He’s from Dominica and he rang me and asked me something that inspired me to write this blog post. The question focused on what would get me back to Dominica. Now it is my intention to go back and stay during the England winter months but I could actually go anywhere hot in the world – or any other island in the Caribbean. So why go back to Dominica? Well because of something very important….

As human we have two sets of needs that must be met.

The first and most important set of those needs are the survival needs – air, food and shelter – assuming those needs are met we then have a very important need that isn’t necessarily a survival one but it could sit in that batch and that is belonging/love.

Without love and a sense of belonging let’s face it life would be extermely lonely and it is this “need to belong” that could bring many of us back to Dominica because the government are eager for professionals to return. To be honest it is the ONLY reason I will return to Dominica. If I was someone without connection to the Caribbean I may choose one of the more established islands with a stronger infrastructure but for me Dominica is a place where I can say I belong – because of my family heritage I have a place I know is part of me. I also have England and my children are here so I am blessed with having two places of connection but despite growing up here I have always felt a little like I am here but I don’t really belong here. It is better now than it used to be but I always felt like a “visitor” – especially if I went to the seaside or to places where people of colour were not in abundance!

So, if the government does want to attract professional people from the Diaspora back to Dominica they can offer incentives, they can do things to make the roads better they can work on things like that or they can focus on making it an emotional pull – and we all know emotion sells far more than logic!

Reconnecting us to our roots and letting us know that we are wanted and belong to Dominica is – in my humble opinion – one of the best ways to get us taking a look at whether we want to return.

What do you think of that? Maybe people don’t want us back? Any opinions on that.

I have met first generation Diaspora members moving “back home” to the land of their parents and having a happy and fulfilling life in the Caribbean. For many, simply getting away from their concrete birth land is a big enough relief.

In England we are raised to enjoy life on a “treadmill” that the government want us to follow.  This treadmill involves us going through education, work, marriage, loans, mortgages, insurance payments, kids, credit cards, more loans, before retiring, illness and death. This is the life for a large majority of people and some of us will never get off the treadmill.

So why do we stay?  While fear might be one major factor for keeping us stuck in our birth place there are also a number of things we will miss about the country we have grown up in and call home. Things like:

Family. The biggest reason to stay is family – but should life stop to accommodate others even if they are family?  Is it right to stay in England waiting for circumstances to become better before leaving?  Family will be the thing that makes our decision difficult for us and we will need to way up our desire for a change in circumstances against our commitment to family.  We will wonder if we should wait for the kids to grow up, or until they are settled and married but at some point we will need to question how much of our life must stop because of family.
Income. I have spoken to many Diaspora members who would LOVE to be living in Dominica but can’t because their level of income could never be matched. Our income has provided us with a certain standard of living and of course finding work that matches that level might be quite difficult unless one is already connected in Dominica. For those of us who are self employed or work freelance we will be used to having to find our income and starting a business will not seem too daunting but is still a major gamble.

Health service. Free health care has to be one of the biggest gifts the UK healthcare system has given us and being taken care of in this way makes it harder to accept that suddenly something that is available for free (all be it not as easily as it used to be) now has to be paid for via health insurance.  Some returnees still keep their citizenship open in England because they know if they become ill they can return and take advantage of the health service system.

Property. Without a doubt there is a great opportunity to own property that will grow in value as the years go by – many returnees to Dominica were able to build large houses because they owned property in England that they bought in the 60s and which is now worth 50 times the amount they paid for it!  For those of us far from retirement age who don’t want to wait another 20 years for our property to mature our only option is to rent it out while we are gone or sell it.

Those were the biggest objections I could think of for any first generation Diaspora member who really wants to move to Dominica while they are in their 40s and 50s and as big as these obstacles seem to be even they can be overcome with a little forward planning, imagination and determination. Property can be bought and rented, health insurance can be paid for, self employment/starting a business could be a real consideration and family can be spoken to on Skype and Facebook.  Thanks to the world wide web we are never really too far away from anyone. The world has become a smaller place.

In the end the only thing that will really stop us from making this move will be our own doubts, fears and excuses.  I know to make this move myself plans will have to be made and regular visits taken to ensure that this is really what I want to do but outside of that I can’t think of anything else that might stop that move happening. Can you?

In the book Coming Home there is one story of a man who lived in the UK and moved back to Dominica. I like reading these stories although I appreciate now that not everyone’s experience will be the same. I may be from England but I have “people” in Dominica. My nephews are all big grown men in the late 20s and early 30s who will help me get settled and hopefully help me avoid any self imposed taxes that go on in Dominica.

During my stay I met a guy called Rosie who picked me up from the airport. We got on instantly and he helped me with some essentials that I forgotten like

• a mobile phone (buy one because its the only way to stay in touch)
• an umbrella (it was rainy season after all)
• a torch (no street lights so everything is completely black at night)

He told me about the “taxes” that people have to pay like

• the not knowing tax – a tax you pay because you don’t know where you are going and a cab driver will take you all over the place to get to your destination and then charge you for it.
• language tax – not being understood you will be charged extra without even knowing it
• people tax – as long as you are not a local there is an opportunity for someone to charge you more

I guess that isn’t exclusive to Dominica. I am sure in most of the developing countries if people find an opportunity to charge more to foreigners they will take it. Probably happens in England too… although at least if people are reported they will get into trouble.

So how did I start the process? I opened a deposit account with the credit union in Pointe Michel. I had to convince them I could open one because it seemed none of the staff knew they could and didn’t want to – but with some persistence and a visit from my sister who is local they finally agreed.

Now I have my account and can go to the post office in Harlesden to send money via moneygram to my account each month so that when I am next in Dominica I know my spending money is already there. Plus I can’t go and take it and spend it on anything else because I have to be in DA to use it!  Helps me make that commitment to return at the very least.

Sorhaindo, Celia and Pattullo, Polly – Home Again stories of migration and return, London and Roseau, Dominica, Papillote Press, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9532224-5-2, £9.99

By Darren Sylvester & Dawn Celaire Robinson

We had the early advantage of reading this book in May 2009 thanks to Dr David Michael purchasing a copy for us while on holiday in Dominica.  The book was not on sale in the UK until August 2009.  The Foreword describes that the purpose of the book was to ‘catalogue the journeys and experiences of individual Dominican returnees and thereby break the “Wall of Silence” that all too frequently encourages suspicion and prejudice’. It is also apparent that a secondary purpose was to highlight the need for all Dominicans to show tolerance, respect and understanding to each other; to establish common goals and work together for the continued development of the country.

The authors make an attempt at fulfilling these purposes, but all too often many questions remain unresolved. The authors selected twenty individuals to feature in the book and there is one entry from a married couple.  It is not entirely clear (apart from being a returnee) what other criterion was used for selecting the individuals to feature in this book.  It is our view that had some broader selection criteria been used, then a greater focus would have been achieved.

The audience for this book will fall into two principal categories: 1) persons looking at emigrating to Dominica, irrespective of whether or not they are at or near retirement age; or 2) readers who are interested in the struggles that many black persons endured after their arrival in England and how such struggles were generally overcome. 

There is certainly a consensus of opinion that English returnees generally experience difficulties returning and settling back into life in Dominica after being away for a certain period of time.  There are frequent references of Dominicans who have never left the Island who reportedly lack gratitude, charge higher prices for work undertaken, and have an attitude of hostility towards English returnees. The book would have benefited hugely from each individual having been given a general structure by which to convey their account, with the option for them to write on matters unique to their experiences. However, the way each individual has compiled their account leads to a lack of any real coherence, clarity, structure and fullness of development. 

Many of the accounts feel there is a need for dialogue to occur to eliminate any misconceptions between returnees and local Dominicans.  Furthermore, there is a school of thought that the government of Dominica should initiate such a programme and/or be doing more to ensure a harmonious transition for returnees into Dominican life and culture on the island. 

Many of the accounts are conveyed in a style and use of language that is inappropriate for literary works.  This could have been avoided had substantial editing or proofreading occurred before publishing. Mention is made of returnees’ experiences with builders, however, detailed analysis of the issues – or specific pitfalls to avoid – are not very well articulated. The returnees’ accounts of business experiences, customer relations, lack of professionalism and the alleged heavy resistance to change management were all topics that deserved better analysis.  There was a conspicuous absence of forward thinking from all of the contributions with reference to how the resettlement of returnees to Dominica could improve in the long run and what specific steps should be implemented along the way.

Whilst it could be argued that the “Wall of Silence” has been broken by the advent of this book, the lack of crystallization of themes or concepts explored illustrates little on the agenda to actively or purposefully contribute to any debate. In conclusion there is no groundbreaking analysis and for that reason it could be questioned whether this publication is at all authoritative on the subject of returning to live on the Nature Island

Darren Sylvester was a former Projects Officer and Hon. Treasurer of the DONA and is a Trustee of the Dominica Oversea Nationals Association Aid Dominica Development Trust. His website is www.darrensylvester.com and his blog on UK legal issues and law can be viewed at www.interalialegal.com

Dawn Celaire Robinson is a former student of the Convent High School in Dominica and a member of the Dominican Diaspora Social Networking site at www.dominican-diaspora.com; she is an IT Software trainer and courseware writer for a London international law firm and has successfully gained Fellowship of the Institute of IT Training.

They are taking their skills and money from England, the US and other western countries and moving back to the Caribbean to experience a better lifestyle. For those of us with capital from houses, investments and savings to draw upon it means experiencing a better life, with less stress and a more relaxing way to live.

Of course it is not that way for everyone and I want to spend the time researching and adding stories about people who live England and move back to the birthplace of their parents. This is not just happening in the Caribbean but also in China and India too. The US is no longer seen as the land of opportunity as more opportunities open up in other developing countries.

There is a great article here in Business Week written in March 2009 : Why Skilled Immigrants Are Leaving the U.S.