Provocate.org

Documentary about the resettlement of one of the world’s most abused groups of refugees to the

US Fri Apr 27 3:45pm IMM Screening Room (Landmark)

Wed May 2 9:45pm IMM Screening Room (Landmark)  Ticket info: http://indyfilmfest.org/tickets.html 

“Rain in a Dry Land” examines the multiple layers of culture shock facing Bantu Somali refugees when they arrive in the US. In 2004, thirteen thousand Somali Bantu refugees realized their dream of coming to

America. They are now living in fifty cities across the country, becoming the largest African group from a single minority to settle in the

United States at one time. Rain in a Dry Land chronicles two years in the lives of two Somali Bantu families as they leave behind a legacy of oppression in

Africa to face new challenges in a strange land. At the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, the refugees are stunned by what they learn about

America in their “Cultural Orientation” class. As their awe and excitement grows, so does their fear. How will illiterate Muslim farmers who speak no English survive in

America? Both families are dynamic, charismatic, and very different in nature. Arbai is a single mother of four with a great sense of humor despite her devastating past. Madina and her husband

Aden are a volatile couple, determined to provide for their huge family but uncertain about the life that lies ahead.  Despite racism, poverty, failures of the school system, and severe culture shock, both families find ways to survive in America, and create a safe haven for their war-torn families.  If you like this film … See the film “The Journey of Vaan Nguyen” for a story of how a Vietnamese refugee was resettled in Israel.  

You should know before you go…The Somali Bantu are descendants of six African tribes in East Africa … the Somali Bantu are not native Somalis. Their ancestors were taken from their native lands by Arab slave traders in the 18th and 19th centuries and sold through the

Zanzibar slave market. The Bantu endured several centuries of toil and deprivation as slaves in

Somalia. Even after slavery ended there in 1930, they continued to exist on the lowest rungs of the social ladder. During the Somali civil war in the 1990s, their situation worsened. Their farms were raided and rival Somali clans routinely raped Bantu women and killed the men. That led to an exodus to neighboring

Kenya. They have nowhere else to go.

Kenya, the country they fled to, has refused to allow them to stay permanently. Tanzania accepted some Somali Bantu who fled via ship from

Somalia, but that country is already swamped by refugees fleeing the Rwandan civil war. The

United States, which accepts a set number of refugees annually, agreed to take those left.  For more information after the film …

National Somali Bantu Organization (MUKI) Serves Somali immigrants in the United States and Canada.

For more on Somali Bantu history and culture: http://www.cal.org/co/bantu/   Indy experts: Mary Spink of the International Center of Indianapolis has been working closely with the large number of Somali Bantus settled in

Indiana.

 Get involved

Exodus works to integrate refugees in Central Indiana and always needs volunteers.  

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