Passing the Torch: Will Somali Diaspora-Born Generation Continue Remittance Support after their immigrant parents passed on?
Remittances sent to Somalia have risen spectacularly in recent decades, capturing the attention of researchers and policymakers. The latest World Bank figures show the increase is not in millions but in billions.
For the proponent of remittance- the money sent improves the well-being of family members left behind; it is a crucial safety net and should continue.
For the opponent, it is a drain on the sender’s finances and should be minimised, redefined or stopped altogether.
Consider the following quotes by those who regard remittance as a financial burden.
‘My husband and I send at least 500 dollars to Somalia monthly; some go to his family, and some to mine. This creates lots of financial problems for us as we struggle to make ends meet( Somali mother)
‘ If I invested all the money I send to Somalia in my own family here in the diaspora, I would be financially secure for the rest of my life’( Somali father).
‘Why do you think so many Somali households rely on government handouts? The answer is remittance- it robs our chance of becoming homeowners’ ( Somali father).
On the other hand, we have no shortage of those who do not deny the impact of remittance on the sender but consider it a moral imperative to help families left behind.
Consider the following quotes;
‘We are very lucky to find ourselves in a rich country like America; we have food, we have shelter and jobs, but our relatives back home cannot say the same’ ( Somali mother in Minnesota)
‘Our remittance not only saves lives but also serves a higher purpose, which is charity; we must help our needy relatives in Somalia and elsewhere (Somali father)
‘There is a valid argument to have about the long-term effects of monies we sent back home, but the debate should not be whether we send or not’( Somali teacher)
The aim of this article is not to compare and contrast the moral forces for and against remittance but to discuss the future of remittance as imagined by the Somali diaspora-born generation as their immigrant parents either leave the scene, retire, or end up in a financial position not conducive to remittance support.
To elucidate how the diaspora-born generation imagines remittance, I will draw on a story of Soon-to -retire Somali father based in the UK
Jamac( not his real name ) is a 62-year-old Somali father of four children aged between 15 and 26. Jamac has worked in various places but currently works as an educational officer at his local educational authority. His wife, who is five years younger than him, is a qualified nurse but, due to health reasons, works part-time at a local hospital.
Jamac told me that he has been remitting money to Somalia for 30 years, initially to his elderly mother, then when his mother passed away, his younger sister and her 12 children, and for the last ten years, his niece( the elder daughter of his sister) who has five children with no husband to support.
In addition to his family side, his wife also has a relative to support, though not as needy as Jamac’s side of the family.
Despite this never-ending financial commitment, Jamac has raised his family well. His elder son is a qualified pharmacist and works for a local pharmacy. His second-born daughter has graduated from a good university and is now a newly qualified primary teacher.
The other two are going through the education system and are expected to do well.
According to Jamac, his kids are well grounded in their Somali culture and are on Deen, but they are perplexed about their father’s never-ending financial commitments to people whom they never met and never seemed to grow out of his handouts.
For the last few years, there has been constant chatter about what will happen to this financial commitment should Jamac and his wife retire or become unable to send remittances.
Jamac believes it is his two elder children’s moral duty to pick up where he left off and continue with the remittance support. But his children are not showing a willingness to commit and are, at times, hostile to the idea.
Consider this quote from his elder son;
‘ My father is a good and generous man; he raised us well, but I am afraid he got himself in an infinite loop of financial commitments, and it is hard to imagine myself following his footsteps.’
This is a strong statement from Jamac’s son, and it is not difficult to imagine what Jamac’s son thinks about his father’s commitment to supporting relatives.
Jamac is aware of his children’s views about remittance but is not giving up on them. He hopes that when he leaves the scene, his children will have a paradigm shift.
Neither Jamac nor his children are alone in their diverging thinking. Many immigrant generations and their children are at loggerheads over remittance flow and who should do what in the absence of parents.
One old man who is already retired told me that the best way to get your diaspora-born children on the side of remittance is to make them stakeholders in the process.
For example, you frequently expose them to the plight of those who receive the remittance, make them travel with you to Somalia, and make them want to help their relatives.
While this sounds like a good strategy, most remittance recipients are urban dwellers, and some of them have nice houses and a good standard of living, which, if kids see, will put them off helping.
Conclusion
As the immigrant generations pass on and their diaspora-born children come of age, the debate of remittance commitment will intensify, but my view is that the diaspora-born generations will not be as accommodating as their parent generations when it comes to sending money to relatives in Somalia. This will be an interesting study to look into.
