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Like other rural east African people, the use of herbs in traditional medical practices is common.
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Health Care
The IOM reports a high birth rate among the Bantu population, noting that most married women are either breastfeeding or pregnant and that the concept of family planning does not exist. According to recent data collected by the UNHCR, an estimated 60% of the Bantu are under 17, and 31% are under 6.
Although these characteristics are not unique to the Bantu, let alone other refugee populations, resettlement professionals should be prepared to deal with significant health care, sanitation, and social support issues relating to small children and mothers. For instance, the Bantu use pit latrines and are unfamiliar with typical American bathroom facilities and common sanitation items such as diapers and feminine care products.
The Bantu are a rural people who practice traditional beliefs. This extends to medical care in which local healing techniques are used. The IOM reports that some Bantu apply a heated nail or metal object to an infant’s head in the belief that the burns will reduce the swelling of the head in cases where it is unusually large. They also burn small holes in the skin to cure ailments like stomach aches and migraine headaches. Like other rural east African people, the use of herbs in traditional medical practices is common.
Religious healing, such as prayer, is also frequently used. Some Bantu women, accompanied by traditional healers, perform ritual ceremonies, known as Gitimiri or Audara, to cast off illness and evil spells. Other such healing techniques are practiced among the Bantu and other Somali groups. Resettlement professionals in the United States may want to consult with their southern Somali colleagues to better understand the scope of such healing techniques practiced in that region.
Like other Somali groups, the Bantu circumcise both males and females. Aid workers in the refugee camps state that female circumcision practiced by some Bantu is a milder form than that practiced by the other Somali groups. While service providers report that the Bantu are agreeable to giving up the practice when they arrive in the United States, there have been reports from the UNHCR that some Bantu, knowing that they cannot legally circumcise their daughters in the U.S., rushed to circumcise them before departing Kenya. Health and legal concerns around this should continue to be addressed by resettlement agencies upon the Bantu’s arrival in the United States. It should be noted that female circumcision is a tradition that may have accompanied Islam but is not mandated by Islam. |
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The years of subjugation and fear have adversely affected their sense of equality and self-esteem.
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Mental Health
Bantu refugees with a lineage to slavery have a long history of marginalization. The years of subjugation and fear have adversely affected their sense of equality and self-esteem. The Bantu were further affected by the recent civil war with many fleeing only after their villages were attacked. Many witnessed friends and relatives being killed in bandit attacks in Somalia.
The prevalence of violence and the constant threat of attack in the refugee camps have further eroded the Bantu’s sense of security and well-being. The IOM reports trauma-related problems, including hopelessness and depression, among the Bantu being interviewed for resettlement. Thus, resettlement professionals will have to contend not only with the aftereffects of trauma from violence, but also the Bantu’s intergenerational culture of inferiority and second-class status. Service providers should closely monitor the Bantu to determine if any are experiencing serious mental health problems.
Margaret Munene, a UNHCR psychologist, explains that the Bantu’s withdrawn demeanor could indicate low self-esteem. Munene further states that the Bantu have escaped their oppressors in Somalia only to live among them in Kenya. In the Dadaab refugee camps, the Bantu still lack the psychological freedom to be themselves.
It is important to recognize that Bantu children who will attend American public schools are probably traumatized as well, and will need special services in this area. Helping local host communities understand the background and experiences of trauma that the Bantu refugees have suffered will be very important. |
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