Diaspora and Integration
“Sometimes we feel we straddle two cultures; at other times, that we fall between two stools.” This is what Salman Rushdie said in his book Imaginary Homelands talking about how people can feel attached to two nations at the same time or none at all, and this has happened throughout history. We know of the famous historical Diaspora where the Jews were expelled from the Roman Province of Palestine due to repeated uprisings and the following devastation by the Roman Army. They spread throughout the rest of the Roman Empires establishing communities, which tried to integrate into the local communities with varying successes and failures. We also know of the most recent diaspora in Somalia where due to a drought over 1 million Somalis left the country due to an extreme drought which has affected most of the country causing economic pressures. They have settled in refugee camps in the surrounding countries, trying to integrate within the society or waiting until the unfortunate situation in Somalia has passed over.
In the months from February to August, Somalia has experienced an extensive drought which has led to a high livestock mortality rate, and inflated grain prices. The cereal prices are now 260% higher than they were in 2010. Due to these events, many Somalis are facing starvation, with all of the country being at least under a stressed situation, crisis situations declared in the southern part of the country and a famine situation being declared in Mogadishu and the surrounding areas. UN aid groups, and independent groups attempted to bring aid to the famished groups, yet before this could happen the powerful Islamist Militant group the Shabab prevented the workers from distributing the food to the populace. In turn the UN and the African Union acted sending troops into the area, securing Mogadishu for the TFG or Transitional Federal Government, which is the internationally recognized government in Somalia. Most recently though there has been more direct action by outside powers with Kenya and even more recently Djibouti sending in troops to support the African Union, and the militant groups have responded by launching attacks against African Union troops and even launching incursions into Kenya.
These recent events have further increased the devastation which has enveloped the country since 1991. A side effect of this devastation and also the drought has increased amount of Somalis leaving the country, with 1 million having left the country. While many Somalis have left the country due to the instability, there hasn’t been such a large of an amount as this. Where will this lead though, will the neighboring countries reject the new refugees and treat them like second class citizens, will they try to disperse them or force them to leave, will they react by trying to help the neighboring country so they can move back , or will they let them integrate into society.
No one knows which one they will choose directly, but from this situation we can see one neighboring country, Kenya reacting by trying to stabilize Southern Somalia ( a hint of realism maybe), even facing heavy resistance from the militias. Yet what about integration, is it possible for these Somalis to integrate into Kenyan society, Kenya while being one of the more stable governments in Africa, still can be affected by a vast movements of poor people needing a way to support themselves, can the Kenyan economy stand up to the pressure?
In conclusion we can see that prolonged or even sudden events can provoke a diaspora in a country. Somalia has recently experience that first hand with 1 million Somalis leaving the country due to a devastating drought which has developed most of the country. We can also see how these events can lead to other nations experiencing the brunt of the immigrants and reacting to where they see fit. Yet we can also see if the people want to integrate into the neighboring societies attempted to change their paths. “Sometimes we feel we straddle two cultures; at other times, that we fall between two stools.”
Sources
New York Times: Nytimes.com
CIA World Factbook: CIA World Factbook.com
Good Reads: Good Reads.com
Kevin-
ReplyDeleteYou talk a lot about Somali people leaving their homeland to escape the troubled situation there. But what do you think would happen in the future if the TFG were to supress Shabab and bring peace to the country? Would the refugees return to their country? Or do you think they would remain in their new found homes?
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that there is a possibility of the Somali refugees to try to integrate into Kenyan society, but only very briefly at the end of your post. If they were to try to become a part of Kenya, how do you think this would affect Kenya as a whole? Do you think that the Somalis have a chance at starting new lives in Kenya and other neighboring countries in Africa? And, if they do, what do you think the impact will be on the governments? Is it possible that the nations which they settle into could change their views and actions towards Somalia and Al-Shabab? Perhaps their integration into another society could positively impact Somalia. What do you think?
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteDid you find any reports from Kenya on the Somali refugees? I know from a previous blog I wrote about stateless people, the Nubians, Kenya was not so keen on having this group. Is Kenya now becoming the new center of disaporas and stateless people? Do you think that because of Kenya's intervention in Somalia has caused these people to view Kenya as a safe he van?
“Sometimes we feel we straddle two cultures; at other times, that we fall between two stools.” I really like this quote Kevin, it ties in nicely with your topic. What else is being done in Somalia to try and help the people create a stable lifestyle so that leaving is not their only option?
ReplyDeleteKevin, as you said that there have been many Somalis leaving their country, do you think it would have been better if the problems within Somali are solved rather than have Somalis settled down in a brand new environment? Why would people assumed that they would have a better life in Kenya even though they would be treated as second class citizens ?
ReplyDeleteHey Kevin,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned Kenya as a nation that is accepting Somali refugees, but are there any other nations also accepting large numbers of refugees? How are they reacting to the large Somali community? And what kinds of connections are these Somali diasporas having with their old lives back home?
Hey Kevin,
ReplyDeleteI hope to offer a different perspective on this. I, also sometimes feel that I "straddle two different cultures", as I have dual-citizenship in the United States and Belize. I think that a similar event occurred in Belize, a previous British colony, many years ago. I remember hearing stories about how much Belizean culture thrived in its earlier years as an independent nation. However, within the last 20 years, the British began to see how successful this nation was becoming. Not only was its economy growing at a slow, but steady rate, Belize was starting to become a major exporter of sugar, its most readily-abailable resource. This caused Britain to become more power hungry and they began to move troops back into the already freed nation of Belize. This got even worse when word reached Britain that oil had been found in the capital of Belize. As more and more British troops moved into Belize, the world began to see a halt of culture and a shift of civilization. The main focus on Belizean lifestyle no longer operated at the leisurely pace it once had. Now, the British-influenced government had one thing on its mind... MONEY! As the government began to see that the British did not have their best interest at heart, movements began to start to push them back out of Belize. When I go back there now, I am just starting to see a re-infilteration of Belizean culture. It has really showed me how quickly a culture and group of people can change.
I am not sure if this is at all where you were going with your blog post, but it is something I felt related to your topic. Belize is a rich and diverse nation. Walking around the streets, you can see all different mixtures of races, ethnicities, and cultures. One can even argue that Belize is, in a way, a Diaspora in and of itself.