Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Preserving a culture Somali refugees pass traditions to kids through Arcadia classes
By Ana Lagunez alagunez@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal
With their violence-torn country a continent away, Somali refugees in Louisville do not want their children to forget their culture or their homeland.
"To lose one's culture is terrible," said Issack Hussein, 37, who helped found the Somali Bantu Community of Kentucky. It is offering classes at the Arcadia Community Center to teach their children traditional Somali songs, Quran lessons and the languages of Mai-mai and Zigua. Those Somali languages are often spoken in the children's homes.
"We want them to know who they are and where they come from, because if they lose that, they lose everything they have," Hussein said.
About 150 children between the ages of 5 and 16 take the classes, which are held on weekends at the center, 1423 Arcade Ave. The classes, taught by Bantu leaders, also ease cultural integration by teaching children about American norms.
"It's so important for them to have a safe place to learn how to be part of America," said Hassan Muya, another founder of the Bantu group.
He said many local teachers use the program. They approach directors directly if there are problems with students who have just entered the United States, he said.
"Once they're with us, you see great improvements," Muya said.
The Somali Bantu Community of Kentucky was formed by four Bantu members in 2004, including Hussein and Muya, who arrived with his family in September 2004. Hussein and Muya had met at a Kenyan refugee camp in 1992 Many Somali Bantu refugees in Louisville immigrated to the U.S. through Catholic Charities or Kentucky Refugee Ministries. Other refugees have come to Louisville from Chicago, Atlanta and the East Coast. Louisville has about 1,500 Somalis because of an influx of immigrants in the past eight months to a year, said Katie Carman, director of the community center.
Though Somalis reside all over Louisville, about 120 of the families are concentrated in Parkway Place, Iroquois Homes and the Arcadia area. A majority of Somali children attend Wilkerson, Stone Street, Camp Taylor and Lane elementaries, Carman said.
Muya said Somali refugees have been drawn to Louisville specifically because the Bantu groups provide strong cultural support.
The Somali Bantu Community offers English classes and helps immigrants find jobs, pay rent and use resources to support their families.
The group was given access to the Arcadia Community Center 1½ years ago. Before that, it met infrequently and at someone's house.
It has received about $10,000 from the center since April 2006. The money -- from a $25,000 grant that the center has received the past two years from the Community Foundation -- goes toward snacks and small stipends for teachers. "This place is great," Muya said as he looked at the unfinished doorway to the room the group uses as an office. "Before we just had one tiny room, now we have a basement, a main floor and this office."
The group would like to hold programs with other cultural organizations in the area to promote understanding and break down ethnic barriers. But the group's priority is to attract more volunteers to help with the growing number of immigrant families.
"Louisville is the place to be," Muya said. "The community treats us really well, and we hope to have more good volunteers." Muya said he is thankful for the opportunity to work hard and be successful in the United States. His favorite song sung by the children translates into: "We welcome all of the community to be with us, we welcome them to help us and offer our help to them."
Reporter Ana Lagunez can be reached at alagunez@courier-journal.com.