African Wars and The Sad 
Story of Somalis in Maine

By Joyce Magoti

Lewiston, Maine

"We would like one day to see peace and security in our country because is not easy to live in America and we can’t keep a lot of family in this country," that is a voice full of thoughts back home from Dr. Said Mohamud the founder and President of African Immigrants Association.

 

Dr. Mohamud was talking to 9 Tanzanian journalists who  visited the Maine Lewiston city where Somali community live after left their country  as Refugees for the reason of extended  civil war.

 

He said due to prolonged civil wars in their country the have been forced to leave Somalia and he blamed other African countries allegedly to have created the war because of various interest to Somalia.

 

“Many nations have interest to Somalia including America, Egypt, Kenya. So I don’t think that one day we will stop that war, so our main vision is to unite ourselves as well as to make strong society to help themselves live in America.

 

"My duty is to help African people (in Maine) to cope with American culture especially in education, we help the young who are able to go to the college teaching them language and educate them because Americans don’t trust our education so they tell us to repeat studies even if you’re a graduate," he told the journalists.

 

Expressed the wish shared by many African communities of returning home oneday.

“I wish some days I can go back home, I miss my home, my   job, my cars, I would like to live in a peaceful country and democratic,” said Dr. Mohamud.

Before visiting the Somali community the journalists visited Lewiston Sun and lead by Tony Ronzio, the editorial page editor, apart from learning on the American press, Toni also gave a long history of the Somalis in Lewiston saying they come from different countries where they lived after running from their homes.

 

He said the Maine Community helped to encourage them to join in secondary schools and some of them have graduated in colleges.

 

“They come in America and choose where they want to live and the Community here has supported them to by starting English program in order to manage their life, further more, they control their life by doing temporary works,” he added.

 

On his part Laurent Gilbert the Mayor of Lewiston city when he was talking to Tanzanian Journalistin his office he added that, the Somali likes to live in America because they feel safe and the Community will continue to help them in education and other programs though now there is no more money to support them in many programe.

It is understood that apart from Somalis also Sudanese, Congolese and other Africans migrated in the areas and as of now about 4,000 new immigrants have moved to Lewiston since 2001, and dozens are still arriving every month.

Eight years ago, the town’s adult education center had only 76 student learning English as a second language and now some 950 pass through every year due to the increasing people from Africa.