Why Africans in the UK pay to send bodies home
UK / AFRICA – “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, 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.
Read the whole article on BBC News; author Nora Fakim.
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