Rain in a Dry Land

A great documentary for those interested in refugee resettlement is Rain in a Dry Land. Directed by Anne Makepeace, filmed by Joan Churchill and Barney Broomfield, and released in 2006, this documentary follows two Somali Bantu families as they make the transition from refugee camps to life in the United States where they face racism, culture shock and poverty. The documentary illustrates the dignity and determination of its subjects, and neither compliments nor condemns U.S. resettlement procedures. I sat down expecting the film to portray families achieving so much from their resettlement in the U.S. I imagined them getting education, access to health care, training and job opportunities, safety and security, and while the families experience many triumphs after settling in their new homes, I was left feeling conflicted. At its core, this film is more about what the families lose than what they gain, and viewers must decide if all of those sacrifices were worth the prize of living in the U.S.

Here is the trailer… 

and a short clip from the beginning of the film...

This past spring, the mayor of Springfield, MA (one of the cities featured in the film) demanded that the U.S. State Department stop resettling refugees in his city. He says that agencies do not provide new arrivals with enough support, that these families are placed in sub-standard sometimes without heat or electricity, and that they put stress on the city's already overburdened public school system. He told reporters, "I want to help. All I am asking for is accountability from the agencies. You can't continue concentrating poverty on top of poverty.

Refugees make up about 1% of Springfield's total population and Massachusetts is cited as one of the top cities for refugee employment with 73% of refugees enrolled in state employment programs finding work. These workers can help stimulate the economy and reinvigorate the community of struggling cities. No one denies that the Springfield school system is in trouble or that many of the city's residents are living in poverty, it is not appropriate to make refugees the scapegoats for the city's problems or shortcomings.