Lessons in Life and Language

By Kate Sheehy

Syracuse April, 20 2009- With only stories of violence to remind them of their homeland, Werdi Mugaya and Zeytun Aden have made a connection with a new language, and a new life in America. Werdi and Zeytun were born in a refugee camp in Kenya after their parents escaped years of war in Somalia. They are now part of the close-knit support system of Somalians in Syracuse.

The brother and sister did not have the often have the opportunity to attend school in Africa, and when they did, it was less than ideal.

"If you were late they would slap your hands and make you do push-ups," said Werdi.

Culture Clash

Upon arriving in America the two did not know any English and barely knew how to read and write in their native tongue, Maimai (my-my). So they had to start from scratch. Werdi and Zeytun entered third grade at Grant Middle School. In a foreign environment they were scared and frustrated.

"I think I cried the first day," said Zeytune.

They were teased by American students, reminding them of the prejudice their parents suffered in Somalia. Werdi and Zeytun are Somali-Bantus, a minority underclass in Somalia that was first brought to the country as slaves.

"I felt upset and angry. It made me want to leave America and go back to where I came from in the first place," said Werdi.

It Takes a Community

They got help learning English and coping with social issues during a program organized by the Somali-Bantu community. At what they simply call, Saturday School, they are tutored by students from Syracuse University and other volunteers. Haji Adan is the director and very passionate about its purpose.

Haji tells the kids, “If someone is teasing you, don’t listen and focus on your own personal education.”

Somali-Bantus volunteer their time and donate what money they can, even buying snacks for the kids with food stamp money. Haji and other organizers have raised money from churches, government aid programs and have discussed their plan with the Mayor Driscoll. Their goal is to educate youth so that they can have a future here in America, that was not possible in Africa.

Looking Toward the Future

“When we first started the program I thought it would only be open for one or two months, but now we have 120 kids,” said Haji.

Haji hopes to have over 200 kids soon. Werdi and Zeytun want to someday take what they learn here, back to Africa to help others as they have been helped.

How Refugees Feed Their Longing for Traditional Cuisine

Kate Sheehy, NCC News

Food for Thought
March 26, 2009 Syracuse--We all can connect some type of food with a feeling or a memory; a favorite dish you ate with your family, grilling hot dogs and hamburgers in the backyard, eating pizza late at night with friends. American food is a mixture of influence from all over the world. Refugees living in Syracuse are part of this influence. They bring culinary traditions from home to remember the life they left behind.

A Taste of Home
Ayad Alnassiry and his family fled violence in Iraq and came to Syracuse almost a year ago. Ayad said he misses his friends and family, and the traditional food of his country. But his wife continues to make her own spices and cook many meals from Iraq. Ayad said they are able to get many of the foods they used back home, although not exactly the same, here in Syracuse.

“We miss the fresh greens we used to eat that don't grow here,” said Ayad.

A New Way of Life
The Donzos from West Africa are a family of 15, and all of them work to help with money. They were happy to find the African and Caribbean Store in Syracuse. They get a lot of the ingredients to make traditional dishes like Water Soup. Fanta Donzo said it makes her feel good to cook African food for her family. However, she said the way food is prepared and eaten in America, differs greatly from her African customs.

“In Africa we would cook outside, never inside, and we would all sit together and eat with our hands,” Fanta said.

She said she misses these customs and sometimes she feels weird eating with her hands here. Fanta said now her family is so busy working and going to school that they rarely eat together like they used to.

A Global Market
Driving up and down Eerie Boulevard or North Salina, it is easy to miss the small ethnic grocery stores. But they provide an essential need for refugees starting a new life in an unfamiliar world. Roselinda Abbey is from Ghana and owns the African and Caribbean store on North Salina. She said when she moved here in 2001 there was no store that sold African food, so she opened one.

“I choose the foods that I like to have in the store, but my customers tell me what they want too,” Abbey said.

Cooking food from home is one way refugees can recreate a significant part of their culture here in America.

“Food is the footprint of each culture, and each one is different from one another,” said Ayad.

You can see these footprints in Syracuse, just take a look.