TO STAY OR TO GO BACK: THE CORNELIAN DILEMMA OF THE BURKINABE DIASPORA IN GHANA

Abstract

"Stay, return or move" is the dilemma facing migrants from Burkina Faso living in Ghana. In contrast to the return flows of both migrants and descendants of Burkina Faso migrants living in Côte d'Ivoire, there are few reverse migration flows between Ghana and Burkina Faso. This is somewhat puzzling. This article therefore sets out to analyze why, among the Burkinabe diaspora living in Ghana during both the colonial and post-colonial periods, the tendency is to "stay" rather than "return". On the face of it, this could be justified by the gradual loosening of migrants' ties with their relatives back in Burkina Faso, and their successful socio-economic and legal integration. The language barrier between the English spoken in Ghana and the French spoken in Burkina Faso could explain the strong propensity of descendants of migrants to stay. To identify the aspirations and decisions of migrants and their descendants, this study draws on bibliographical resources and empirical data. Mainly qualitative surveys were carried out with resource persons in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Whether or not they are married to Burkinabè women, whether or not they have children, migrants of both old and new generations, and less so their descendants, are faced with a painful dilemma. Families and the reconstruction of identity are the reasons why migrants stay. In general, the more integrated migrants are, the more they wish and decide to stay. As a result, the desire and the decision to return become rarer.