Somali Bantu: Free At Last ! ;)

[Dhimbil]

There have been a lot of news about somali bantu lately. Somalis coming to America is not news worthy issue. However this particular groups situation is different, atleast thats what we are told. There have been reports this group have been enslaved, beaten, tortured by somalis. Do you nomads think this is legitimate claim by the bantu or made up stories to get sympathetic ear from western society? Or do you think foreigners(white)are behind this to undermine somalis and give them negative image, because somalis are becoming quite influencial minority

in some states in the U.S, also read the flowing article and please tell us your take.

 

----------------------------------------

By Helen Nyambura

 

Nairobi - Fresh from a crash course in modern living, black Somalis fleeing war and prejudice leave this week for new lives in the United States, many swearing they will never go back to Africa.

 

"We were poor, we were small (unimportant) in Somalia," said Hassan Musa Lamungu, among 70 impoverished Somali Bantu - black African - refugees flying from the Kenyan capital Nairobi in batches on Tuesday evening and Wednesday evening.

 

"Whenever we took our children to school, they (Somalis) hit our heads and called us 'adon' (slave) and sent us back home with our children," added the 42-year-old father of nine.

 

'My children will go to school'

"Now, I am at peace. My children will go to school".

 

One of Africa's longest suffering peoples, the minority tribe of descendants of slaves from Mozambique and other parts of southern Africa has tended to be ostracised by Somalis, who are a fairer-skinned, Cushitic people, because of different physical, cultural and linguistic characteristics.

 

Washington agreed in February to take the whole tribe of 11 800, who have been living in camps in north-eastern Kenya for most of the past decade because of the violence in Somalia.

 

The Horn of Africa country degenerated into anarchy with the overthrow of military ruler Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991. A transitional government sits in Mogadishu but has no power over the rest of the country, divided between numerous warlords.

 

The refugees have had security checks, medical examinations, literacy training and cultural orientation to ensure they integrate. Aid officials have also taught the tribe, denied formal education in Somalia, the nitty gritty of modernity.

 

'I will never, never come back to Africa'

The refugees are taught how to switch on and change light bulbs, flush the toilet and turn on taps.

 

"We tell them that once in America, women and men are considered equal and men should not even think of hitting their wives - and no spanking of children," an aid official said.

 

At a transit centre in Nairobi, aid officials handed out bags containing diapers, underwear and snacks to nursing mothers dressed in blue ankle-length dresses.

 

Amina Dadiri will head a household of six when she gets to Salt Lake City - two children of her own and three other youngsters. The 25-year-old has been abandoned by her husband.

 

She speaks only a few words of English, but says that will not be a deterrent to her success in the land of opportunity.

 

"Me and my children, we will all go to school. I will cultivate land if that is all there is for me to do. Nobody will take away my crop by force," she smiled.

 

Somali Bantus say that their farm produce was usually taken away from them at gunpoint by their Cushitic countrymen.

 

In October, the United States threatened to exclude families that were circumcising their daughters from the emigration list.

 

The refugees rushed to circumcise their daughters while in the Kenyan camps when they learnt the practice was outlawed in the United States. But 60-year-old Khadija Abdi says they will abide by the law of their new country.

 

"We will follow the law over there," Abdi says. "We don't want problems. I will never, never come back to Africa."

 

Most of the tribe are conservative Muslims. But Nurto Omar, Lamungu's wife, says that if there are no Muslim or black people to marry her daughters, then any suitable suitor would do.

 

"If they love one another, I have no problem with it."

[Macalin]

Yea...iLL...Nice them fellow Ppls..made It

 

they all in Maine...Innit

[Dhimbil]

sup fella...yeah man...am happy for them.

 

they all in Maine...Innit

Not really, they all over, like Denver,Atlanta et.

[Medley of extemporanea]

It's just another way to get to the US... I know of a number of people that paid there way onto the list of "bantu" somalis...

 

Next thing you know they will come up with another good of "oppressed" somali's that must be moved out, and after that another leen.

 

It's all good with me. I love it.

[Medley of extemporanea]

"Nairobi - Fresh from a crash course in modern living, black Somalis fleeing war and prejudice leave this week for new lives in the United States, many swearing they will never go back to Africa."

 

BLACK SOMALI'S????? What are the rest of us. And the part about swearing never to go back to Africa, am sure many of us here did the same when they first got out.

[Reality Check]

Originally posted by illmatic:

Or do you think foreigners(white)are behind this to undermine somalis and give them negative image, because somalis are becoming quite influencial minority

in some states in the U.S,

 

lol..I don't think the bantus sugarcoated anything about the way they were treated back home. Second, :lol: @ "somalis are becoming quite influencial minority in the U.S" ...huh? why wasn't I notified?

[Coloow]

Haniif, true. we had a similiar exodus some few years ago in which many somalis have been airlifted from refugee camps in kenya. (I guess people called them Fligh13) I have no idea where that flight number came from, but there is a similarity with today's so called somali bantus. I remember reading somewhere then about somali(something being resettled in western world).

 

The so called somali bantus are somalis and if differentiating them from other somalis would help them get a better life, waa allah mahadi. They have been opressed by other somalis (we are very prejudical) and I just hope that they would stick to the somali traditions and enhance somalinimo.

 

so, in short use the bantu name to get sharci but on arrival call yourselves somali.

[Haneefah]

It does make one wonder what the motive is for bringing so many of them.

 

But seriously, I can't blame them for not wanting to go back...I do personally remember the amount of prejudice and segregation they used to face. Somalis can be so inhumane sometimes, subhanallah. I just hope they don't forget their deen.

[king_450]

Wow Sister Nafisa if you keep responding this way , i will be reading all of your replies, good work and down to the throat of truth.

[mz-alpha-soup]

Its true that most somalis were heartless, and yea they did treat them like they are nothing ...what i dont understand is why we az somalis never rise above the notion that we are somehow better than all the rest, hence talking down to them, having derogatory nicknames for others ( san weyn, dega caas,etc etc)..just to belittle other people....cajaaib....gets me :mad:

[Haashim]

Nafisa well said Sis. they should quit all but ISLAM. anyone who deny what they say is a part of their problem.

[Diaspora_Dude]

Originally Posted by mz-alpha-soup

Its true that most somalis were heartless, and yea they did treat them like they are nothing ...what i dont understand is why we az somalis never rise above the notion that we are somehow better than all the rest, hence talking down to them,

It's a fabricated claims that somalis were the oppressors of bantu...no one is going to digest that misinformation...however, the bantus were the working class citizens and craftsmen(Unlike the Hispanics in the United States) and they(Bantus) had every opportunity to work, live better lives, and educate their children.

 

Now let's stop the blaming game and reconciliate each other...

 

Peace

Love &

Unity

[Coloow]

It's a fabricated claims that somalis were the oppressors of bantu...no one is going to digest that misinformation...however, the bantus were the working class citizens and craftsmen(Unlike the Hispanics in the United States) and they(Bantus) had every opportunity to work, live better lives, and educate their children.

 

Now let's stop the blaming game and reconciliate each other...

 

Unity [/QB]

PrettyB, what is a fabricated claim and misinformation is the fact that we somalis don't want to talk about our evilness, discrimination and prejudices! Only if we admit our shortcomings as a society can we embark on a road of reconciliation! I remember being in somalia in the late eighties and witnessing the multreatment of other somalis simply because they looked or talked differently than the majority.

 

I don't like the name bantu to describe somalis, but surely these people have gone through hell!

[Dhimbil]

Thanks for input nomads.

 

I don't really have strong opinion on this. Since i hvn't seen bantu being refused access to education or employment because they were bantu. Also, hven't seen anyone who denies their claim.

 

Opinionated:

:lol: @ "somalis are becoming quite influencial minority in the U.S" ...huh? why wasn't I notified?

.lol, u are being notified now, Minnifab is happening...we got this place on lock....why else would minor things about us make it to front page news?

[Coloow]

Bantus are one of the major races that dominate the east/central part of africa. They include the kikuyus, embus, wakambas of kenya and a few tribes in tanzania and zaire. The other major east african "races" are nilotes (river nile), the hamites (this includes the somalis) and nilohamites (intermarriage between the nilotes and hamities (the massais).