Freedom to Belong: From Mozambique to Australia; My journey of blending cultures

By Elsa A Licumba

Some people migrate and then they can struggle to find belonging in their host nation. And sometimes they then choose to return to their home nation, to a culturally safe space, as a self-protective mechanism.

But surprisingly when some return home to their safe place they no longer see themselves as belonging there either. The reality is that, whether they are aware of it or not, cultural transition has already begun to take place within them.

Have you ever wondered how to find a way to move and/or be moved from place to place and still be at peace within yourself?

Have you ever wondered how you can allow yourself to feel attached to two, three, or more different nations in one same heart and still feel peace?

Yes, this is the heart of those who have navigated and found the true meaning of belonging. And you can do it too. Belonging can be found when we have the courage to let go. To let go of our identity being exclusively attached to a nation. To allow ourselves to see the different perspectives of our host nation. To allow ourselves to embrace cultural transition and its challenges.

In the end we actually belong nowhere... we belong everywhere. Which means that anywhere on earth can become just an extension of the bigger picture, the universe. And you can be at peace, regardless of the place on earth you find yourself in, as you realise you are a citizen of the world and of the universe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Sep 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781925959611

Elsa A Licumba

Elsa was born in Maputo the capital of Mozambique in Southern Africa. She completed her PhD studies in Economics at the University of Newcastle where she works as an associate lecturer in economics.She now lives in Newcastle with her two children Heber and Noemi.

Book preview

FREEDOM TO BELONG

From Mozambique to Australia:

My journey of blending cultures

ELSA A. LICUMBA

PhD. Economics

This is an IndieMosh book

brought to you by MoshPit Publishing

an imprint of Mosher’s Business Support Pty Ltd

PO BOX 147

Hazelbrook NSW 2779

https://www.indiemosh.com.au

Copyright 2019 © Dr Elsa A Licumba

All rights reserved

Licence Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the author and publisher.

Disclaimer

This book is memoir. It reflects the author’s present recollections of experiences over time. All persons within are actual individuals; there are no composite characters. The names of some individuals have been changed to respect their privacy.

Although the author has made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Dedicated to my children,

Heber and Noemi,

for their courage as they find where they belong.

Prologue

Why this book?

I am a migrant and my current circumstances have led me to write this book. When I first came to Australia I knew I was going to stay here permanently. But I was not aware that I would have to go through the essential process of cultural transition. I resisted the process. I was not aware that sometimes this process also included a wondering, unstable state of mind. Homesickness was with me all the time. I constantly compared things back home with things here in my host nation. When I look back now, I see I desperately wanted to fit in, as quickly as I could, but for so long I felt lost and confused. I had misunderstood ‘fitting in’ as belonging. I just could not fit in. I struggled to have the friendships I longed for and I could not find my tribe, my people. I was wandering. I was not conscious of the truth that if I did not handle cultural transition properly, this wandering state of mind I was in could delay or even inhibit the process of belonging I needed!

Migration is a complex phenomenon. It has existed since the beginning of humankind and clearly it is not without challenges. People migrate for different reasons; perhaps for economic, political, religious reasons. And even for love. I personally believe it does not really matter what the reason for your migration is, at the end of the day we are all in the very same basket – we are all migrants. And the struggle to blend cultures and to belong is real.

After a long time away I got the chance to go back home to Mozambique, a place where I knew I belonged. But when I got there things were just different, some people and things had changed with time, and time had not stopped while I was away. I did not feel completely at home. My people back home noticed I was different too. It was hard to realise that when I am in my host nation I am different to the people there, and when I am in my home nation I am different to my own people as well. It was with this realisation that the internal tension begun within me and ignited my search for true belonging. Where do I belong? Here or there? I began to ask questions. I needed so much to find the answers so I could settle from the inside.

When I decided to return to Australia to continue my studies I eventually found my answers and I was able to understand the meaning of belonging for myself. After a long journey I was free to embrace my host nation and call it home.

Migrant population is sharply increasing in Australia. The Australian Bureau of Statistics indicates that in 2018 the proportion of Australia's population born overseas was 29%. In 2007, ten years earlier, 25.1% of the population was born overseas[1]. There are other migrants and expatriates out there who are probably going through the same issues I did, of trying to understand where they belong. Maybe others like me are not realising they are actually going through cultural transition. Some of them were born somewhere else and grew up in Australia. Others were born and grew up somewhere else but are currently living in Australia (or in a different place altogether).

I have discovered that belonging has nothing to do with a place or a geographical location. It is an issue of the heart, mind and spirit. Once you get a hold of this concept you realise you are free and there is nothing wrong with you. As Maya Angelou says:

You only are free when you realize

you belong no place –

you belong every place – no place at all.

[2]

How?

In this book I share about my personal journey of blending cultures in Australia and my understanding of true belonging. I begin by sharing about my childhood aspirations; I started to recognise these when I was a kid around 8 years of age. I always had this fascinating desire to study English. For some reason I knew I was going to study overseas and I would need to speak English, so I had to learn it.

Then I share about my first years in Australia and my ‘strange’ moments and how I relied a lot on my previous identity, social space and experiences to interpret life events and to maintain my identity. I