PBS New Americans Assignment

The "New Americans" are people from around the world that cannot return to their homeland. This is for different reasons, for the Ogonis they were forced out of their homes by discrimination and persecution. The Ogonis are from a refugee camp in Benin, West Africa. Their family opposes the Nigeria's military government and the Shell Oil Corporation. For years the government and corporation have been permitted to drill oil into their homeland causing an environmental disaster. As time progressed violence caused the Ogonis to relocated to the United States. Israel and Ngozi Nwidor live in a tent with two of their children in Berlin, Africa. Their family is resettling in different cities in the United States, because they were forced out of their homes. They are looking for a new beginning in America. Israel is a chemical engineer and he was unable to get a job in the oil industry Nigeria because of discrimination. Now in America, he looks forward to being accepted and being free. They don't understand America because they never been there, they just go by what they hear. Ngozi (Israel's wife) stated that "I've never been to America. When I get there, I will join others, do the way they do, that's all." It sounds easy and it's a well though concept but it's about the survival of the fittest in America. Only the strongest will survive. Someone also relocating is Barine Wiwa-Lawani (the sister of Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa from England. She has four children and she was educated in England. Her catering school and two restaurants were bulldozed by the government. Now she is forced to move to Berlin. Their fears and challenges would be the job search and difficulty understanding the language. All of their situations are difficult but they have to make the best of it and live with it. The Ogonis will have a new chapter of their life in a country with equal opportunities. They have to leave their family and it was wrong how the government kicked them but that's life. At least now the Ogonis can start new and have a better life in America. Barine Wiwa-Lawaina was mistreated and was put into a difficult situation. She went from having businesses to having nothing. Now she lives in a location where there is discrimination and no opportunities. The difference between these two cases is that one family is going from nothing to something and the other family is going from something to nothing. There are disadvantages and advantages of these relocating situations but they have to make the best out of it. The government caused these issues and if they don't stop causing these issues things are going to get worst.