Somali Bantus Begin A New Life in the United States

International Rescue Committee
Monday, 2 June 2003

Somali Bantu refugees are arriving in the United States with few belongings, sometimes literally with just the clothes on their backs. Their English language skills are limited. They have never lived in an industrial society, and in many cases have lived their entire lives without electricity.

Yet, after the first families arrived in Dallas, Tucson and Salt Lake City in late May, IRC staff say the Somali Bantus also bring with them positive attitudes, resourcefulness and a work ethic that dramatically increases their chances of success and adaptation in America.

"They are doing great, absolutely great," Ranko Milovanovic, IRC's resettlement manager in Dallas, said of the three families of a total of 18 people who arrived May 23. "They really have a great attitude. They are very grateful, they are always smiling, the children are very friendly and communicative. They are already asking about jobs, and school for the children," Milovanovic said.

Approximately 12,000 Somali Bantu refugees, who currently await resettlement under precarious conditions in a Kenya refugee camp, are expected to be resettled in some 50 communities around the United States by the IRC and other resettlement agencies, said Christine Petrie, IRC national resettlement director.

"Certainly their lack of familiarity with our way of life presents a challenge," said Miro Marinovic, IRC's resettlement coordinator in Tucson, where three Somali Bantu refugee families arrived in late May. "But they are so eager to learn, I don't foresee any problems with their adjustment. They are very excited to be here."

Arriving refugees were greeted at the airport and immediately taken to rental apartments furnished and stocked with food by IRC staff and volunteers. Within their first week in the U.S., the Tucson group had their health screenings and applied for Social Security cards. They begin English classes during their second week. In addition, they saw downtown Tucson's tall buildings (at least tall by Somali standards), and rode an elevator for the first time. "Some of them were scared, and some enjoyed it," Marinovic, himself a refugee from Bosnia, said.

The Dallas refugees arrived with only a few pillowcase-size bags of belongings among the 18 people. The next day IRC took them to a thrift store, and they now have the clothes they need.

Milovanovic, also a Bosnian refugee resettled in Dallas by the IRC, said the Somali Bantus are chomping at the bit to start working. "They are asking me a million times for a job, 'When can I start working?'" One Somali Bantu man, a former truck driver in the Kenya refugee camp who speaks a little English, already has an upcoming job interview with a car dealership cleaning and taking care of cars.

Marinovic said that on the ride from the Tucson airport, one refugee woman asked him to show her where she was going to start working. Another told him, "A man who does not work cannot be healthy. To maintain health, one must work."

The refugees are also eager to begin English language classes and for their children to start school. "I tried to explain that it is summer break, but the kids are saying every day they want to go to school," Milovanovic said. For now, the IRC plans to enroll the kids in the Dallas public library, where they can take English language classes, painting and drawing activities, and where they can stay all day long. "It's a great environment for them," Milovanovic said, adding that they were expecting shy and withdrawn kids, typical of refugee children. "But these kids always have smiley faces. They are very friendly and outgoing. I was surprised how communicative they are," he said.

A Brief History

The Bantu were originally brought to Somalia as slaves in the 1800's from Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania. The legacy of slavery remained strong, and the Somali Bantus' physical, cultural and linguistic characteristics distinguish them from the Somali majority. They were treated as second-class citizens, considered the lowest of Somali "caste-groups," and deprived of basic rights such as education and political representation, though they comprised 14 percent of the population. Most Somali Bantus lived subsistence lives on the margins of society, with very low rates of literacy, high birth rates and limited exposure to development.

When Somalia descended into anarchy in 1991, many Bantus were killed, robbed or raped. They fled to refugee camps, but in Dadaab refugee camp in northeastern Kenya near the Somalia border, the Bantus found themselves again victims of persecution at the hands of the 120,000 mainly Somali refugees dominating the camp.

The Long Road to Resettlement

The United Nations approached Mozambique and Tanzania about resettling the Somali Bantus, but both countries lacked the means to accept them. In 1999, the United States determined that the Somali Bantu tribe was a persecuted group eligible for resettlement in the U.S., and said it would take in as many as 12,000.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, however, tighter security procedures caused a slowdown in refugee processing. Last year only 27,000 refugees of a total 70,000 allotted refugee spaces arrived in the U.S. Those eligible now undergo rigorous security checks, as well as the usual medical examinations, literacy training and cultural orientation.

Many past refugee groups have arrived in the U.S., and prospered. Most recently, the IRC resettled a group of Sudanese "Lost Boys" in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, Tucson and Washington D.C. Before the Lost Boys arrived, skeptics said they would have difficulties in the U.S. "But they are all doing well, all working and attending school," Marinovic said in Tucson. "They adjusted really well. We expect the same from the Somali Bantus."

Marinovic said the Lost Boys in Tucson recently told IRC they would like to teach the Bantu how to use public transportation and help them navigate other aspects of U.S. life, on the road to becoming Americans.

For more information, or to contact International Rescue Committee, see their website at: www.theirc.org