Post by Mabel Onyeanwusi

The first time I had heard about the Windrush generation was from my Caribbean literature class at the University of Ibadan. The text for the week was The Lonely Londoners, a 1956 classic by Trinidadian writer Samuel Selvon. The novel microscoms the harsh realities of Caribbean migrants or better known as the Windrush Generation, as they navigate life in post-WWII England. The Second World War had just ended in 1945, and like all wars with their rage of heedless destruction, had left England in a wreckage of utter ruin and labour shortages. Dearest Empire had to think fast. The 1948 British Nationality Act was enacted. It was a strategic invitation to the British colonies to emigrate to the UK and collaborate in rebuilding a new England. Upon arrival on English soil, these brave souls were to be granted the automatic right to remain in the UK. The perks were juicy: better job opportunities for many languishing in hyphenated-slavery, poverty-riddled South. What were the odds? 📌Made a trip to the Folk Museum,Cambridge & County to experience the legacies of # Windrush in Cambridge. It regurgitated literary memories that I felt good to share my thoughts. Enjoy! #windrush #immigration #identity