Senator Amy Klobuchars Salutes Minnesotans on World Refugee Day with a rare rally message

By A. Irshad

“I believe that it must be our goal as a nation to help and support refugees worldwide, whether they are fleeing violence, natural disaster or political persecution", representative Joe Campbell for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, said. Speaking at World Refugee Day, designated every year across the globe, Sen. Klobuchar’s representative added, "many in this state have an acute awareness of the magnitude of the hardships that refugees face".

The day brings together millions to reflect on the plight of refugees worldwide. Minnesota has hosted over 88,000 refugees since 1979.  It is one of the fastest growing States in the country with large immigrant population, second to California.

Minnesota has the highest Somali refugee population in North America and is the second home for Liberians in the United States.

Beaming with high spirits and wary of warming summer weather, not event the distant rumble of down pour or high gas price could keep away thousands of Minnesotans of all walks and colors who turned up for the event at the Minnehaha Creek Park to a jubilee of events.

Thanking Minnesotans and promising to advance the interests of refugees worldwide, Senator Klobuchar’s representative Mr. Campbell said, "I am deeply appreciative of the work of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee UNHCR and Minnesota non-profit organizations that are committed to helping refugees to the necessary levels of services and support without which this celebration would not be taking place".

Adding her voice to the occasion, Elizabeth Namarra, a co-founder of Sub-Saharan African Youth and Family Services in Minnesota SAYFSAM said "my flight from religious persecution from Ethiopia is memorable but also scary and one of a scarce environs”. 

Drawing loud applause, she said, "with a minimal early schooling in my native country, Ethiopia, I am now glad to have successfully graduated from Augsburg College with a civil engineering degree".

Adding humor to the occasion, she narrated her conflict with the weather, "I was unfamiliar with snowy weather and went against my sister’s advice to wear pants out of respect for my cultural upbringing, I soon realized the compelling necessity of wearing pants", she said with a light chuckle.

"And this was the first time in my life I had to put on a pair", she added with a tailing rich voice that tipped a wild roar from the audience.

Dr. Osman Harare, of East African Health Project, on refugee plights said, "on many occasions I was pushed to a breaking point as I treated pot-bellied starving children, mothers and women choked with miasma of health distresses and depressions with high energy meals in Mandera refugee camps in the 90s”.

Away from the kowtows and tributes, the moments of extravaganza came home with the echoes of the African drums and percussions rallying the funky Afro-hits of the seventies. SUNplugd replayed lyrics of Osibisa, the King of Africa and attracted many. Also crowd pulling was the Somali Pan-African Dancers playing traditional "Somali-Danto dance".

Dressed in colorful dark red-striped traditional Somali shoals, "guntina shall", tied at the left shoulder blade with matching waist tied cloth ("kikoy” for men), the Somali Pan African Dancers received standing ovation for their agile performance.
 
Pan African Community Organization, PACO, the main support for the dancers is a non-profit organization providing services to African immigrants mainly focused on HIV prevention among the African-born.

IBe, from Guinea performed spoken words that trudges the journeyed between two world’s refuges cherish, living in America and a heart for Africa with the baggage of pains and gains, challenges and conflicts in his artistic poetic performance, attracting audience.

Among others who performed included a Somali youth poet group "Ka-Joog: The Poets" meaning “leave it”. Other speakers included Eh Taw Dwe of the Karen community community, Williametta Saydee-Tarr of the Liberian community and Mao Thao of the Hmong community. The evening closed with a performance by the International Reggae All-Stars band.

There an estimated 14 million refugees in the world. This is a dramatic increase since mid-seventies when they were less than 3 million refugees worldwide. There are also over 24 million Internally Displaced Persons, [IDP] in their own countries. The leading countries of IDPs include Sudan, Iraq, Somali, Turkey, Kenya among others.

The event was organized by a coalition of non-profits and largely coordinated by the Minnesota international Health Volunteers, Minnesota Department of Health’s Refugee Health program and a collaboration of over thirty other organizations. The main program was officiated by Mukhtar Gaaddasaar of KFAI Somali services as the master of ceremony.

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Photo: East African immigrants performing one of their traditional dances at the World Refugee Day Event.