“The Lost Boys
of Sudan” is a group of 25,000 young men who fled war in Sudan alone as children
in the 1980s. These boys, young teenagers to small babies, watched family
members get killed, were forced to flee into the forest, then across the border
into Ethiopia, through Ethiopia, and finally to Kenya. At the border of Kenya,
those who had not died on the journey received aid from humanitarian organizations
and formed refugee camps. As of 1996, UNICEF had reunited approximately 1200
boys with their families, but 17,000 were left in camps.
God Grew Tired of Us is a 2006 documentary film that follows
the lives of three lost boys, John, Panther, and Daniel. The film begins with
the boys, in their late teens and early twenties, about to leave their camp and
the “brothers” they had experienced so much with, to start a new life in New
York. You watch them get on a plane, enter an apartment, turn on a light switch,
open a fridge, try a shower, and go to a grocery store, all for the first time.
I was fascinated
watching this film. There is so much that I completely take for granted. I was
in disbelief hearing John talk about being a thirteen-year-old boy, leading hundreds
of starving others through wilderness, burying countless little bodies,
searching for safety, wondering if any of his family was still alive.
In New York, the
boys worked two to four jobs each. They were surprised at how little time
Americans have to spend with their families. They commented on how alone and confused
they felt, trying to adapt to a new culture, but finding no one willing to
simply talk to them or answer questions. I tried to imagine being suddenly
plunged into a new culture, expected to figure it out on my own, away from those
who loved and understood me. America was no “happily ever after” for the boys.
I think we sometimes fool ourselves into thinking that once we let refugees
enter our countries we have done our part and all will be well. However,
watching John, Panther, and Daniel made me realize we can and should reach out
so much more, even if it is only in simple ways.
Watching these
three boys changed my perspective on refugees and migrants like them. I only
heard about three. Think how many
thousands more stories there are untold, and how many thousands more lives
there are to be changed.
I would highly
recommend this film to you. The trailer is bellow.
I love how you pointed out that just three boys changed your perspective… it's so true!! Great post :)
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