all adventure and it come s to an end, when that time comes, you will find your way home. i will be back, Zed is home and will be no matter what. Boondock the diasporama in Senegal.
5. How does my spouse fit in?
Thats the most hilarious question, first you plan your trip and then think about how your spouce fits in. lol
I bet if she doesnt you get……eerrrrrr, another one?
it is a good article by any standards.
Diaspora yakwa Siulapwa South Africa.lol
Since i am from chililabombwe, i will do a bit of diaspora in Kasumbalesa too.
LETTER TO THE HIGH COMMISSIONER COMPLAINING ABOUT SIULAPWA: Attention: Your Excellency:
Lt Col Bizayo Newton Nkunika
Zambia High Commisioner
Sir,
We have been a victim of a man that was posing as a local business man. We have ordered corporate clothing from him and usually we only pay a deposit. He however demanded payment in full due to financial reasons and we paid him in full. He then disappeared and only after we succeeded to find his Facebook page and send him a message, did he respond and promised to return our monies. See Next Post
He has however again disappeared and we understand that he moved to Zambia and that he is in fact a Zambian national.
We also understand that he is a high profile Zambian citizen with political aspirations. His name is Diamond Siulwapwa or Diamone Silulwapwa. (See info below)
Please can your office assist us in getting hold of this high profile Zambian citizen as to force him to return the monies that he stole from us.
Casper H Badenhorst
Zambians are too laid back, my face and work ethic can’t fit anymore.
Thank God you are back!Home is home.Having been away also from my home land for studies and back i understand what it feels to be in a foreign land!
Whoa. I need time to digest this article before I post my opinion. Sheta sheta sheta (Now digesting)
NOT WITH SATA IN POWER… ZAMBIA NOW LOOOKS LIKE A VILLAGE OR SHANTY COMPOUND!! I HAVE JUST BEEN THERE..! IT IS DIRTY, VERY VERY DIRTY YOU WON’T LIKE IT. STREET VENDORS ARE RULING NOW. THERE IS NO ORDER, NO DISCIPLINE. PEOPLE THINK U.R.I.N.A.T.I.N.G AND S.H.I.T.T.I.N.G IN PUBLIC IS WHAT FREEDOM MEANS…
ZAMBIA IS NOW THE DIRTIEST COUNTRY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. SURPRISINGLY SOME PEOPLE ARE PROUD OF THE DIRTY ENVIRONMENT. IT’S LIKE MONKEYS. MONKEYS FROM MPIKA ARE RULING…
I’m not coming back the dust just chokes me in Lusaka.the hospitals have no medicines,roads are bad,garbage littered all over.Are you kidding me.Its not the Zambia I left.My family and friends are all abroad.So whats there to come to?
Ali,you are very right. I guess it is a question of life- style. I live in the West and l love it here, it offers me the life- style that l always dreamt of, i.e an effective & fair political system, a very equitable education system that offers every person an equal opportunity, a very effective criminal justice system where nobody is above the law & a police force that is well equipped and efficient for the protection of citizens and a very well managed economy where services flow without imterruption.Then l have a career that l normally would’nt be able to fully utilize back home.
Home is home and it is good sense to go back to,if your life style so deems necessary. To those who plan to go back, best of luck.
Brilliant article Diamond, Don’t mind the negative comments its just that you’ve touched a raw nerve and this is the only way these chaps can respond…its just human nature; deep down in their subconscious these chaps are digesting every word from this article where ever they are right now on the subway, Tube,metro, in the car, factory, office.or in their dreams etc.
Wish you and your family the best in your resettlement back in Zambia.
#24 Nostradamus: Ala wansekesha… DIASPORA according to the English dictionary is the DISPERSION OF PEOPLE FROM THEIR ORIGINAL LAND. It’s different from the ABROAD Vs OVERSEAS argument. Chao, enjoy your weekend.
Well, here goes nothing. I honestly believe that this particular article has a well intended purpose. having said that, I do believe that returning back home (Zambia) is in all instances a “personal” decision. There are several factors that can influence this decision. As the author clearly stated, these factors are neither here nor there. Speaking for myself, in in 15 years or so, Iam blessed enough to have had a life in the 3 most westernised socities, UK, USA and Canada. Yes, I’ve had the opportunity to VISIT Zambia in my recent past. The shock “reality” of Zambia as we knew or know it is as raw as it gets. The opportunities that exist in Zambia are now vast. It is a tough place to start a life if you don’t have a solid foundation…cont’
a plan and if you don’t have solid contacts. Yes, if one can make it in the USA while doing mediocre jobs, it assumed one can make it in Zambia. That is a reasonable argument that is up for debate. My opinion is that, if you decide and not forced (deported) to go back home, you have a good chance of making-and making it is simply however you want to define it. From some posts here, it seems the author may have had some issues in his past that made him return home. Be that as it may, there aren’t any facts to support that. Overall, the “decision” is yours to make. I think at the the end of the day, all of us can appreciate the authors’ point of view as he porvides valuable insight to those contemplating “the return”. The choice is your!!! Zambia is truly your to discover.
Yes, Zambia is dusty, dirty, and teh street vendors are a pain in the a.s.s to say the least. But, it’s home. And if you wish to make a difference and contribute positively to it’s growth, it’s your responsibility to do something, anything that will change teh way things are. Some of you have never even voted but yet you compalin about the living standards in Zambia. My brother my sister, if you’re happy to be working at mcdonalds’ making minimum wage and have accepted that that’s the way thing are, then so be it. If you have a career where ever you are and are happy then, good for you. But we all have a choice to make, at the end of the day, is it the right choice for you and your family? Ask yourself that question before you respond to my post. Thank you!
Ba diamone, Who are you trying to mislead. You are a wanted person here like what others indicated here. You never willingly relocated back home. Sorry for the guys you cooned but you did us a favour by running away as mwalichilamo ukupula ubwalwa. Chapter 5 is 100% right of the extra letter he posted here
I salute you for the article. i went to zambia sent by a construction company to do a job in september last year. going on expatriate condition was very motivating. the project was in my home town kitwe. what was my experience ? working in zambia was the best experience have ever had in my career. i built a two semi detached houses in ganerton. have worked many years in diaspora and this looked like a dream.here in diaspora i can afford only to pay my rentals buy food, pay my commitments, go out with family and went again for the next month. it been a circle all the time . the quality of life is good but all their is to it . shortly before the job was doing was coming to an end, had connections that gave me my own contract which I signed thiis week.there is potential pa zed,come back
Alright, alright, alright am by no means siding with the author on this issue some of you keep expresing, but….enough of this bashing already!
Can those of you “claiming” that Diamone is a fraud/thief/ or whatever you say substatient your “claims”? Please, enlighten some of us that are not in on what his “true” story is, REALLY!
I hope therefore that my experience in zambia can help some people who may be thinking of going home. It would be a mistake . Thanks again for the article. A lot of people with potential are busy suffering in diaspora for fears that unfounded.
it is very difficult to return and vey few do so. When i went to the UK, I thought i was going to make a forune in wo or three years and come back to continue my life in zed.I ended up clocking just over five years and discovering that creating wealth in another country and carrying it back home takes decades not 24 months and that you have to spend a lot in the diaspora just to keep up appearances or else word will filter back home that you are in deep…
now, i returned and built my life from scratch, was even able to go back for a business seminar to the Uk as a Zambian delegate. God of course played a big part in my rebirth, pray before making the journey back to the dirty, poverty stricken and disorganised country we all call home sweet home.
Surely,S.A is only 2hours away from Zed,and i know its a foreign country,but is this were somebody can live for 20 years and claim to be in the diaspora were they could have lost touch with the motherland?Unless somebody either ran away as a fugitive from Zed to SA or was about to be in trouble with the law in SA and is now returning after 20 years hoping all those he owed or stepped on the toes have demised.
@Fumbi you’re one in a few…ver ylucky indeed. The point to take home here is determination and dedication. The two go hand in hand and ofcourse, some blessings too if you believe in the devine. Truth is, most Zambians abroad/overseas (I detest the term “diaposra”) have fear of the unknown. True, what you don’t know wont hurt you but you WILL NEVER know unless you take that leap of faith. Ultimate conviction of what you ultimately desire to do with your life is paramount. I, Umupondo strognly believe that, we can all make a difference in Zambia whether we do it indirectly or directly. Your post is inspiring. Thanks. Perhaps, we all need to network at some point and put our ideas (no matter how insignificant they may be) together. It is feasable but in all honestly, less likely!
Ok some comments are senseless these people built their countries before they became what they are.So who do you want to built it for you.You can stay were you are Zambia cant develop with likes of people writing comments like i have seen.
Good article.
Am not going back to Zambia with yellow fever. Dust, mad, no road, no infrustracture, no agenda. Everything is dont KUBEBA.
OK lets get down to reality, unless you are in Health care sector where apparently jobs are always available, e.g Doctor, Nurse etc or you planning to go and set up some business of some sort, it would be callous, selfish and unwise for thousands upon thousands of Zambians in diaspora to go back home and grab jobs from their sisters and brothers or worse still to go and join millions of unemployed Zambians.
My advice is to you machonas is that stay put and only consider coming back after doing your maths properly. za
Surprising how some ZAMBIANS just talk so badly about their Own COUNTRY, No one will change that country apart from YOU ZANBIANS, I live in the Diaspora but love Zambia, Some of you have gotten so comfortable in other peoples land. Think and plan, Mukaba APHIRI ANABWELA.
Good Article, ZAMBIANS LEARN TO BE PART OF A SOLUTION TO THE DIRTY STREETS. Get Involved and change your country.
Thank you very much for this article Mr S. I also want to salute Umupondo and Fumbi for your comments.
Well, am 6000 miles away and I go back home every day. Not using a jet made by grand pa; awe, just in my mind. When going to work, I listen to my favourite music which makes me go home, in my mind. What music? “Kwa Kanshambala” by Serenje Kalindula band. It reminds me of the Zambia i love; yet the generation, or my generation is gone!! I hear ba JK, Mampi and the rest, and it makes me cry inside that wao, my generation is gone, because thats not me, thats the younger generation. Lol, yes, i go home every day.
I am unwell, wish me quick recovery but I as someOne who sees returning back home as ” failure” I beg to differ from this drivel , good interesting read though well done
Sent from my iPad 3
Thanks
Some of you must decide now if you’ve plans of returning home before your home in Zambia becomes BAROTSELAND
It hates to be a foreigner there is no place like home,that is the only place you can afford to scream,puke,shout walk backwards and borrow salt from your neighbour as if its the most normal thing to do in the world,God its great to be home.Being a foreigner is like being invited for a drink up at the officers mess,the beer is cheap and facilities nice but you expected to be drank and behave sober at the same time.
I was away for studies for a while.And yes my mind was just set on going back home to ‘develop my country as my country needed qualified specialists like me’. So natuarlly I got on the first plane I could back to my beloved country thinking of all I was going to do back home.Some people who had relocated had warned me of how difficult it is to get a job nad all.I just thought they hadnt tried harder!Well tell you what 2 whole years passed by with me still being jobless!!Finally I got a job and ask me how much I was being paid:-<My workmates told me I was very lucky for most of them had to wait 5-6 years!!!!!Naturally I left as soon as I got a better offer and I dont regret it!I am a proud zambian and very patriotic but I need to fend for my wife and kids.
If anyone is planning to go back home..good luck!Just dont let emotions cloud your judgement.Make sure you are ready for it ie have enough money saved up, have made ealier investmnents,etc (which is quite difficult to do when you are just an ordinary student).Oh and make sure you dont really need to get a job for it is very difficult to get one unless you have ‘connections’ or know ‘someone with connections’.
Although reasons for living in the diaspora are personal, and vary from person to person, people relocate to a particular country becoz of good conditions for realizing their dreams than in their country of origin.
Clover # 61, i love your contribution. Thanks
Lots of Zambians think of home and would want to come and contribute. Many are not actually discouraged by the dirty streets etc. Its the national leadership that makes people get sick whenever they think of home. Can you tell me, with all the rubbish we are reading about Sata, can one think of coming back to Zambia?
Relocation ka? Home is where your heart is….its not a place of birth, it a place where you find peace and harmony with your self. Each place has its own challenges, Zambia has its own challenges and the diaspora has its challenges, the only question is what you can trade them for. Zambia is not as bad as many think, yes money would be hard to get buy but personaly i will return to Zambia for one thing, i have learnt that its my home… i miss the heart warming associations with friends, neighbor and, the family ties. Here u will get opportunities but you are consumed in loneliness.
Yes there is the money but there is no life…am sure God didnt intend for us to live this where for you to get association you need to buy a Dog.
Diasporas, if you are comfortable out there stay there. But one thing sure, there is no place like home. Any comment that comes to your ears out there you run over it x3 to clear yourself that you have not been offended. Otherwise learned or not its not your home. You got to proudly say my home. Am a Zedian in Diaspora, but am in touch with my family and I go home from time to time. Atleast I can walk back if I miss home.
Coment 65:: You are true to most of these who are getting upset at the point of reading other peoples’ comments. Let us not pretend the reason for failing to come back ((98%) is due to failing to come and fit coz on return someone could have only raised USD100000 if he is disciplined, in which case the guys home are making. Along side that they have already bought farmers built houses etc. I have seen this with some colleagues of mine so please, life is tough everywhere. Let us not pretend that life is tough in Zambia. Its just as tough out there. Working hours 23.5hrs sleeping 0.5hrs., heila whats that??:o
Been preparing for relocation in the last 2yrs and would have been home by next year if political climate is conduisive enough. Seem to have a wrong name by Zambian standards but am a survivor in the world after several visits back home,’ve little altenative but RELOCATE in 4 yrs time and survive in my own country despite current state of affairs.
Not everyone can return home for personal reasons and there are very few jobs to accomodate everyone. Relocating home demands careful planning and good financial backbone to support oneself or the family. Its also hard in diaspora to save up enough cash to start business in Zambia…we are talking 15-20yrs which is not easy to achieve but that depends on your business plan. Children also come into play and it becomes harder because you dont want to sacrfice your appetite for going home for your kids education sake. Again u wonder if you would want to grow old in diaspora alone in a nursing home when you can be comfortably be looked after in Zambia. Zambian lifestyle is hard but if you prepare yourself and do some good research you can make it. I am going back in August this year
Very interesting article and factual. Good planning is what is needed when going back home. The question on the spouse is a very important one for a married couple or defacto.
Been here about two decades. Never tasted nshima all these years and don’t miss it. Planning on being buried right here. So long!
Living in a foreign country is not always easy. There are always many challenges. I have lived in India for two years and now I am in China.Certainly the quality of life here is a times fold better than Zambia but everyday I am increasing becoming stressed primarily due to peoples attitudes here shallow thinking. There is a lot of hidden racism against black/African people and i cannot just stand it. As soon as i am through with studies i am heading directly back home. I love my freedom and happiness more than anything else.
Sometimes you have to go to and stay in other countries for a good reason such as when the jews where sent to egypt due to famine and when Jesus when to egypt to hide from pharaoh.
Coming back shud not be problem but a question of simply adjusting. Stay where you can for a good reason. Mwikala patalala mwine apa talalika.
Thank you so much for your insights and advice you have touched on the so many thoughts that run through my mind about going back. I am in the ‘I need to start planning’ stage and have definitely made the decision to return your article has helped cement the idea. Many Thanks!
Good message indeed. I feel going back home might also be dependent on the reasons you had left home in the first place. Some people will be “scared” to go back home due to some uncompromising situations they left back. Its always a good idea to go back and apply whatever you have let out there for the development in your own home town. I am one of them who desires to see developments taking place in my home country as i see them outside here. Lets all in diaspora go back based on our vision for both our lives, family and country. I believe any where you are was ordained by God and it should not deemed a mistake. the promised land for Israel was not their birth place. Agape
Judging by the comments Mr Siulapwa’s article has definitely touched something concerning we ‘diasporians’ who are part of the modern neo-liberal economic slavery migratory pattern. I am too poor to keep up appearances. It seems most of the people writing are urban type people with capitalist leanings. No-one has mentioned going ku munzi, why? Since I am still relatively poor in spite of 22years away in western Europe and South Africa, I might as well go and stay in the village for some time while I ponder my next move. Research gender based violence and womens discrimination in Zambia and organised religion oppression while I’m about it? Any funding offers out there?
Most people want to go back ‘home.’ BUT, what is ‘home?’
It is always assumed that those in the diaspora are the ones who are ‘away’ from home. This is not the case. There are Zambians who moved from the villages to the cities to etch a living and one day, go back ‘home.’ This may be just a transport from Shangombo to Mongu, or from Mugubudu to Chipata or perhaps from Kasama to Kitwe. There are also others who have moved from one city to another. One may have been brought up in Lusaka and then move to Kitwe, or from Chipata to Mongu, and all will still feel that ‘one day, I will go back home.’ So Where is home?
Thanks Siulapwa for this brilliant article! Keep it up. I will start planning to go back in 4yrs time.
HOME is where the HEART is!
Please stay outside Zambia and we shall develop our own country without you guys……….never mind! the author has his own painful ideology as per say and we don’t feel your coming will change our beloved country never, not at all…we love our country as much, the dirty, street vendors, dirty roads and just the nature around us which someone out there loves much and will pay to come as much as a thousand miles away……….period! No hate.
Livingstone @81 this article is intended for us in diaspora not you so just zip it. we Also love Zed just as much as you but had to live for various reasons. And we can contribute more because we have traveled and we look at the world differently.
PS great article you described exactly what i have been thinking and feeling Thanks man
The issue is not siulapwa but the message.. I like how bold siulapwa has been all along.. Even with a few zambian in south africa continue to insult him, he has caourage to continue giving us words to chew for our meals… My question is, if you made a million dollars wherever you are, would you continue staying there or would u return home to zambia.. There in lies siulapwa’s message
I left home when i was very young and it is 20yrs later and am still in exile. For me, going back home has been on my mind but am not sure what to expect. For me my family is those that i have right now and here with me and those back home have been out of touch for the longest time ever.
It is right that one day, we need to go back to our roots to make a difference and give back what we have learned whilst in exile. Great article.
Good on you for going back, all the best.
@81 “And we can contribute more because we have traveled and we look at the world differently.” ??? I’m sorry if that is your high and mighty attitude don’t return. I think this site is for everyone. In Zambia there are people who have made it, local millionaires in different sectors and what they have discovered is paradise ni we mwine. Besides my friends, Lusaka is not equal to Zambia. Those of us who think Zambia is too dirty, please change citizenship. We in Zed are jack of all trades and we are driving, building houses we are making it because we have no pride.@26 Senzo ku knoda chabe…….
Yes you are a real man,i have lived in South Africa for 10 years and i am about to go back to Zambia,but i have heard some sentiment from my colleagues here in South Africa as if this is there land,after analyzing their say,it comes to be that,it is because they haven’t invested back home “Zambia” and have nowhere to land.the most interesting part i ask my self is,how are they going to live in a foreign land when they see better days of their lives?keep it up man,you did the best thing,your home is your home,you shall manage to settle down in few years.BRAVO!!!
I am very proud if you man, very few of us are man enough to take the board step, been in south africa now 15yrs, now I understans why some guys here is south africa have always talked down on you, you make decisons like a real man, most of us here don’t have anthing apart from ngongole and small house we are paying over 20yrs, I would not be suprised if they sentyou back here as an ambassador.. Bravo my man
Home..sweet home, unless there is something seriously wrong with you, like one Mushota.
:((I tell u going back to Zed after living abroad for more than two yrs means duty free to all yo belongings. But awe Customs does not understand that instead u r asked to pay duty for their pockets i think and if u dont pay in time after asking u extraodinary amount they feast on yo goods and u have nowhere to complain coz it starts with the customs boss at ZRA. So whatever u save u have to share with customs cheeky them.. Pls ZRA tell us what we r exactly entitled to coz we dont know.
I like the helpful information you supply on your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and test again here regularly. I am moderately certain I’ll be told plenty of new stuff proper here! Best of luck for the following!