Feature Story
When we settle in a new country or city, the concept of “home” takes on a whole new meaning. We find ourselves haunted by memories and visions of what home used to be. Yet we redefine home through the bonds we form with our new community and the daily routines or rituals we establish.
In this project, I embarked on a journey to understand how Nigerians residing in Tbilisi navigate this process of creating a sense of belonging in unfamiliar surroundings. Through their stories, I sought answers for my own journey of building a home in a foreign country.
The majority of Nigerian communities in Georgia are concentrated in Tbilisi. According to data from 2022, there were 1172 Nigerian students studying in Georgia, with medicine being the most popular field of study. Most of these students are enrolled at The University of Georgia. Kutaisi is another city where Nigerian medical students can be found, although it is not as popular as the capital. Nigerian universities struggle to meet the demand, and the application process for students is extremely competitive; therefore, many Nigerians decide to study abroad. Before the war, Ukraine was also a popular destination for studies. However, after the war broke out, some Nigerian students from Ukraine relocated to Georgia.
Faith is 23 years old and he’s a medical student and an artist living in Tbilisi. In his free time, he creates augmented reality experiences and paints. He’s been in Georgia for 6 years now. “I heard about Georgia from my friends at my A-Level college back in Nigeria. Two graduates had come here from my school and they loved it.”
Children’s New Clinic, Tbilisi. Faith is finishing Caucasus International University this year and is doing medical practice placements at different clinics across Tbilisi. “The biggest challenge was the language. I was able to overcome that partially by taking Georgian classes for about 2 years. It gave me a good foundation to communicate with anyone and get my message across. To be honest I still can't speak proper Georgian but I try.”
“A fun similarity between Georgia and Nigeria is the celebration culture. Nigerians and Georgians love to have a good time, so they always have parties and hangouts just like we do back home.”
“A lot of the moral values upheld here are very similar to Nigerian values; from religion to family. These similarities make it easy to relate to Georgians emotionally. In my previous apartment I used to see a grandad and his grandchild go for walks almost daily in the evening. I even took a picture of them once. The way he treated the child like he was gold was so heartwarming to me. You could tell that this man wanted this child to grow up knowing that he was loved and supported.”
“There was also a time when I was trying to make some money and a young woman who owned an art gallery offered to sell my printed shirts at no cost to me. That really helped me and showed me how kind people could be.”
“Eventually I will have to leave once my student visa expires. I plan on furthering my medical career in the United Kingdom. I will eventually go home to Nigeria to start a consultancy career but that will be many years from now. I will also never forget Tbilisi and the amazing people I've met here. I'll definitely come here for the holidays.”
Damilola was born in Nigeria but grew up living in Jamaica and the UK. “After the war broke out in Ukraine I moved to Georgia. Compared to Ukraine, it’s easier to navigate Georgia as a lot of Georgians speak English. Also the landscape of Georgia reminds me a lot of Jamaica, brings back the home feelings.”
Damilola and his friends love going to local markets for thrift shopping. Samgori Market is one of the places they frequently visit. “The main challenge was actually finding friends with similar interests, but as soon as university started I met a couple people with similar interests.”
Damilola and his sister Oyinda live in Tbilisi together now. Both of them study medicine at The University of Georgia.
Oyinda has been in Tbilisi for almost a year. “Studying and living in Georgia has been insightful and fun. Being independent has made me realize a lot more about myself. Mainly the affordability of the tuition and cost of living influenced my decision to move to Georgia.”
“The first thing I struggled with was how I was being received as a foreigner. In Jamaica even though I am African I was still treated a bit differently when people heard my accent. The UK is very diverse so many people don’t really pay attention to the differences. Coming to Georgia and being the minority of the population–I had to get used to people staring. It was the first time I experienced something like that. Now I got used to it because I realized people here are not super used to seeing people of color.”
“The other day a taxi driver called me Rihanna. I found that really funny. Some people stop me and compliment me on my hair or skin tone but it’s not always like that. It’s just something you need to deal with within yourself. Another thing I had to get used to was the fast life. I use public transport and people are always rushing to get in or out. Someone might bump into you and not say anything but now I’m used to that too.”
After finishing their studies Oyinda and Damilola are planning to move to the US.
This photo story was produced in the framework of Chai Khana Fellowship program - Spring 2024
This photo story was prepared with support from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) South Caucasus Regional Office. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of FES.