Longing for Resettlement

The Psychological Impact of Banning Refugees

By Stina Kielsmeier-Cook
Dadaab refugee camp. Image via Bjørn Heidenstrøm/Flickr.
Feb 23, 2017
Share Full Article

In Dadaab refugee camp, a researcher recorded a Somali term for the particular feeling of longing for resettlement: buufis, “a kind of depression rooted in an inextinguishable hope for a life elsewhere that simultaneously casts the present into shadow.”

Read the Full Article

An image of the November 2026 issue of Sojourners, titled "Face to Face." It features George Lakey on the cover
To continue reading this article — and get full access to all our magazine content — subscribe now for as little as $5.95. Your subscription helps sustain our nonprofit journalism and allows us to pay authors for their terrific work! Thank you for your support.
Subscribe Now!

Dadaab refugee camp. Image via Bjørn Heidenstrøm/Flickr.