ABSTRACT
The struggles, paradoxes, elusiveness, seduction and magic of home yearning are difficult to grasp in logical thought and ordinary language. That is why such subtleties are captured best in poetic language. Homer’s Odyssey is about not just the external adventures of returning home but also about the dilemmas created when being lured by attractive distractions along the way; it is mainly about the intricate complexities involved in the various forms of homecoming, i.e. not just returning to one’s geographical home but reconnecting with the key persons left behind in new contexts and appropriate relationships. The number of people that ‘work with refugees’ has multiplied phenomenally compared to even a couple of decades ago. Politicians have used the centrality of this ‘issue’ to their own advantage, making it into a game of political football.
