There is nothing that compares to making that decision to leave everything you know behind. To choose to make a home in a foreign place. And while you might have some pre-conceived ideas … you might even have done your research … none of it will quite compare to the experience itself.
In our story this week, Michael’s journey is more than about moving from place to place; it is also a journey through different stages of his life.
177 Nations of Tasmania: Micheal from Benin
Since arriving in Tasmania about a year ago, Michael has become somewhat accustomed to people questioning whether Benin is a real country—an indication of how little known his homeland is in Australia.
Benin is a small country in West Africa, squeezed between the much larger Nigeria and Togo. It was formerly part of a much larger Kingdom of Dahomey and was also one of the centres of the Atlantic slave trade. This is A legacy of this in places like Haiti, Cuba, Brazil and New Orleans, where Voodoo is still practised, a belief system in Benin. In Western culture, this has become associated with pushing pins into dolls, but in Benin, it is still a very much accepted bona fide religion.
Michael’s story is remarkable in other ways, though. From a tough time as a child at a boarding school in Nigeria to University studies in Ghana, where he’d secretly hoped to further his soccer career, he eventually got a scholarship to study agriculture in Israel. During his year in Israel, he fell in love with a Filipina, and she eventually inspired him to come to Tasmania.
This story was originally published on 177 Nations of Tasmania, produced by Mark Thomson. To hear the full episode, head to www.markthomsonmedia.com or search ‘177 Nations’ wherever you get your podcasts.
With additional editing by Jespher Wen.
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All The Best Credits
- Host Kwame Slusher
- Executive Producer: Phoebe Adler-Ryan
- Editorial Producer: Melanie Bakewell
- Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie
- Artwork: Mark Thomson, 177 Nations of Tasmania
- Mixed and Compiled by Emma Higgins
- Theme Music composed by Shining Bird