Interview with Podita Okutu (b.1958).

Podita Okutu was born In Derby to a Ghanaian father and Irish mother; they moved back to Ghana when she was five. She talks of growing up in Ghana, returning to the UK (London) aged 19 with her mother, and her impressions of the UK. Her job was relocated to Milton Keynes in 1986; she took housing offered by the MK Development Corporation and remembers loving the ‘lush surroundings.’ She recalls meeting her husband in 1988 and their decision to settle in MK together; she describes their employment. Settling in was easy; she was happy with the central location of the house, neighbours were friendly and she met Mrs Selormey, a schoolfriend, by chance and was introduced to the new Ghanaian Association.

Discrimination has never been a problem for her or her family, she believes you should ‘blend in’. Her mother and brother both live in MK also now. She comments on the increased congestion in the city centre. Although she is happy living in MK, and enjoys amenities such as Willen Lake, the city centre shops, cinema, and swimming pools, she says: ‘For me, home is Ghana’. She and her husband are building a small house there to retire to.