Why Africans in the UK pay so much to send relatives' bodies home

"My father's dream was for him to be buried in his birthplace and have the call to prayer resonate over his grave," says Nadia Elbhiri, whose father passed away last year in London. Ms Elbhiri, who was born and raised in west London, fulfilled her father's dream when she repatriated his body to Morocco last year, where he was laid to rest in Larache, a small fishing village in the north of the country. "London was always his home but Morocco was always in his heart," she says. This desire to be buried in the place you were born is strong for many first generation African migrants in the UK. The demand is so huge among the British Moroccan community that, according to embassy officials, at least 95% of first generation migrants are buried in Morocco. Advertisement A system is now in place to cover repatriation costs. Image caption Londoner Nadia Elbhiri fulfilled her father's wish for his body to be sent from the UK to Morocco when he died "There are three Moroccan banks which provide free repatriation and a free plane ticket for a relative to assist the transportation of the body back to Morocco," says Souad Talsi from the Council for the Moroccan Community Abroad. She says that if the deceased person is not registered with a Moroccan bank, his or her next of kin can go to the Moroccan embassy and the government will take care of the repatriation charges which can cost around £7,000 ($10,500).