Refugee & Immigration Services:  Homelands of Refugees
   

The cause of civil war is attributed to the 21-year rule of Siad Barre.  During this time, an intensified power struggle among various clans and organizations created rivalries that broke state unification.  Although Siad Barre claimed to oppose clan alliances, he was accused of favoring the lineages of his own clan.  Barre's clan and the clans of his relatives received a majority of political offices and powers in his administration.  The gradual exclusion of other clans from important government posts became more obvious as his rule created a one-party power.

Eloquence in speech is highly valued in Somali society.  Expressiveness demonstrates religious and political abilities.  Using language to protect interests and to get out of embarrassing or undesirable situations is essential.  Somalis excel in poetry, song, humor and rhetoric.

Most Somalis are nomadic shepherds and diet is high protein, based primarily on milk products and meat.  Consumption of fish in coastal towns is more likely, but Nomads feels that to eat fish is to show failure in maintaining a herd.  Farmers have more variety in their diet, such as cereals, fruits and vegetables.

Most Somalis are Sunni Muslims. Islam is important to the Somali sense of national identity although there are traditional religions and brotherhoods.

Celebrations and festivities in Somalia are associated with religious or seasonal events.  At the end of Ramadan, an Islamic month of fasting, Muslims celebrate Id-al-fitir.  During this time, people dress in their best clothes and spend time praying and exchanging gifts.  Another festival, three months after Ramadan, coincides with the pilgrimage to Mecca.  During the rainy season when grazing and water are more abundant, communities perform traditional dances.  On special occasions like marriage or circumcision, both festivals and religious ceremonies are held.  A festival of fire marks the timing of crop production.

Somalis have a patra-lineal society, where a child's family name is passed down from his or her father.  Since the culture focuses on oral tradition, children are taught to memorize their family history by reciting all the names of their forefathers.

Somali Bantu is one of the ethnic minorities in Somalia.  They were brought to Somalia as slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries from neighboring counties including Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique.  They have been facing severe discrimination even after the emancipation of Bantu slaves, which occurred between 1895 and 1930.  With the help of unique physical appearance, which differentiate the Bantu from the majority Somali, the discrimination against Bantu is Somali society has been extensive throughout history.
 

 
Somali Bantu has been a vulnerable population not only in their everyday life, but also during wartime.  During the war with Ethiopia from the late 1970s until the early 1980s, Bantu was forcibly conscripted by the Somali government (Lehman and Eno).  many Bantu fled to Kenya during the Somali Civil War, which started in 1991.  The discrimination by other Somalis continued even in the refugee camps in Kenya.  They were resettled in the most distant camp locations, where the bandit attacks were far more frequent (Lehman and Eno).

After the long history of discrimination, Somali Bantu's hope for their future was finally opened up with the United States' decision to admit Somali Bantu in 1999.  The plan is to resettle about 13,000 Bantu residing at refugee camps in Kenya by the end of April 2005.  Somali Bantu will be the largest single group of African refugees ever admitted to the USA.

Home |  About Us |  Find a Job  |  Find a Program
Shared Ministry  |  Support Us  |  Contact Us