'Is diaspora written on my forehead?'

'Is diaspora written on my forehead?'

From Focus on Africa by BBC World Service

May 1, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the shifting narrative of Africa's migration story, focusing on individuals from the diaspora returning to their ancestral countries.

For the longest time, Africa’s migration story has largely been one way: people leaving the continent in search of opportunity. But that story is beginning to shift. Africa’s young diaspora who were born and raised in Europe, the United States and Canada are increasingly choosing to move to countries their parents once left. Focus on Africa podcast host Charles Gitonga spoke to Dr Maryam Abdishakuur who grew up in Denmark and moved back to her native country, Somalia in her twenties, and Danielle Wanjiku Natche, who grew up in the US and moved to Kenya - where her mother is from - in 2019. Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Fana Negash and Basma El Atti Technical Producer: Terry Chege Senior Producer: Carolyne Kiambo Editors: Priyanka Sippy and Maryam Abdalla

People in this episode

Host: Charles Gitonga

Guests: Dr Maryam Abdishakuur, Danielle Wanjiku Natche

Topics covered

  • migration
  • diaspora
  • Africa
  • return migration
  • personal stories

Keywords

  • migration
  • diaspora
  • Africa
  • Somalia
  • Kenya
  • returning
  • personal stories
  • youth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC World Service

Places: Somalia, Denmark, United States, Kenya

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