They say there is no place like home, and maybe that is true, but where exactly is home?
Is it the place you were born? The place you currently live? Or maybe where you grew up. For the people who migrate to another country in the hopes of a better life, sometimes it’s all of these things. In our Memories from home I series, we explore the stories of Africans in the diaspora – the good, sometimes the bad, and the nostalgic.
In our first episode, we speak to Sesi. Sesi has lived in various parts of the world. From the UK, to America, and now in Cyprus. We explore what community means, and how important it is to connect with the people that matter and to tell our own cultural stories.
What is your name? What country are you from and which country and city are you currently in?
My name is Sesi Zamba. I’m from Nigeria and I currently live in Larnaca, Cyprus (EU) although I’ve lived in the US and UK previously.
How long have you lived in your current city?
I’ve lived here for 2 years now.
How do you connect with your loved ones and people at home?
I’m constantly on the phone with my family. We connect on WhatsApp and FaceTime mostly. Technology has been a blessing.
Do you miss your home country? What are the things you miss?
I miss it a lot. I miss the people, I miss the food, I miss the community on some days when I’m really desperate lol I even miss the craziness. There’s a particular brand of craziness that’s uniquely Nigerian and even more specifically, Lagosian.
What is your favourite thing about your home country?
A lot of things. The food, the music and the fact that it’s home. You can be gone years and years and when you come back everything is immediately familiar again.
If you had a chance to leave your current city right now and go back to your home country, would you take it?
Only for a short while. After living abroad for so long, one thing I’ve realised about living at home (in Nigeria) is that it’s only fun for about 2-3 weeks. After that, the rose-coloured glasses fall off and then you can see all the dysfunction again. This makes me sad because there’s something really magical about Nigeria, but the dysfunction just overwhelms everything else after a point. It’s crazy how we just adapt to it and adjust to every new inconvenience until we can get out. I always say ‘The Nigerian dream is to live outside Nigeria’. Very sad, but very true.
What do you do for work?
I run a virtual assistant service called Mimi VPA
I also run an online community that revolves around African myth, history and food called Oriire.
What inspired you to start Mimi VPA?
I created Mimi VPA because I recognised that remote work is really the future. Many people don’t really have the traditional business structure anymore, no office building etc but they still run businesses and they need professional and reliable support.
And Oriire?
For Oriire, I’m really passionate about myth, history and food. There’s a huge lack of reliable information on African myths and history online. It’s really sad when you consider the wealth of information available from other regions. We should document our own cultural history as well. It’s been a bit difficult but also rewarding because people actually care and want to know about these things. So much of African history is lost and forgotten. In Nigeria for example, we used to have tv shows like Nkan be and tales by moonlight etc, but they don’t exist anymore and you can’t even find the information. Luckily I found some people who share that passion and help me run the community. We have a podcast as well and we’re planning to start doing documentaries and videos eventually.
Do you like food? – if yes- what kind of food do you like? Which is your favourite?
I love food. Food is one of my favourite things about life. I’m a Yoruba girl so I like Yoruba food a lot. I like efo, egusi, ofada and there’s nothing like a good pepper stew on hot white rice. I also love Banga soup!
What advice do you have for people who just moved into your country of residence?
It can get very lonely. If you are not mindful, loneliness can overwhelm you quickly. Try to keep your links to home strong. Make sure you’re always talking to people and put yourself out there a bit till you make friends and start to settle in.
I’ve moved to different countries solo, but the happiest I’ve been was when I moved with someone else. So, go with other people or as a group if you can.
That’s our first episode of the series! If you’d like to feature in our Memories from home series, please send us an email -hi@sendsprint.com with the title “Memories from Home”Read other engaging articles here.