Somali Diaspora Shines Through in Somalis in Maine

For the past two decades, the Somali Civil War has ravaged the Horn of Africa. For its citizens, the security of their homeland disappeared and was replaced by war, famine, deaths, familial separations, and the collapse of the place that they once called home. Forced to flee for a better life, Somalis relocated all over the world. Somalis in Maine: Crossing Cultural Currents, edited by Kimberly A. Huisman, Mazie Hough, Kristin M. Langellier and Carol Nordstrom Toner uses a collection of real stories about unique cross-cultural interactions and collaborations between Somali refugees and Americans in Lewiston, Maine to promote understanding about the global Somali diaspora.

According to a recent article in Bangor Daily News, Somalis in Maine resulted from The Somali Narrative Project: a successful oral history collaboration between four University of Maine faculty members and Somali residents of the Lewiston-Auburn area. Because oral tradition is essential to Somali culture, the decision to create a ‘library of stories’ was the natural next step.

“We hear the voices of ordinary citizens, neither victims nor social problems, talking against the backdrop of their extraordinary experiences,” the editors explained. “In their voices and stories throughout the volume, Somalis make and remake themselves in America, and simultaneously, we remake who we are as Americans. As the formidable obstacles the Somalis face are outlined, we listen with hope for what comes next in our cross-cultural story.”

Somalis in Maine gets to the heart of what it feels like to be an outsider in a foreign place, what it’s like to be an insider when foreigners intrude, and finally explores the idea that maybe those we consider different aren’t so different after all.

Have you experienced any cross-cultural issues in your hometown? Share your comments with us!

CLICK HERE to read more about the Somali refugees in Maine.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the book.