Transnational Cross-Border Family Ties: Diasporic Lives of Bangladeshis in Italy and Beyond
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. The Context
3. Materials and Methods
4. Transnational Cross-Border Family Ties
4.1. Social Attachment: Maintaining and Strengthening Familial Bonds
“Until 2000, our communication was mostly dependent on the letter. Sometimes, only once or twice in a month, we talked with our family members over the phone, as this was too expensive. But after 2000, calling to Bangladesh has become cheap. Now communication is so easy. I communicate every day with my mother and sisters”.(Bari, Venice, Italy)
“Earlier, when there was no telephone, they [their family member in Italy] used to send letter to us. This was the case until 1998. if we wanted to talk with them, we had to go to Sylhet city from our village and calling to Italy was also expensive. Now we communicate every day through Skype, WhatsApp, Messenger. We see them and observe what they are doing. This change makes me happy”.(Halima, Sylhet, Bangladesh)
“As I told you, I am working in the police department. Last week my brother [from Padova, Italy] phoned me three times and asked me to be careful when I am on duty because he is very much worried about the current political situation of my country”.(Burhan, Chotrogram, Bangladesh)
“A few months after arriving in Germany, my father in Bangladesh got cancer. Every month he needed 30 thousand takas [300 Euro] for chemotherapy. As I was irregular, I decided to sell as many flowers as I could, because I had to save some money for my father […..]. Communication was not so easy at that time, compared to what we have now; mobile technology was not available, speaking over the phone was very expensive. However, I used to talk on the telephone with my parents at least twice a month. My father would ask me what I was doing in Germany, I never told him that I was selling flowers in the street or in front of the bar or a restaurant. I did just answer them ‘no worries dad and mom, I have a good job here. Please take care of your health’. Because I know my parents would be disappointed to hear that their son with a master’s degree in Physics from Bangladesh works an odd job in Germany”.(Atique, Padova)
“I want to keep my children’s affection for my country; when they grow up they should not forget about the country where their parents and family were born, they should not forget that their Shikor [root] is in Bangladesh. They should support their country of origin financially. They should know their relatives in my country. If they visit they will be connected with our culture as they will see many aspects of our Bangla culture in person. For that reason, I visit Bangladesh every year along with my family”.(Kader, Padova)
“My nephew and niece were born in Padova [Italy]. When they came to visit for the first time they did not recognize us. But, year after year, when they have been coming with their parents, now they love us very much, and while they return, they tell their parents, they don’t want to go back, they want to stay with us in Bangladesh”.(Ferdowsi, Sylhet, Bangladesh)
“I have so many friends in Germany because I used to live there. I am in close contact with these earlier friends. I speak with them sometimes and we discuss our lives in Italy and Germany. During conversations with my friends in Germany, they informed me that Germany provides many opportunities for European citizens.”(Atique, Padova, Italy)
4.2. Economic Transnationalism
“Every month, I send 30 to 40 thousand [300 to 400 Euro] to my parents”.(Golam, Padova, Italy)
“Before my family [wife and children] arrived here in Italy, I used to transfer almost all of the income that I earned in Italy. But now I sent very little; only 100 Euro every month to my mother”.(Salam, Bologna, Italy)
“As the eldest son, I am used to taking care of my joint family by sending money. I built a new house by spending around 40 thousand Euro and bought some agricultural land in my village. Now, I do not need to send money regularly since all of my brothers live in the UK and Italy, and my parents are not alive. But sometimes I send some to my sisters in Sylhet. The amount is usually around 40 thousand taka [430 Euro] a year. I think it is their right to ask for money as I am living abroad and I am economically solvent. Besides during Eid festivals, I also send a certain amount to my sisters’ families as a gift, which I consider as my responsibility towards them”.(Kamal, Padova)
‘Yes, I send them [relatives] money when any crisis occurs, such as for medical-related costs and any occasion like the wedding of one of my relatives. I consider this support as my responsibility. I was also poor once. So when I provide this financial help, I feel happy. I might spend 2000 taka [20 Euro] for a relative during a crisis, but it gives me pleasure like I have fulfilled my responsibility to my community”.(Atique, Padova)
“They are always taking care of us. …. Our elder brother had a heart attack a few months ago; he was hospitalized in the Appolo Hospital of Dhaka. We needed a lot of money for him. My cousin sent money for his treatment. He is now healthy again. It was possible because they are living abroad. If they live here, it would not be possible”.(Karman, Comilla, Bangladesh)
I should help, as I have the ability to do so because those who are in need require help from people like me. For this reason, I spent 10 lakh taka [10 thousand Euro] to build a Yateem Khana [orphanage] in my local village [Comilla, Bangladesh]. Besides, I used to send money to help my poor neighbours, who are unemployed, to start a business. I have also helped my villagers by providing cash for the installation of a deep tube well as they had no drinking water.(Firoje, Padova, Italy).
“Whenever we find someone who is travelling to Bangladesh we send nice things like cosmetics or perfume for my niece and nieces, so they be happy to think that their uncle sends something for them even though he is far away from home. If I do not send something, they may feel sad”.(Sahab, Padova, Italy)
5. Diasporic Lives: Cultural Ways of Belonging
5.1. Diasporic Attachments to the Homeland
“If you were to enter my house, you would know that it belongs to a Bengali family. For instance, inside my home, you can hear the sounds of Bengali songs such as Rabindra, Nazrul or and other folk songs. Inside my house, you can see that our TV is connected with all the Bengali channels that are broadcast from the UK [….]. This is because I want to be attached to my Shikor [roots]. I get much joy from watching Bangla dramas on TV compared to Italian dramas. My child speaks Bengali. As parents, we ensured that my child would first learn Bengali, as a priority, then Italian. Actually, it is hard to explain why I am protecting my Bengali heritage. I would say, this attraction came from my innermost feelings towards my country”.(Atiq, Padova)
“In my house, I have a connection to all the Bangla channels that are broadcast from the UK. The main reason for this is to get news on political matters, social activities of my country, and overall to know what is going on in my country”.(Bhuan, Padova)
“We are working hard and sending remittances home. But, when we see bad news, Hartal, Clash, really these make my mind very gloomy. Sometimes, when we received any good news, for instance, there is a nice park called Hatir Zil that was built in Dhaka recently, or that Padma Bridge is under construction … all of this news makes me joyful”.(Chowdhury, Padova)
“It [the daily meal] is off course Bangla. My wife usually cooks it. The strange thing is if you ask my child what they would like to eat, they will tell you that they want to eat rice. I never expected it before, but I’ve noticed that they are becoming accustomed to their parents’ food habits”.(Swadin, Bologna)
“I have 7 and my elder brother has 4 Bangla alimentary [grocery shop] in Bologna city. My two younger brothers have 4 Bangla alimentary in Ferrara city. We first started with one shop, but our business has been flourishing day by day because of the huge demand for Bangla food among the Bangla community in Italy”.(Niamot, Bologna)
“As a Bangladeshi, I communicate with our kids in Bengali, which means, I speak Bengali at home. My kids were born in Italy. We are trying to teach them Bengali because Bangladesh is their parents’ home. If they are not able to speak Bengali, one day they will lose interest in Bangladesh. My objective behind teaching them Bengali is also allowed them able to read Bengali books about our history and tradition. So that they will know about my country.(Golam, Padova)
5.2. Maintaining a Distinctive Identity in the Host Society
“We celebrate Bengali New Year, we organise Boishakhi Mela for the Bangladeshi people so that they can enjoy Boishakh here abroad. We also observe other national days, 21 February, 26 March and 16 December. Occasionally we bring artists from Bangladesh for musical performances for our community refreshment. In every programme, almost 5000 Bangladeshis get together. We also arrange for various traditional food dishes to be available during these occasions. This way, during the year, our community can enjoy their Bangladeshi celebrations abroad”.(Niamot, Bologna)
“We established this centre because in Padova we have an Arab mosque where all religious teaching is provided in Arabic. Most of the Bangladeshi, especially our children, do not understand Arabic, so we felt the need for a separate Mosque for our Bangla community where the religious teaching will be provided in Bengali”.(Humayun, Padova)
6. Conclusions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
1 | Paan, which has been seen as a part of South and South East Asian tradition, is prepared with betel leaf and areca nut. It has been argued that in Bangladesh, all religious and wedding festivals would be incomplete without the inclusion of Paan. |
2 | This monument is a replica of the original Shahid Minar which was built outside Dhaka Medical College to commemorate the Bengali students and political activists who were killed by the Pakistani police when protesting against the process of Urduization in East Pakistan on 21 February 1952 (Morad and Della Puppa 2019). |
3 | In Europe, the first permanent Shahid Minar monument was erected in London, the second was built in Bari, Italy (Morad and Della Puppa 2019). |
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Morad, M. Transnational Cross-Border Family Ties: Diasporic Lives of Bangladeshis in Italy and Beyond. Genealogy 2021, 5, 106. https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy5040106
Morad M. Transnational Cross-Border Family Ties: Diasporic Lives of Bangladeshis in Italy and Beyond. Genealogy. 2021; 5(4):106. https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy5040106
Chicago/Turabian StyleMorad, Mohammad. 2021. "Transnational Cross-Border Family Ties: Diasporic Lives of Bangladeshis in Italy and Beyond" Genealogy 5, no. 4: 106. https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy5040106