Welsh Somalis counter 'isolation'

Wales' Somali community is around 7,000 strong

A sense of isolation members of one of Wales' oldest ethnic communities say they feel from society has led to an event to increase integration.

The Somali community in south Wales - mainly Cardiff and Newport - is one of the oldest in the UK.

But some members of the community have said they feel isolated and are the victims of "negative press".

The Somali Integration Society held an event in Cardiff for service providers including police and councils.

The Somali community feel very isolated - that is fact Ibrahim Harbi

The "integration day" was designed to promote a better understanding of the needs of the Somali communities living in Wales and gave delegates the chance to learn about their culture.

Ibrahim Harbi, of the Somali Integration Society, said before the event: "The Somali community feel very isolated - that is fact.

"There seems to be a lot of negative press about our community and we want to try and change that.

"There is a feeling that the Somali culture is very misunderstood and so we wanted to hold an event to give people the chance to learn about it.

"The event is to allow service providers like the local council and the police to take a look at the roots of our community and to try and have a bit more understanding of our needs."

Somalis settled in areas such as Cardiff's Butetown

Mr Harbi said that since the London bombings, the sense of isolation among the community had been heightened.

"Even though we are united in our condemnation of what happened in London, there is still a feeling of tension," he said.

"We want to change that - we want to try and create a feeling of unity."

Invited guests from various agencies including the police, local authorities and organisations such as the Muslim Council for Wales attended the event at Cardiff County Hall on Thursday.

"It is all about integration and we hope that we can create better links," added Mr Harbi.

A Somali community has existed in south Wales, particularly in the dockland areas of Cardiff and Newport, for more than 100 years.

The Somalis arrived in the booming ports of south Wales as members of the merchant navy and soon became part of the fabric of the communities that grew up around the docks.

Over the years, family ties and years of civil war in Somalia have led to new arrivals in Wales.

The Welsh Somali community is now about 7,000 strong.