Ligia Lima

Ligia Lima, born in Brazil in 2001, came to East London at the age of seven with her Brazilian mother and British stepfather.

Ligia was born in Sao Paulo in Brazil. She came to London with her mother, a teacher, and then stepfather, when she was seven. She was excited to leave Brazil but realized she did not understand how different things would be or how she would miss other members of her family. She finds London interesting – the varied clothes people wear and the different religions. She likes Broadway Market in Hackney and English breakfast but misses some Brazilian food. The first winter she made five snowmen in her road.

At first, she had difficulties at school in Hackney as she did not speak English and was bullied. Now, at secondary school, she is doing well and thinks being bilingual is really cool. She loves horse riding at Lee Valley and would like to work with horses when she gets older. She goes back to Brazil for holidays and to see other family members. Close family also visit her in London including her father, a musician, and stepmother. Sometimes she goes to Germany to see her stepfather’s family.

Ligia is always concerned that all her family, both in the UK, Brazil and Germany are happy. She could never choose between Brazil, where she was born, and England – that would be totally unfair. As a teenager she moved to a larger flat with her mother and stepfather to accommodate a new addition to her family – Ligia’s baby sister.

Response from Ligia in January 2024 on rereading the above:

It is an honour and privilege to be included in your study. I have spent so much of my life here in the UK, that it is a comforting reminder of who I am and how I got here. I think most child migrants face an inevitable identity crisis at some point in their teenage years/early adulthood.

It must be around 10 or more years since you did that first interview, and my experience and thoughts on the matter of my identity as an immigrant have definitely been enriched since then. 

I live in Bristol now, and I am in my first year of university studying Media Production at University of West England, after two gap years and one failed attempt at studying at Goldsmiths (wasn't for me!). I am still interested in all fields surrounding music and culture, and I'd like to pursue some work in creative industries, especially around festivals and events. I left home during the middle of lockdown in 2020 and I have never looked back. 

Now that I'm 22, and a little bit cleverer, I can look back on my 15 years spent in the UK and say I am very grateful for the quality of life I am able to get here, the education I received, and the independence I have as a young woman which I would not have been able to access so easily had I remained in Brazil. I have been able to attain a level of freedom and independence in my daily life which means that I have been able to seek out my own path in the world, carving it out as my own. One look at the economic and socio-political tensions in Brazil, as a country that is generally very unsafe especially for women, is enough to say that I wouldn't be where I am now had I stayed there, not necessarily any further behind, but most certainly in a different place.

I spent many years constantly reaffirming to myself my national identity. That there wasn't a speck of English blood in me, among the general disbelief at my being Latina and simultaneously looking so pale. I found myself, especially during my teenage years, internally grasping at something, so as not to lose myself among the painfully long winters and find a way to deal with the truly incessant, insurmountable pain of being far from the ones you love. That is something that never truly goes away, you just learn to live with it. 

England was not friendly to me when I arrived, I was bullied and rejected. I didn't make any real friends until I was 10 - but I will leave this place holding close to my chest all the treasures that I have dug out of its grey and cobbled corners. I love the fragility of the beauty here, the magic of bluebell season, the gentleness and temporary beauty of spring, the wild summers, and the eternal cycle of the seasons. England has taught me SO much, the temperate climate instilled in me a profound respect for the natural cycles of life, how to live with darkness, how to worship change. I have learnt of the old pagan ways of the land, and I am deeply grateful for how it's made me who I am today. 

However, I have no intention of staying here forever - I have to return to Brazil for good someday. I feel a calling to revisit the child who left her home so oblivious to what would come, to discover what I left behind. It is part of the process, to unbury what is under the earth of our subconscious. I also have family assets in Brazil that need seeing to once the generations move down the lines and I have always, always, known, deep in my heart that my days in Europe are numbered. Although I would still really love to live in Spain for a while. God willing, there is much time still left to explore. 

I still love horses and have returned to Brazil several times since we last spoke. My most recent trip taught me something I won't ever forget - that home is a million different places, and I am made of all of them.  

Ligia is featured in our film, Home (9.02 - 9.40):

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