THERE has been a rise in the numbers of black Britons making plans to relocate to Africa and the Caribbean seeking a better quality of life and a better education for their kids. The rising cost of living is also contributing to the trend.

The failure of government to tackle systemic racism is also given as key reasons why black British families are choosing to go ‘back home’ for good.

In recent years, the pandemic and post-Brexit xenophobia has driven Blaxit, as black communities in the West move to countries in Africa or the Caribbean to restart their lives.

The Blaxit term was coined after Brexit, by academic and human rights activist Dr Ulysses Burley III. Blaxit combines both the word black and exit and simply means black people exiting.

Speaking to The Voice from Grenada, Zoe Smith, 41, said the move to the Caribbean island was her only option, as the British education system continuously failed her 11-year-old son.

She said: “Seeing the way that my son was dealt with in the school system, watching black boys getting stopped by police, and being worried about knife crime, I was just made the decision not to go through that.”

Ms Smith is writer from Watford, and is of Grenadian heritage. She moved to Grenada in July 2021, after meticulously planning the trip for over a decade.

She told The Voice, there is more to life than what is in the UK.

“My grandparents moved to England because they wanted a better life for their children, and my parents and I are university-educated and had great professions, but in terms of wellbeing and that gift of just being well in yourself, the UK was lacking a lot,” she explained.

“For my children, I want them to have more than just a career, I want them to know who they are, be centred and grow up somewhere where they are not harassed,” she added.

The mother-of-three studied Italian at university and lived in Italy for a year.  When she returned, she knew living in a big city in the UK was not for her.

While working remotely in 2014, she spent six weeks in Grenada, which was her “trial run” that enabled her research schools, communities and the cost of living on the island.

She returned to Britain, but just couldn’t find herself staying and planned her permanent return to the Spice Island.

After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Ms Smith started a YouTube lifestyle series called The Exodus Collective – which shares stories from those in the black community, who have decided to move to different parts of the Caribbean and Africa to find a sense of peace.

Greenery

“We wanted to show people it can be done and you don’t need to wait until you are retired, I wanted to show ordinary people if you put your mind to it, it can be achieved,” she added.

Ms Smith said the most important part of planning a relocation is to know “why you are moving” and not view the Caribbean as “an escape.”

In July 2021, she decided to leave the UK with her three children, aged 11, six and five.

Ms Smith, who is a single parent, continues to work remotely, and her children have started local schools and are thriving in their new environment.

She said: “My children go to schools that are small and where the teachers are black and they don’t have low expectations of them.

“It’s the simple things like driving around the island and seeing the sea and greenery, but also the people here are genuinely happy and say hello and smile at you and there is a real strong sense of community and that is lacking back in the UK.”

“I just love being in a black country!” she added.

There are a few challenges which took some adjusting to, like the incredibly laid back pace or “island time” that the country moves at, but Ms Smith says she doesn’t miss the “unhappiness and greyness” of life in Britain.

The mother-of-three urged those in black British community to make it their duty to bring their children and grandchildren back to the Caribbean or Africa so they can “keep their culture” and be proud of their identity.

“I think it is essential for black British communities to take their children and grandchildren back to the Caribbean or African countries because you want to know who you are and where you are from,” she added.

When asked how she would describe living in Grenada, Ms Smith beamed and said: “It’s a wonderful feeling and it is liberating.”

For Sharon Akumiah, from Wimbledon, south London, life in the capital was becoming very stressful, so she made the decision to relocate to Ghana in September 2021.

Ms Akumiah’s parents are both Ghanaian and came to the UK in the 1970s. She was born in 1983 and remembers spending a lot of time in the west African country during her childhood – which made the transition easy.

Embraced

She told The Voice: “In 2017, I came to Ghana on a holiday and met my now husband and I was going back and forth. We had plans for him to come over, but then the pandemic hit and working from home became very stressful.

“I had several family members and friends passing away from Covid and I just felt I needed a change in environment.”

Ms Akumiah has been a solicitor for five years and said that being a black woman in the law profession was very challenging at times.

“It’s no secret that we still face a bit of racism and discrimination in the profession and in fact, both the Bar Council and the Law Society have realised that they need to do a lot more,” she added.

One of the major differences the solicitor has quickly noticed is how natural hair is embraced in Ghana.

“People are coming home to find their roots”

Sharon Akumiah

She said: “In the UK and in a corporate environment, I was very conscious about the way my hair was and when I was transitioning from having my hair relaxed to natural, a senior colleague negatively commented on my hair.

“But here it is not a problem and that is quite liberating.”

Many of Ms Akumiah’s friends have also been returning to different parts of Africa, like Zambia, Zimbabwe and The Gambia, and she was inspired to do the same.

She is currently enrolled on a course for legal professionals who gained their qualifications abroad, which will enable her to practice law in Ghana, after a year.

She revealed that her course has seen its highest number of overseas students this year, with many from the diaspora wanting to practice law in Ghana full-time.

She said: “Last year there were only 40 international students, but this year there are 120 and that speaks volumes.”

“I wanted to come back and see how I can contribute to my country of origin and also the whole George Floyd movement made me reflect on my life in the UK,” she added.

Surprise

“I have family in Belgium and when I have visited them I have experienced racism and that made me question, ‘why am I here in Europe?’ when I can be somewhere where I am loved. My husband is here and that was a big part of my decision.”

During her early twenties, Ms Akumiah was travelling back to Ghana regularly and today, she credits those journeys for helping her to feel right at home in 2022. 

But she has experienced some challenges like understanding the local languages.

Ms Akumiah is from the Ga tribe in Ghana, and admits she doesn’t understand the local languages of Ga or Twi as much as she should – but is learning more everyday through conversations.

She is based in Accra, the capital, and says it has rightly been labelled “one of the most expensive cities in Africa” and those coming should have a sufficient financial plan in place.

The law student describes herself as “an Amazon queen” who was once a keen online shopper but says she had to adapt because the convenience of online shopping is not really available.

Healthcare costs has been the biggest surprise for Ms Akumiah and she said it can be “expensive” and if she “requires treatment she has to pay for it herself.”

However, despite these issues she is embracing her new life and has much more of a work-live balance.

In 2019, Ghana and Jamaica announced there would be a visa waiver agreement between the two nations to encourage migration and a closer bond between Africa and the Caribbean.

According to Ms Akumiah, this government incentive is driving a growing Jamaican diaspora community in Ghana.

“There are a lot of expats here, people from the Caribbean coming home to find their roots and end up staying here,” she added.

Ms Akumiah has a clear plan for her future, which includes working between Ghana and the UK only as a consultant and not an employee, as she is keen to keep the flexibility of being able to work wherever she wants.

But ultimately she said Ghana is where her heart is and it is where she plans to start and raise her family with her husband.

“The plan is to set up home here, there are a lot of opportunities to buy property here and there are specific mortgages for people who are from abroad and we want to make Ghana our forever home.”

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Zoe Smith’s top tips for moving to the Caribbean:

> Apply for citizenship — with a lot of islands, you can only apply through your parents, and few where you can apply through grandparents. The pandemic showed us being stuck is not fun, so having options is important.

> Check out the Exodus Collection on YouTube and that will open your mind to what options are available. Also, know why you want to move and understand what makes you happy.

> Research online, but visit islands you are interested in because it will help answer questions and ease uncertainties.

Sharon Akumiah’s top tips for moving to Africa:

> Spend time in the country you want to settle in — a holiday is very different from living in a country full-time. Research what you will do for work, accommodation, business, and schools, if you have children.

> Have an idea about your income. Money can go very quickly and prices are increasing. Employed work is quite rare unless you have a really good skill that they need, so have a plan. There are a lot of opportunities for starting businesses, just make sure it is viable.

> Have a plan if it doesn’t work out, so you can go back easily without any hassle.

The dream of moving back to Africa is not a new phenomenon

IN 1861, more than 15,000 freed and free-born black people in the US and 3,198 African-Caribbean people relocated to Liberia.

Our historical leaders like Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X preached that the only way for black people to be truly liberated is to return to the Motherland and many of their followers acted on their philosophies and made the move across the Atlantic.

In 1914, Garvey, who was a black nationalist and Pan-Africanist, founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and advocated for black people to physically return to the African continent.

Five years later, Garvey founded the Black Star Line, and purchased two ships to provide transportation for those wanting to return to Africa.

By 1948, Emperor Haile Selassie donated land in Shashamane, in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, to members of the Rastafari movement in Jamaica and other African-Caribbean people wishing to settle in Ethiopia.

Today, members of the Rastafari community continue to campaign for repatriation to Ethiopia and other parts of Africa.

In 2018, Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo launched the Year of Return (TYOR) to commemorate 400 years since the first enslaved people were brought from Africa to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. TYOR welcomed 1.5 million tourists and generated a staggering 1.9 billion dollars in revenue as a result from Year of Return activities.

Ghana is believed to be the number one destination for African-Americans and diaspora Africans in 2019.

APRIL EDITION OF THE VOICE

This feature is one of many great articles in the latest edition of The Voice. Several features and columns are not available online – so pick up a copy from today (31st March) at your newsagent, or subscribe by clicking here.

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