External publications

Why Zimbabweans choose to migrate or stay

Jaji, Rose
External Publications (2024)

in: Current History 123 (853), 194–196

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/curh.2024.123.853.194
Information

This opinion piece addresses the complexity of migration demonstrated by the varied reactions to the economic crisis in Zimbabwe. On the one hand, migration provides financial remittances that keep families afloat and cushioned from the adverse impact of the economic situation in the country. On the other hand, the social costs and the real or perceived failure of migration to transform lives through tangible economic investment in Zimbabwe turns some Zimbabweans against migration. Overall, the varied reactions to the economic crisis show that migration is not the only recourse in situations characterised by economic adversity. Resourcefulness is part of life in Zimbabwe, in contrast to stories of desolation that dominate media coverage of the country.