Reflects on the history and plight of Somali Bantu refugees and the process of resettling them in the United States. Written from the perspective of a staff member of the International Organization for Migration who helped provide cultural orientation training to these refugees, this essay describes the persecution the Somali Bantus endured even before civil war broke out in Somalia in 1991; the Bantu were socially marginalized, and poverty and discrimination limited any opportunity for education. In Dadaab, the refugee camp complex in Kenya where they lived for a decade, they remained a minority among the other Somali refugees and were constantly threatened, often violently. Security was among the concerns contributing to the U.S. government’s decision to extricate this minority group. Over the course of several months, Somali Bantu refugees were transported to another camp in Kenya, Kakuma, to undergo the necessary processing for admission into the U.S. Because these refugees had virtually no experience with modern technology or urban culture, orientation training was essential to provide a bridge to a new life.
