By Nadia Phillips
Walking on the dirty pathway of Kakuma a midwife called Deborah Agok who just came back from Marial Bai, had big news for a “Lost Boy” from the same village , who lived in a house filled with other “Lost Boys” and her friend’s family in Kakuma. A feeling of excitement passed through her. She went inside the house that was filled with a lot of people, looking from one to another of the boys and in the corner she spotted the boy; his name was Valentino Achak Deng. She looked deep into his eyes and told him about a midwife and her husband who had lost a boy called Achak. Achak met her eyes and he knew she was telling the truth. Deborah asked Achak who his parents’ names were and he answered them full of hope. There was great tension in the room until eventually she paused “They are the same” she said “ Achak’s parents are alive.”(1)
Valentino recounted the horror of when his village came under attack. “She held my face in her hand and then slipped backward through the door. I heard her feet on the ladder and felt the hut shake with her descent. Then silence. A shot burst close now.” (2)
That was the last time Valentino saw his mother but he treasured that moment of tenderness. They both ran away from their home and he went to his aunt’s house to find a hiding place. He waited there as his mother had told him to but having waited for some time, set off to find a different hiding place. He ran as fast as he could though the jungle terrain. His heart was pounding , his feet were sore and his arms were badly scratched as he brushed against the vegetation in the jungle. He could hear the sound of heavy explosions in the distance so he kept on running away from where the sound was coming, simply running for survival
This was the tragedy of Sudan. Children who were loved by their families many of whom disappeared. Valentino wasn’t the only boy who was separated from his family. More than 25,000 boys suffered the same fate and their stories recount a brutal period in Sudan’s history and describe a lost generation whose only sin was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
That was the last time Valentino saw his mother but he treasured that moment of tenderness. They both ran away from their home and he went to his aunt’s house to find a hiding place. He waited there as his mother had told him to but having waited for some time, set off to find a different hiding place. He ran as fast as he could though the jungle terrain. His heart was pounding , his feet were sore and his arms were badly scratched as he brushed against the vegetation in the jungle. He could hear the sound of heavy explosions in the distance so he kept on running away from where the sound was coming, simply running for survival
This was the tragedy of Sudan. Children who were loved by their families many of whom disappeared. Valentino wasn’t the only boy who was separated from his family. More than 25,000 boys suffered the same fate and their stories recount a brutal period in Sudan’s history and describe a lost generation whose only sin was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Airplanes roared over the top of the village called Bor. A big black container filled with explosives came down from the airplane and exploded when it reached the ground. Everyone was running away from the bomb and families were scattered, trying to save themselves. Michael Kuch was a boy in that village who ran away and joined the other “Lost Boys”. In 1991, when he arrived in Ethiopia, a civil war was breaking so, he went to an Internal Displaced Person Camp called Pachalla where food and medical attention were provided but the camp was bombed day and night and became unsafe to stay in. So he went to Kakuma, Kenya and stayed there for eight years. In 2000, he got an offer to go to the US and also around that time he found three of his siblings and all of them were given a chance to emigrate to Philadelphia. (3)
It was very easy for a boy to die in Sudan. There were many ways like being eaten by a lion or dying from starvation, dehydration or disease. When the “Lost Boys” were walking they had to survive by themselves in finding food or water and watch out for animals that could eat and kill them. When the Lost Boys slept, they slept in a large group on the ground. The boys at the end would have to watch out for animals. The older boys led the group. When many of them died along the way, some were buried while others were left.
What a contrast with life in America, where many of the boys ended up. They lived in apartments and went to school. Like other Americans the lost boys had to work to live. When they started to move to America the news spread to the whole country. Over the years, many books and movies were made about them. A high school student called Josh Millan responded to Dave Egger’s book “What is the What”, which was continued by the Drexel University Writing Program and Drexel University Alpha Kappa Psi, Chapter Eta Psi students. They raised $15,000 to reunite three lost boys with their families including Michael Kuch. Their mission was “To rebuild Sudan by fighting the residual effects of Genocide; and to empower the people through the values of community and self-sufficiency.” They focused on repairing the devastation that destroyed lives and communities in Southern Sudan through various funds and projects.
For the “Lost Boys” or Girls who wanted to be reunited with their family, they would have to join the writing program in Drexel university and from there they would be chosen.
Another reuniting project was made in Arizona. It started in late 1980’s when field workers came to visit the “Lost Boys” and documented their history. The Arizona Lost Boys Centre was chosen to host the files which were scanned and put onto a website. The database contained the records of 16,000 lost boys and 38000 pdf files.() Each pdf consisted a maximum of 8 lost boys and each record had 8 pages containing the boy’s origins, family members, the people they traveled with and also the people they knew were alive or dead. 75% of the documents contained photographs of the “Lost Boys”. These documents could be found in: www.lostboysreunited.org
Akech was one of the first “Lost Boys” who heard about the records. He was nervous and excited about what he was going to find out. When he turned to the page where people he knew had died he saw two of his uncles’ names which brought tears to his eyes. “I would not say I’m so successful, but I am,” (5) he said staring at his childhood picture. The things that some of the Lost Boys achieved in America were amazing, from a kid running away from the war and surviving without their families to becoming a person who had work and an education.
Dave Eggers gives a very moving account of Achak’s reunion with his parents when in 2003 he accompanied him to the town of his birth Marial Bai. He was reunited first with his father who was by then an old man toothless and frail and then with his mother. To quote Dave Eggers ”Through the settling dust ioet-clad woman of about 60, weathered and very tall, with small hard eyes and a thin straight mouth, approached Valentino shyly. “Achak,” she said to him quietly. I am your mother.”(6)
These are very personal recollections of war torn Sudan. Some experienced the joy of reuniting with surviving family members and loved ones. These are inspiring stories which describe the strength of the human spirit which not even war and brutality can destroy.
Bibliography
-Harris, Aja. "Sudan's 'Lost Boys' Reunited with the past." CNN. Cable News Network, 23 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. <http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/23/Sudan.Lost.Boys/index.html>.
-Adams, Paul. "Sudan's 'Lost Boys' Reunited with Their past in Arizona." BBC News. BBC, 04 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12916661>.
-"Sudan's Lost Boys Find Their Way Home." The Independent. N.p., 19 Apr. 2010. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/sudans-lost-boys-find-their-way-home-1948217.html>.
-"Lost Boys Reunited." -. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.lostboysreunited.org/>.
"Lost Boys of Sudan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Boys_of_Sudan>.
"The Lost Boys of the Sudan." The Lost Boys of the Sudan. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/closboys.htm>.
"Lost Boys of Sudan Fill in the Blanks of Their Past." 21 Nov. 2010: n. pag. The New York Times. 20 Nov. 2010. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/us/21lost.html?emc=eta1&_r=0>.
"Lost Boys of Sudan Reunion Project." Lost Boys of Sudan Reunion Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://lostboysofsudanreunionproject.wordpress.com/>.
Matthews, Kevin. "'Lost Boy of Sudan' Seeks to Heal His Homeland." / UCLA Today. N.p., 20 Sept. 2010. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/lost-boy-of-sudan-seeks-to-heal-171928.aspx>.
Meier, Tyler. "Reclaiming History." « Kenyon Review Blog. N.p., 20 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.kenyonreview.org/2011/02/reclaiming-history/>.
Kuch, Michael. ""Lost Boys" of Sudan Reunion Project." : SCARS. N.p., 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://lostboyreunionproject.blogspot.sg/2009/01/scars.html>.
Eggers, Dave. "The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation - Essay by Dave Eggers." The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation - Essay by Dave Eggers. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.valentinoachakdeng.org/essay_2.php>.
It was very easy for a boy to die in Sudan. There were many ways like being eaten by a lion or dying from starvation, dehydration or disease. When the “Lost Boys” were walking they had to survive by themselves in finding food or water and watch out for animals that could eat and kill them. When the Lost Boys slept, they slept in a large group on the ground. The boys at the end would have to watch out for animals. The older boys led the group. When many of them died along the way, some were buried while others were left.
What a contrast with life in America, where many of the boys ended up. They lived in apartments and went to school. Like other Americans the lost boys had to work to live. When they started to move to America the news spread to the whole country. Over the years, many books and movies were made about them. A high school student called Josh Millan responded to Dave Egger’s book “What is the What”, which was continued by the Drexel University Writing Program and Drexel University Alpha Kappa Psi, Chapter Eta Psi students. They raised $15,000 to reunite three lost boys with their families including Michael Kuch. Their mission was “To rebuild Sudan by fighting the residual effects of Genocide; and to empower the people through the values of community and self-sufficiency.” They focused on repairing the devastation that destroyed lives and communities in Southern Sudan through various funds and projects.
For the “Lost Boys” or Girls who wanted to be reunited with their family, they would have to join the writing program in Drexel university and from there they would be chosen.
Another reuniting project was made in Arizona. It started in late 1980’s when field workers came to visit the “Lost Boys” and documented their history. The Arizona Lost Boys Centre was chosen to host the files which were scanned and put onto a website. The database contained the records of 16,000 lost boys and 38000 pdf files.() Each pdf consisted a maximum of 8 lost boys and each record had 8 pages containing the boy’s origins, family members, the people they traveled with and also the people they knew were alive or dead. 75% of the documents contained photographs of the “Lost Boys”. These documents could be found in: www.lostboysreunited.org
Akech was one of the first “Lost Boys” who heard about the records. He was nervous and excited about what he was going to find out. When he turned to the page where people he knew had died he saw two of his uncles’ names which brought tears to his eyes. “I would not say I’m so successful, but I am,” (5) he said staring at his childhood picture. The things that some of the Lost Boys achieved in America were amazing, from a kid running away from the war and surviving without their families to becoming a person who had work and an education.
Dave Eggers gives a very moving account of Achak’s reunion with his parents when in 2003 he accompanied him to the town of his birth Marial Bai. He was reunited first with his father who was by then an old man toothless and frail and then with his mother. To quote Dave Eggers ”Through the settling dust ioet-clad woman of about 60, weathered and very tall, with small hard eyes and a thin straight mouth, approached Valentino shyly. “Achak,” she said to him quietly. I am your mother.”(6)
These are very personal recollections of war torn Sudan. Some experienced the joy of reuniting with surviving family members and loved ones. These are inspiring stories which describe the strength of the human spirit which not even war and brutality can destroy.
Bibliography
-Harris, Aja. "Sudan's 'Lost Boys' Reunited with the past." CNN. Cable News Network, 23 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. <http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/23/Sudan.Lost.Boys/index.html>.
-Adams, Paul. "Sudan's 'Lost Boys' Reunited with Their past in Arizona." BBC News. BBC, 04 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12916661>.
-"Sudan's Lost Boys Find Their Way Home." The Independent. N.p., 19 Apr. 2010. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/sudans-lost-boys-find-their-way-home-1948217.html>.
-"Lost Boys Reunited." -. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.lostboysreunited.org/>.
"Lost Boys of Sudan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Boys_of_Sudan>.
"The Lost Boys of the Sudan." The Lost Boys of the Sudan. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/closboys.htm>.
"Lost Boys of Sudan Fill in the Blanks of Their Past." 21 Nov. 2010: n. pag. The New York Times. 20 Nov. 2010. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/us/21lost.html?emc=eta1&_r=0>.
"Lost Boys of Sudan Reunion Project." Lost Boys of Sudan Reunion Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://lostboysofsudanreunionproject.wordpress.com/>.
Matthews, Kevin. "'Lost Boy of Sudan' Seeks to Heal His Homeland." / UCLA Today. N.p., 20 Sept. 2010. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/lost-boy-of-sudan-seeks-to-heal-171928.aspx>.
Meier, Tyler. "Reclaiming History." « Kenyon Review Blog. N.p., 20 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.kenyonreview.org/2011/02/reclaiming-history/>.
Kuch, Michael. ""Lost Boys" of Sudan Reunion Project." : SCARS. N.p., 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://lostboyreunionproject.blogspot.sg/2009/01/scars.html>.
Eggers, Dave. "The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation - Essay by Dave Eggers." The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation - Essay by Dave Eggers. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.valentinoachakdeng.org/essay_2.php>.
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