• By Jeremiah Ndjoze

Following the recent death of her biological brother, UK-based prolific poet and singer, Christi Warner, has made fresh threats of a soon to be launched anthology of poems. 

With this latest offering, she plans on bringing to life the reality of living in the diaspora and the grief of not being able to attend her kin’s burial. The working title for the book is: ‘Citizen Within’ or ‘Finding Home.’
Warner maintained that: “Grief has a strange way of unearthing feelings you thought you had buried or processed. Recently, with the passing of my brother back in Namibia, the wave of homesickness that hit me was immense.”
“While I am fortunate that I can travel back home when I need to, being unable to attend his funeral, made me reflect deeply on those whose ties to their birth country are severed by circumstances beyond their control – war, danger, impossible distances, and so on,” Warner revealed.

Warner noted that the nostalgia brought into sharp focus the complex feeling that many people who have moved across continents live with. 
“These are feelings of how to truly plant your roots in new soil without feeling like you are abandoning the land that first nourished you. 
“It is a constant navigation between two parts of ourselves, a pull between the past and the present. And it is not a lack of love for this new country.”
According to Warner: “We build lives here, contribute, raise families, and deeply appreciate what this land offers. We want to be fully present, to thrive here, often learning the language and customs to integrate.”
She said there are folks born in those countries, who openly welcome them, appreciate their contributions and help them feel less homesick.

“But the heart holds memories, landscapes, and people from elsewhere. Reconciling the ‘citizen within’ (that person shaped by where you came from) with the person building a life ‘out here’ is an ongoing journey. 
“These are the feelings that fuel my writing and are at the heart of my upcoming poetry collection,” she added.

TITLE OPTIONS
Warner called on her fans and acquaintances to help her come up with the right choice for the book’s title.
“To my fellow travellers, expats, and immigrants, can you relate to this feeling of being split between two homes? What does ‘finding home’ mean to you? Which title resonates more with you? ‘Citizen Within’ or ‘Finding Home’? Or perhaps a combination: ‘Citizen Within: Finding Home’?  

Responding to the query, Namibian photographer Nessy Shimwafeni, also living abroad, maintained that the title: ‘Finding Home’ would be best suited for the upcoming book. 
“As a Namibian expat, the first three years living abroad were tough. Now I settled and realised that my wife and daughter are my rocks,” Shimwafeni said.

“Since I don’t have parents back home, only brothers and sisters who are mostly married and busy with their lives, I am not so homesick anymore. Sure it can be different for expats with tight family ties in Namibia,” he added.
Weighing in on the conversation, Namibian Ambassador to the United States of America (USA), Margaret Mensah-Williams said; “I concur with the combination.”