Eritrean Immigrants in the US - Research Paper Example

Eritrean Immigrants in US al Affiliation: The constitution of Eritrea s that the country has nine ethic languages. However, thegovernment has two administrative languages, i.e. Tigrinya and Arabic. These are languages that are used to transact formal business in the country. Tigrinya is also spoken in Ethiopia. In the lowland, the Muslims are the majority. As a result, Arabic language was chosen in order to represent them. Nevertheless, the Rashaida group use Arabic as their mother tongue. The rest of the groups use the Arabic language for religious reasons. Many of the local people in Eritrea trace their origin from Ethiopia. Therefore, majority of them are able to speak Amharic fluently (Advameg, Inc., 2014). From grade one to five in the primary school, the students are taught using the mother tongue. However, English is used from grade six as the language of instructions. In the meantime, Tigrinya is almost taking over as the dominate language. This is because the group forms the largest segment in the population and most people in the government and state corporation prefer to use the language. Among the Tigrinya ethnic group, there is another small group of people known as Jeberti. However, they are not considered separately from Tigrinya even by the government. Traditionally, there have been conflicts between the lowland and highland communities in the country. These tensions and conflicts have been characterized by stealing of livestock and encroachment of land (Advameg, Inc., 2014). In addition, there is a mutual distrust among the two groups. This has moved even into the government departments. The Eritreans are divided along the religious, ethnic, and social lines. Initially, there were low caste groups. These social classes were found in almost all ethnic groups. In the modern society, an elite group is arising (Advameg, Inc., 2014). This is mainly composed of the business people, civil servants and citizens who come back from the Diaspora. Eritrea is a unitary state. It has a parliamentary system of governance. The president of the country is elected by the parliament who then becomes the head of the government and the state at large. Once appointed, the president later appoints the cabinet which is vetted by the parliament (Advameg, Inc., 2014). The country passed the constitution. However, it is yet to be implemented fully. The country is divided between the two major religious lines, i.e. Christians and Muslims. However, the number of Christians in the country is a bit higher. Among the Kunama group, there are several followers of the traditional beliefs. Orthodox Christianity is the largest religious affiliation in the country (Advameg, Inc., 2014). Moreover, Catholicism and Lutheranism are also dominant religious ideologies in the country. In Eritrea, the level of illiteracy is very high. The country has very few institutions of higher learning. The available institutions admit a very small number. In rural areas, people practice farming. This does not require formal education. However, well up families mainly take their children abroad to obtain better education standards. This has contributed immensely in increasing the level of poverty in the country (Advameg, Inc., 2014). Moreover, the rich and the elite group continue to dominate the political arena. This has made it very hard to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor in the country. There was no significant immigration to United States by Eritreans until 1970s when the draught and famine hit the country. Many Eritreans were already drained by the war. Therefore, the drought exhausted the already strained resources (Advameg, Inc., 2014). Approximately one third of the local population migrated to the neighboring countries. However, many of the country’s refugee camps were put in United States. Since 1962, the country faced a tough independence war until 1993. Many of the people were affected. As a result, they sought refuge in the neighboring countries such as Sudan. However, those who could afford flied to United States and took an asylum. Many of these refugees were hosted in Metropolitan Washington, D.C. In addition, another very large group of the Eritreans settled in Ohio, Atlanta, Dallas and Texas (Connell & Killion, 2011). After independence, many of the Eritreans came to United States in search for better educational facilities. After completing their education, they were expected to go back and help in rebuilding their country. However, the country was still experiencing some leadership problems. For instance, the opposition was gagged and the rights of the citizen violated. Eritreans living abroad have very strong ties. They always look for each other and form groups to help each other against tough economic times in abroad. Since they migrated to United States they have kept themselves up to terms with what is happening in their country. In 1990s, majority of them were willing to go back to their country (Haines, 2004). However, their dreams were dashed by poor leadership and lack of strong institutions to protect the local population. Majority of the Eritreans who migrated to US in early 1990s lacked the educational skills. In addition, many of them were not conversant with English. This aspect made it very hard for them to integrate with the local American culture. Therefore, they felt alienated by the rest of the English speaking population (Haines, 2004). Moreover, majority of them could not secure descent jobs because they were not qualified. These challenges brought them together. The Eritreans have been able to survive in US through their support group. Through these groups, they have been able to establish businesses such as hotels. In addition, the social groups have been significant in enabling them to help each other financially (Haines, 2004). Moreover, when one of them is affected by illness or any other social problem, they are able to come in through these groups and help one of them. Through education, young Eritreans have been able to integrate with the American culture. Many of the second generation of the migrants are able to speak English. In addition, they have been able to secure jobs. However, they still hold on their ties. This has changed the face of the social groups. Currently, the groups are very strong such that they have even invested in their country of origin (Connell & Killion, 2011). It ensures that the new immigrants settle very fast in the country. Furthermore, they hold several cultural activities in order to introduce the new generation to their culture. Through researching on the Eritrean culture, I have been able to learn that it has remain relevant to this group because of the challenges that they went through when they entered United States. They have therefore, remained united and true to their origin. For instance, they have maintained their music, foods, and other cultural artifacts. In addition, the parents of the new generation have ensured that their children learn the local languages that are spoken in Eritrea (Connell & Killion, 2011). I have learnt that the Eritrean culture has been significant in maintaining the unity of this population while living abroad. In addition, the culture has been significant in improving the financial status of the Eritrean population in United States. Moreover, it has created a strong bond among the Eritrean population that is residing in US. I think other marginalized groups need to learn from the Eritreans. This is through coming together and sharing their culture which would act as a symbol of unity in a foreign land. This would play an important role in improving their affairs. Moreover, they would feel as if they are in their home country. Therefore, they would tackle a common problem as a unit. In the past few decades, the number of foreigners committing suicide in US because of stress-related issues has increased tremendously. As a result, marginalized group are supposed to be taught on how to value their culture and use it as a symbol of unity. References Advameg, Inc. (2014). Culture of Eritrea - history, people, clothing, women, beliefs, food, customs, family, social. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Eritrea.html Connell, D., & Killion, T. (2011). Historical dictionary of Eritrea. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. Haines, D. W. (2004). Refugees in America in the 1990s: A reference handbook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Read More