The BG News

Issue date: 5/21/08 Section: Campus

For African immigrants, success in the U.S. may depend on the country they are from, according to a recent study done by University geography professor Kefa M. Otiso.

Otiso, originally from Kenya, became interested in how fellow Africans were incorporated into U.S. society six years ago. This prompted his research, which shows that overall, African immigrants not only perform better in education and employment than other immigrants, but they also perform higher than the rest of the U.S. population in the same areas.

Otiso believes the factors responsible for this success are "their good work ethic, focus and a drive to succeed that is honed by the limited socioeconomic opportunities in their native African countries."

Wezi Ndhlovu, a junior and president of the African Peoples Association and originally from Zambia, echoes this sentiment.

"Most Africans, myself included, have been brought up guided by the saying 'education is the key to success,'" Ndhlovu said. "Most Africans will put their classes before anything else. They have their families looking up to them to come back home with a distinguished status."

However, Otiso also found success is higher among Africans from English-speaking countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt, as immigrants are more able to adapt and take advantage of all opportunities available in the States.

For many students from all parts of Africa, adapting to life in America has been one of the hardest obstacles to overcome.

"African students have to work extra hard to overcome the wrong impressions that have been created by the media that Africa is backward and nothing but woods and animals," said Douglas Kiteki, a junior and former APA treasurer from Kenya.

Students from certain countries such as Somalia face even more hardships than cultural and language barriers.

"They are racial minorities, religious minorities and are often linguistically isolated," Otiso said.

According to Otiso's research, Somalis are often less prepared in financial, social and emotional aspects as many have come as refugees following a civil war in the 1990s. Ohio has been a major destination, with Columbus having the second-largest concentration of Somalis of any U.S. city.

But fellow Africans are not sure nationality solely determines how successful one will be once in the U.S.

"I think it depends on how someone was brought up and it also depends on what someone wants in life," Kiteki said. "I do believe that everyone has the potential to achieve what he or she wants."

Personally, Kiteki hopes to take what he has learned in the United States to improve not only his native country of Kenya, but the entire continent of his beloved Africa. He looks for inspiration from several popular African leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, who were educated in the U.S. or Europe and went back to their countries to make a difference.

Nationality aside, Otiso hopes his research will help Americans to understand and appreciate the role of all African immigrants in the U.S. economy and cultural diversity.

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