LOST BOYS WEBLOG

Resources for moving forward

2010-06-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

The African Soul, American Heart Foundation is moving into a new phase of looking for partners and resources to help us move our building project forward.

UN Habitat has an urban focus, but Duk Payuel might be considered urban if it keeps growing. The village would benefit from some urban planning. It also has a Youth Fund that a youth group in Duk P. might be able to apply for.

The Auroville Earth Institute seems to be the world leader in eathen construction techniques. They show a list of classes for 2008, but I suspect they are still offering classes.

Overcoming Compassion Fatigue

2010-03-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Compassion Fatigue : How the Media Sell Disease, Famine, War and Death by Susan D Moeller

Susan D. Moeller concludes Compassion Fatigue with an antidote that affirms the importance of stories like Joseph's personal story, and the importance of having him speak in schools, churches, to service groups--anywhere people are willing to hear and learn from him.

"We need to be put in as close contact as possible with people at risk. We need nuanced and in-depth coverage of crises and we need to hear and see the human side too. The former without the later is boring, the latter without the former is sensationalized. To get it right, the media need to think of both the short term and the logn term. They need to think of both their own interests and the 'public interest.'" (321)

View all my reviews >>

Tayeb Salih: Season of Migration to the North

2010-03-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Salih's unnamed narrator returns to Sudan during the year of its independence, 1956, poised to apply his British PhD in English poetry to the post-colonial independence of his village and country, only to find himself caught between tradition and modernization. The narrator considers suicide in the final scene of the novel, but instead calls for "Help!" as he floats in the middle of Nile. This call, which I read to be a literal call to the reading world, to the host cultures that embraced his novel, was never seriously answered; the ending is perhaps even more powerful and emphatically literal today.

View all my reviews >>

Jamal Mahjoub: Navigation of a Rainmaker

2010-03-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Navigation of a Rainmaker by Jamal Mahjoub

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mahjoub's first three novels, Caroline A Mohsen points out, "emulate the turmoil and uncertainty of Sudan" (541). In Navigation of a Rainmaker, the main character, Tanner, is a lost soul, part Arab Sudanese, part British, who finally asserts himself by killing a mercenary-type American who has come to Sudan in the early 1980s to stimulate instability, rather than work towards peace. The American's moment of revelation is a powerful statement of neo-colonial goals in Africa: "I am here to instill confusion, to sow the seeds of discontent" (168). He taunts Tanner, "you're not the type to act" (169). Faced with roughly the same challenge as the narrator of Season—to act or not to act—Tanner kills the American but is wounded in the skirmish. His last thoughts before dying turn to his sense of purpose—he wants to know if he made a difference, if anyone noticed (183-84). But the novel makes it clear that Tanner's actions were too late, and that the cycles of violence will continue. The novel is prophetically dark, written during the first few years of what would become a 22-year civil war.

View all my reviews >>

Dave Eggers: What is the What

2010-03-17T20:11:00.001-07:00

What Is the What by Dave Eggers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Eggers weaves together three dominant plots, engaging readers in the present and the past, in the historical-political and the personal. The first plot consists of two days of Deng's life in Atlanta, starting with an assault on him by three petty thieves, a 14-hour visit to an Atlanta hospital, and his first shift back at work after the assault. Eggers uses this plot to provide commentary on the resettlement process and life in America. Eggers also has Deng tell his life story (silently) to the seemingly uninterested characters he meets, addressing Michael the crook, Julian the hospital worker, and the members of the Century Club where Deng works. Readers see and feel Deng's 800 mile walk from Marial Bai, Sudan to Pinyudo, Ethiopia. They learn the history and politics of Sudan on this walk and a second walk three years later, from Ethiopia to Kakuma, Kenya, another 300 miles, and they see the epic journey completed as Deng prepares for and resettles in Atlanta. Embedded within this public tale, reasonably well known and covered by American media, is Deng's personal story, most notably his love for a young Sudanese woman who was killed after resettlement by another Sudanese refugee. This structure gives the novel a powerful ending point: Deng coming to the realization, after being beaten and ignored, that he must share his story with everyone he meets, as a way to exert his existence, and close "the collapsible space between us" (475).

View all my reviews >>

Mary Pipher: The Middle of Everywhere

2010-03-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Middle of Everywhere: Helping Refugees Enter the American Community by Mary Bray Pipher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is full of heart-breaking and uplifting stories about refugees resettling from their war-torn countries to Lincoln NE, an unlikely location but increasingly "the middle of everywhere". This book as functioned as a touchstone and guide in my own interactions with the refugee population in Fargo. I lifted a phrase to start my own manuscript; refugees, Pipher tells us, move "from fire to fire". Life in America comes with its own tremendous challenges and risks. She also taught me "that giving never makes one poorer;" a aphorism that has proven true to me over and over again. She has taught me, with a little help from John Dau, that "I can do more."

View all my reviews >>

From Fire to Fire: The Lives of Refugees (and what individuals can do to welcome them)

2010-03-17T19:57:00.001-07:00

I (Kevin Brooks) have shared some draft material of my manuscript, From Fire to Fire: The Lives of Refugees (and what individuals can do to welcome them) on a blog theme that allows for easy commenting, paragraph by paragraph.

Please take a look and share your thoughts.

Student actions: overcoming compassion fatigue

2009-10-06T19:12:00.001-07:00

Student actions to overcome compassion fatigue can range from the simple e-activism to on-the-ground participation in the rebuiling of Sudan.

1. Become a fan of "African Soul, American Heart" on Facebook, but don't just be fan--get active.
2. Invite Joseph to speak to your home town, your church, your high school, or your college. Help him tell his story and complete his project in Sudan.
3. Start or join awareness groups: STAND, ONE.org, Stop Genocide Now
4. Join local efforts, like "Hike to Help Refugees".
5. Get really ambitious; got to Sudan (or elsewhere) as a friend and partner. The Davis Peace Award allowed an undergraduate from Clarkson, and a Sudanese refugee in the US, to renovate a school room in Bor county over the summer of 2009. The report alludes to the high cost of doing work in southern Sudan, but it does not give dollar figures.

Become inspired by the refugees stories you hear and read, then share your own.

Presentation Video

2009-09-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

I am presenting about ASAH today and plan to show this video before I show our documentary.

Presentation Map

2009-09-24T07:10:00.001-07:00

I am talking about and showing African Soul, American Heart today, and want to share this map with the audience.

View Refugee Journeys in a larger map

New South Sudan Video

2009-09-15T08:56:00.001-07:00

Matt Dillon filmed and directed this short piece about the current crisis in southern Sudan.

ASAH coming to Wahpeton

2009-04-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

The Wahpeton Daily News did a nice job covering Joseph's visit this Wednesday, April 22. The reporter did a great job of talking to our host, Sybil Priebe, about why ASAh is relevant to Wahpeton and their college, North Dakota State College of Science.

The "uneasy peace" gets all the press.

2009-04-18T07:10:00.001-07:00

NPR ran a long story this morning about some North-South fighting in Malakal, a border town. The fighting was in February, which be an illustration of how slow the news moves coming out of Sudan.

When Joseph presents, we often get this question--will the peace hold? A good, legitimate question. I just wish the press would also cover the work of all the NGOs and southern Sudanese trying to build peace, trying to build an infrastructure that would stabilize the country enough so that its people wouldn't feel like going to war is their only or best option.

Newspaper coverage of recent speaking events

2009-04-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Clinton Herald ran a nice story before we spoke in that eastern Iowa city.

The University of Iowa's Daily Iowan ran a story and included some video of Joseph explaining John Garang's Iowa-Sudan connection.

Cedar Rapids Appearances

2009-04-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

Our Cedar Rapids appearances are nicely described on the CR Gazette's website. Ellen Fisher has done an amazing job of putting together our CR tour--thanks Ellen!

The Road to Duk Payuel

2009-03-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

Joseph sent the following message to our Board of Directors. The news is great, and the quotation is so wonderful from the elder I had to share it with the world. I did ask for Joseph's permission first.

Team,
I just spoke to people at Duk. They are very happy that Philip Thon, Minister for roads and transportation has developed the road from Poktap to Duk. It is only 8 minutes to ride the car from Poktap to Duk and it was one hour by car the time I came with Kevin, Matt, Deb. The road development is proceeding to North Sudan which might give us chance of buying building Material from Malakal(Town).

Internet, good road among others attracted several NGOS to Duk. International Rescue Service(IRS) began to establish their compound at Duk. Many will follow them.

John Dau Library just arrived at Duk. The books were shifted in container from America to Duk, very exciting.

One old man I spoke to said "It is not a development but Mircles because our village never seen such things since the creation." He went on, on, on, and on thanking American people, and lastly he said Bin Laden is a pig who wanted to kill Americans who love the whole world.

Thanks,
Joseph

ASAH Updates

2009-03-12T18:49:00.001-07:00

I've been too busy to keep up to date with ASAH happenings and future events, but here is a quick run-down.

The DVD of ASAH is now available for purchase from our website, Amazon, and probably a few other locations. Great bonus features, especially a collection of Deb Dawson's stunning photos set to a beautiful original composition.

ASAH was invited to screen at the Fargo Film Festival Wed. March 4th. We don't get to play the movie on the really big screen often; it looked great, we had a nice crowd, and got good questions. If only we would remember to take photos!

The film was just accepted into the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival, and will screen either Friday night or sometime Saturday, April 4. I knew those 4 years at Iowa State would pay off some day.

We hope the film will screen on the 4th, because that will give Joseph and I a chance to get there. We have a wild 9 days of presentations lined up, stretching from March 31 to April 7. We have 3 screenings in Mankato planned before heading down for 4 screenings in Cedar Rapids, one in Iowa City, and two in Clinton Iowa.

International Relief and Development and John Dau

2009-02-28T10:29:00.001-08:00

ASAH's good friend John Dau signed an agreement with the International Relief and Development organization yesterday that should keep the Duk Payuel Lost Boy Clinic funded and operational for another year and half. The clinic has added cold storage so they can do vaccinations; they are distributing 14,000 mosquito nets to try and prevent malaria, and they are undertaking a massive de-worming campaign.

The building itself has added solar panels and a wind turbine, which should help all of us trying to build in Duk Payuel.

My Sister's Keeper: School Built!

2009-01-31T20:49:00.000-08:00

The organization, My Sister's Keeper, reports on the successful completion of the 900 student school in Akon, southern Sudan. Looks like it was a 3 year project with many, many challenges.

Joseph on tour

2009-01-29T18:58:00.000-08:00

Joseph had 3 presentations in 5 days in the middle of January: at Riverside Place in Fargo on January 14, at Carberry United Church of Canada in Carberry Manitoba, Jan. 18th, and Westworth United Church in Winnipeg on January 19th. All three events were well attended and well received, but the Carberry event was one of the most successful fundraisers we have run, and Joseph's presentation got a tremendous write up in the Carberry New Express.

Library Project Money Bomb!

2008-12-05T13:10:00.001-08:00

A Library Project for Southern Sudan is dropping a money bomb on Dec. 14; please visit their site and donate what you can. But first, check out their video.

Lost Boy visits Minneapolis Area

2008-12-03T20:09:00.000-08:00

The MPLS Star Tribune just ran a story about Benjamin Ajak visiting North Lake Academy in Forest Lake, MN. Benjamin is a co-author of They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky; looks like the visit made quite an impact on the students.

Trip of a Life Time essay available.

2008-11-30T21:23:00.001-08:00

I published a personal essay, "A Trip of a Life Time Doesn't Need to Come to an End," in the NDSU Magazine. The hard copy has many great pictures, not just the one at the top of the page.

Here are the first two paragraphs:

When I told friends and family members I was going to southern Sudan as part of a documentary film crew and humanitarian aid project, many asked me in different ways, "Do you think this trip will change your life?" I always answered with confidence, "no." I was just hoping to survive the trip without getting sick, shot at, killed in a plane crash, or stranded in a remote Sudanese village. I was pretty sure the trip would be memorable, a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but not life changing.

Of course I was wrong.

A little press coverage for the premiere of ASAH

2008-11-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

The premiere of our documentary, African Soul, American Heart, got some nice press attention from the Fargo Forum and it got television coverage from all the local stations, although I have only been able to find one story online so far.

WDAY: They call their story: Donations sent to Sudan.

African Soul, American Heart Premiered!

2008-11-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

I should have been much more active blogging the lead up to our documentary film premiere, but I can at least report on a very successful day. We had over 300 people attend 2 showings; we had great questions from our audience, and lots of interest in our project.

More photos on Flickr. More news to follow.

60 Minutes story on Mozambique

2008-10-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

60 Minutes ran a story about the redevelopment of a national park in Mozambique, as well as village development in the area, all funded by an American entrepreneur. Great story!

Watch CBS Videos Online

Jef's full journal of Sudan Trip

2008-10-26T20:41:00.001-07:00

Jef Foss, ASAH Architect, has written up his experiences in Africa, from Kampala to Duk Payuel and back again. Great mix of narrative and photos; thanks Jef!

Documentaries from Sudan

2008-10-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

The return of Sudanese refugees since 2005 has resulted in many documentaries, some released, some in progress. This one, called "Long Walk Home," seems to follow three Lost Boys as they return home and rebuild schools through the New Sudan Education Initiative.

Joseph's speaking schedule

2008-10-08T20:10:00.001-07:00

Joseph Akol Makeer is available to speak to schools, church groups, service groups, house parties and really anybody who will listen to his story. Please contact me, Kevin Brooks (speaking@africansoulamericanheart.org) if you'd like to arrange for Joseph to speak to your group.

Upcoming Presentations

Friday Nov. 14, Carl Ben Eilson Middle School, Fargo.
Two screenings of ASAH, 9:00 a.m and 10:30 am.

Tuesday Jan. 20, 2009
O'Kelly's on Main, Fargo. 12:00 noon.

Monday Feb. 2nd, 2009.
Fargo Rotary Club West, noon. Holiday Inn, Fargo.

Sunday February 8, 2009.
Communiversity, Fargo ND. Location TBA.

Past presentations.

Wednesday Nov. 12
2 pm, Waterford Homes, Fargo.

Sunday Nov.9
Premiere of African Soul, American Heart, Fargo Theatre, Fargo.
Screenings at 1 pm and 7 pm.

Thursday Nov. 6, Fargo Rotary Club, Seasons Restaurant, Rose Creek.

Thursday Oct. 23, 2008.
The Refugee Experience, NDSU.
Powerful "simulation" as students got a small sense of the lives Joseph and other refugees have lived.

Tuesday Oct. 21.
9 and 10 am, Carl Ben Junior High, Fargo. Two six grade classes.
Great reception; Joseph's second presentation at Carl Ben--he will become a regular presenter there!

Jef Foss's Trip Journal

2008-10-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

Joseph and two ASAH Board Members, Jef Foss and Ron Saeger, have been to Kampala, Juba, Duk Payuel, and back to Kampala. Jef was able to start a blog and maintain it early in the trip; I'm sure he will update it further when he gets a chance. He took great notes from the conference the three of them attended:

http://drop.io/AppaSudan

Urbanization in the New Sudan

2008-10-05T06:20:00.000-07:00

Alex de Waal's post gives a rich history of the concept of "New Sudan," but he goes on to say that the real New Sudan is one of urbanization--75% of the population by 2015.

This trend makes the ASAH project even more relevant. We are trying to build a boarding school in very rural southern Sudan, but just as the small towns of North Dakota suffer from depopulation, the village of Duk Payuel may suffer from depopulation if services are not established in the next few years. The Duk Lost Boy Clinic provides one anchor for the village; our school, and a primary school, can provide another anchor. Without educational opportunities, health care, and other infrastructure, of course the rural Sudanese will be part of the global pattern of urban migration.

The significantly untapped industry in the region is probably agriculture, and for the for-seeable future, that agriculture will be labor intensive, giving the villagers potential income and opportunity. My view is optimistic, of course. The largest center if the region, Bor, is reported to have grown from 7,000 to 70,000 in about a year.

Picture an End to Global Poverty

2008-09-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

The Jubilee Network is running a campaign called "Picture an End to Global Poverty." The idea is write a sign that says "Picture an end to global proverty, cancel debt, provide more and better aid" and then take a picture of yourself, your friends, your family, your class, etc. with that sign, send it in to the website, and the network will add it to their photo stream.

ASAH's good friend John Dau is in one of the photos with his book God Grew Tired of Us.

Building Schools in Southern Sudan

2008-09-26T19:44:00.001-07:00

This story highlights the efforts to build schools and tremendous need for schools in southern Sudan. We just need to learn more about how they actually built these structures.

Salva Dut, Water for Sudan

2008-09-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

One of the many exceptional people I met in Rochester at the first meeting of the Hope of Sudan Alliance was Salva Dut, founder of Water for Sudan. A bit of his story gets told in the documentary Faces of Sudan, but a Rochester film maker has completed a documentary called "Just Add Water."

The production company's website has lots of great information, as does Salva's website, Water for Sudan.

Hope of Sudan Alliance

2008-09-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

I was in Rochester New York for the weekend (Sept. 20-21) attending the first meeting of what is now an Alliance of Sudanese Foundations. The group is tentatively called "Hope of Sudan: Alliance of International Sudanese Foundations." The local news wrote up and filmed a good story.

More on this weekend later. The building committee is also heading to Sudan tomorrow morning; I'll post photos and/or give updates when I can.

Joseph back on the speaking circuit

2008-09-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

Joseph made his first presentation of the fall at Fargo-Moorhead's Unitarian Universalist Church. Joseph made his first real public presentation at this church one year ago. He has accomplished a lot in 12 months. Last year, he struggled to get through the presentation, unprepared for the emotional strain of telling about his life in Sudan. This year, he spoke with confidence and humor, passion when appropriate.

In those twelve months, he has made numerous presentations, traveled to Sudan, graduated from NDSU, published a book, been featured in a documentary (in progress), continued to be a guardian to his younger siblings and parent to his children. This year should be similarly busy: he is going back to Sudan with two board members, the documentary will premier November 9, he will have many speaking engagements, he will be busy fund raising, and with any luck, we will break ground on a boarding school in his village.

Rough cut audio done!

2008-09-09T08:52:00.001-07:00

Matt M (also known as nightmare) shared a rough cut of the documentary with the rest of the team. He pulled out interviews and Joseph's narration from our 30 hours of footage. I had forgotten how articulate the Director at Kakuma was, and the Duk County commission got really impassioned as he spoke about the challenges facing orphans in Duk County, Sudan.

The doc still needs lots of work, but Matt has done a great job logging all the footage and taking this first big step towards pullig things together.

Joseph's book reviewed in UN Newsletter

2008-08-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

Joseph's memoir, From Africa to America, got a nice short review in a UN Newsletter about the UN's work in Sudan.

This moving book
shows the sense of
responsibility that Lost
Boys of Sudan, now
scattered all over the
globe as refugees or
expatriates, feel for each
other as well as for divided
families. The author
conveys these aspects of
their culture and beliefs
as he tells his personal
story of a journey
begun in childhood two
decades ago. The book
tells a powerful story
of struggles, loyalty,
failures, perseverance
and triumphs.

BBC stories about Sudan

2008-08-26T09:19:00.001-07:00

The BBC covers Africa better than any other major western news organization, and within their website is a page that collects stories about Sudan. Darfur has understandably gotten much of the attention lately, but for anyone wanting to know more about Sudan as a whole, this page is a good place to start.

Kakuma, Kenya on Google Maps

2008-08-25T20:46:00.001-07:00

I occasionally check Google Maps and Google Earth to see what level of detailed information is available for viewing Kenya and Sudan. The last time I checked, the level of detail was not good. Today, I visited Kakuma Kenya through Google Maps and found a clear image of the UN compound (the square at the bottom at the image) and the sprawling camps of Kakuma. Google does not yet have a good satellite image of Joseph's home village, Duk Faiwal, Sudan.

View Larger Map

Darfur Olympics

2008-08-10T21:22:00.001-07:00

Mia Farrow and others have organized an alternative olympics, a darfur olympics, encouraging people to pay as much attention, and give as much time, money, and energy to stopping genocide as "we" people tend to give to the olympics and sports more generally.

Farrow is delivering a daily video cast from Darfur; other videos can be found here.

Sudan and the Olympics

2008-08-07T07:19:00.001-07:00

The US flag bearer at the Olympics is a Lost Boy of Sudan. The story gives a lot of the general history of Lost Boys--not much about the runner himself.

The Sudanese track team got coverage in the NY Times. They train in a half-built facility in Khartoum, they lift paint cans full of rocks instead of weights, but the team is made up members from different tribes who eat and train together. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball; maybe sports can break some old tensions in Sudan.

Learning from Joseph and other refugees

2008-07-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

I wrote an essay for the Chronicle of Higher Education that just appeared online today and will only be available at this URL for non-subscribers until August 1 or 2, I think. Send me an email if you see this post after Aug. 2 and want to read about how much I learned from one of my students, Joseph, and the refugee community I met in Africa.

The article is permanently available for subscribers.

KickStart Inc.; Inventions for the Developing World

2008-07-19T16:05:00.001-07:00

I spent some time at the Walker Art Center today, where one exhibit was "Design for the other 90%." Great stuff; definitely check it out if you are in Minneapolis.

The inventions at the Design for the Other 90% exhibit that most impressed me are both made by Kick Start, Inc. They have a brick making device that seems to require less cement that we think of going into a brick, and perhaps no heat. We'd need to talk to them about durability. They also have a little irrigation device that would be great for the garden.

Both can be purchased and either picked up in Kenya, or perhaps sent from Kenya to Sudan. I'm going to let the building committee explore these devices further; the company seems like they are easy to communicate with via email.

http://www.kickstart.org/purchase/index.html

They also have a great chapter in the design for the other 90% catalog that Ron purchased and that I currently have. They encourage, actually insist on, thinking in an entrepreneurial way, just as we have been wondering--how can we help people in Duk Payuel make a living? Perhaps we can start to think about an orphan center that strives to be self-sustaining via things like grinding grains, making bricks, growing and selling food. Perhaps we can develop an entrepreneurial curriculum for our students.

Nicholas Kristof on Greg Mortenson

2008-07-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Kristof has written a nice opinion piece about the value of Greg Mortenson's approach to fighting terrorism (build schools), which he then compares to the Bush Administration's approach--fire $500,000 Tomahawk missiles at Afghanistan.

The ASAH approach, of course, is also to build schools; we think one will cost about $250,000 to build, stock, and fund for 3 years. Donations are being accepted through our main website.

The NYT also ran the story of Omar Al-Bashir's arrest warrant today; a change in Sudan's government would significantly help bring about peace and stability in Sudan.

Sudan school construction

2008-07-12T11:40:00.001-07:00

An organization called My Sister's Keeper is building a school in southern Sudan, and they have posted a fairly complete set of photos showing the school getting built. We think we will be able to help get a brick-making company off the ground in Duk Payuel, and use local materials to build the orphan center we envision as the result of ASAH efforts.

Free MySpace slideshows, photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Aid making a difference in one person's life

2008-07-04T12:18:00.000-07:00

Great column by Nicholas Kristof about one young girl in Uganda whose life was turned around by one goat being given to her family. Kristof is pretty good at explaining that this single act is a small gesture, and that many factors might have sent this girl's life trajectory in a different direction.

We hope that the ASAH orphan center can produce many success stories like this one.

From blog-cast to conversation, please!

2008-07-01T22:03:00.001-07:00

I realized after World Refugee Day that the ASAH blog is just a blog-cast. I suppose projects like this one lend themselves to blog-casts, but I am really interested in trying to turn the ASAH blog into a conversation. ASAH is, at least in part, about creating a conversation, creating a community, so that people want to learn more about Sudan, its history, its present, its future. I do need to figure out how to encourage people to contribute to the project, not just financially, but intellectually, emotionally, and practically. If you are reading this, please leave a comment, and let me know how you would like to participate.

Surprisingly, perhaps, the most common way people do want to participate is by going to Sudan. Perhaps we need to set up an ASAH-organized trip.

International Book Bank helping Duk County, Sudan

2008-06-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

The IBB is working with our friend, John Dau, to send two cartons of books to Duk County, where John and Joseph spent the first 10 years of their lives. These books will constitute the first library for the county. They need to raise money to ship the books more than they need books, but I think they will take either.

Ben Affleck reports on the Congo

2008-06-27T07:57:00.001-07:00

Ben Affleck has made 3 trips to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the past year; footage and commentary from his trips aired last night on Nightline. Affleck was pretty careful in framing his report--called it fact finding, educating himself before acting, claimed no particular expertise. He provided some nice commentary about the people he met in a refugee camp: teachers, business owners, everyday people who were forced to flee their homes because of instability and violence. This point can't be stressed enough. Africa obviously has a lower standard of living than the rest of the world based on a variety of measures, but where there is peace, there are schools and clinics and food; people are generally happy. Where there is war, there is chaos, instability, starvation, disease.

Reasonably interesting posts in response. Not a lot of celebrity hating, a few "take care of America first," comments, lots of good rebuttals to those comments, a few insightful comments from Congolese.

One more WRD Video: Give a hand

2008-06-22T10:46:00.001-07:00

I missed this UNHCR video, even though it seems to have emerged as the most viewed video made in support of World Refugee Day.

WRD gets a short Forum story

2008-06-22T09:33:00.001-07:00

The World Refugee Day celebration in Fargo got a brief story in the Fargo Forum. Not as much coverage as the "soda vs pop" debate, but a little coverage is a start.

Photos from recent speaking events

2008-06-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

I have posted a photo set to Flickr, most pictures taken at the World Refugee Day event on Friday, June 20th, a few from Joseph's speaking engagement in Winnipeg, Tuesday June 10th.

Map: Sudan Aid Projects

2008-06-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a Google Map of aid projects in southern Sudan, attempting to illustrate where in Sudan various American foundations are building schools, clinics, orphan centers, and other aid projects. This map is by no means comprehensive, and would benefit from further additions and probably some refinement of the pin placement.

View Larger Map

World Refugee Day: Angelina Jolie Video

2008-06-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

Angelina Jolie has become the highest profile spokesperson for the UNHCR, and her short video address for World Refugee Day surprised me. Her image is not the first image, and I did not recognize her voice, but I was immediately struck by the weightiness, the resonance, of her voice. She does make an appearance, as her image and star power are obviously important to the UNHCR's campaigns, but this video illustrated for me one of the ways in which voice is just as powerful as image.

World Refugee Day Video: Photos from UN Camps

2008-06-19T06:48:00.002-07:00

This video announces a photo exhibit opening in Brazil today, June 19th, in conjunction with World Refugee Day. Photos consist of images from a handful of UN campus in Africa, including Kakuma and Dadaab in Kenya, the two I am most familiar with. Next year, I hope there is an official World Refugee Day tag used on YouTube so all projects like this one, the one I posted, official UNHCR videos, etc., can be linked up.

Hands sheltering head: The 2008 sign for World Refugee Day

2008-06-18T07:18:00.001-07:00

The UNHCR's photostream at Flickr has a number of photographs of refugees and UNHCR staff holding their hands above their head, with hands meeting to form the image of a roof. The World Refugee Day theme for 2008 is "Protection," and the UNHCR provides shelter for as many as 40 million refugees world wide on any given day.

World Refugee Day video from UNHCR

2008-06-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

Another reminder of World Refugee Day, June 20th--EVERYWHERE.

Fargo's two events:
1. Lutheran Social Services Celebration: 1-5 pm.
2. ASAH Celebration, 6:30-8:00 pm at Zanbroz.

Short video from UNHCR embedded: lend a helping hand.

Joseph presenting in Winnipeg

2008-06-16T09:58:00.001-07:00

Joseph and I visited Westworth United Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday June 10th. We had a nice lunch with the church group, and Joseph delivered his usual high quality presentation. We hope to return there to show the documentary in the fall.

World Refugee Day Video: Protecting the Southern Sudanese

2008-06-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

I put together a video in response to the World Refugee Day 2008 theme of "Protection." The video shows and explains some of the ways that the United Nations High Commission on Refugees has protected the southern Sudanese from 1988-2007, although I should clarify that the UNHCR continues to provide support and protection in 2008. Most of the original video comes from 2007, however.

Architecture for Humanity

2008-06-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

Just discovered the Architecture for Humanity organization, including a project very close to the one ASAH is working on. A school for orphans is being built in Uganda, with an emphasis on using local materials and educating local workers in construction management. Great project!!

Emergency Aid for Abyei's displaced citizens

2008-06-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Our friends in are Winnipeg putting on a fundraiser for the displaced of Abyei, Sudan on June 14th.

NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release:
June 11, 2008

SUDANESE OF WINNPEG UNITE IN NAME OF SUFFERING
Winnipegger’s join in solidarity with City’s Sudanese to Raise
Funds for War-torn Abyei

WINNIPEG: An emergency Sudanese cultural event will take place on
Saturday, June 14th 2008 to raise money for the 12,000 families
affected by the current humanitarian and security crisis in Abyei,
Sudan. Beginning at 2 p.m., concerned Sudanese Canadians and citizens
of Winnipeg will assemble at the University of Winnipeg’s Bulman
Centre to collect donations for the estimated 50,000 civilians
internally displaced by the violent clash between Northern and Southern
troops along Sudan’s disputed border.

Fighting in the oil-rich area of Abyei which started May 13th 2008 has
been a point of contention since the signing of the CPA in 2005. “We
have decided to gather on Saturday to show solidarity with our people
that are suffering in Abyei, it may not solve the problems but at least
they will see that we have done what we can” says Biong Deng, acting
executive member of the LBGS (Lost Boys & Girls of Sudan) in Manitoba.

12,000 families are at immediate and critical risk of malnutrition,
starvation and disease in Abyei at the onset of the rainy season.
“It’s a precarious assumption to think that the suffering in
Abyei doesn’t concern us here in Canada…our national dignity is at
stake” says Tara O’Connor, Community Liaison Coordinator at the
University of Winnipeg’s Global College.

Performances by Mijok Lang aka Hot Dogg and Sudanese dance troupe
Marsala

When: Saturday, June 14, 2008
Starts: 2 pm
Ends: 6 pm
Location: Bulman Centre @ the University of Winnipeg *Take the elevator
located by the Riddell Cafeteria and the Spence Street entrance to get
to the Bulman Center

Hosted by:
The Lost Boys & Girls of Sudan in Manitoba and the University of
Winnipeg’s Global College

For more information, contact:
Biong Deng (204) 218-7940

Mark Bixler's The Lost Boys of Sudan

2008-06-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Bixler's 2005 book follows a group of Sudanese refugees in the Atlanta area from their arrival to 2004. These stories of resettlement and adjustment are interesting, but Bixler's historical work on the origins of the north-south conflict is concise and lucid, his detailed account of how the US state department came up with the idea of resettling almost 4,000 unaccompanied Sudanese minors is an account I have not read before, and his analysis of how the September 11 attacks functioned as a catalyst for the 2005 CPA in Sudan is fascinating. Former President Carter, I learned, was frustrated with President Clinton's aggressive (i.e. bombing) approach to Sudan, and it was only with the arrival of President Bush in the White House that--upon President Carter's prompting--the US began to play an active role in brokering peace between north and south Sudan.

Also interesting to read about the Valentino Deng and Dave Egger collaboration being written about in a round-about, slightly skeptical way, not naming any names, way.

Lost of other little gems. One story about a boy trying to pass his GED was fascinating. He struggled with literary interpretation, but when asked to do a "composition" about a movie he had seen, he wrote about Achebe's Things Fall Apart because he had only seen one movie. He ended up scoring better in composition than any other subject. A slight nod to the fact that good composition isn't about one's "English," which I suspect was shaky at best in this case. He presumably wrote about the book with authority, with a deep understanding of the colonial African experience, in such a way that the readers of the exam ignored the fact that he didn't follow the prompt, and probably wrote in non-standard ways. Good work, readers!

College student volunteering in South Africa

2008-06-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

I came across an interesting story about a University of Manitoba student who spent four months doing various volunteer projects in South Africa. Christine, the student, provided a good analysis of the value of this kind of trip:

“I think this kind of volunteering is important because it gives the people hope. It shows them that the outside world does care and that there are people that do want to help. I think it’s also important for us to go there to do this kind of volunteering because it makes us feel connected to the problem. It makes it real.”

Whenever ASAH does a public event, we meet at least one person who says, "I'd really like to go to Sudan." The desire for Humanitarian Travel is palpable, and their are services available. The story focuses on Aviva; I have found Globe Aware and Cross Cultural Solutions.

Four part news story from 2001

2008-06-06T19:36:00.001-07:00

This four part story from the Boston Globe follows a group of Lost Boys as they travel from Kakuma and settle in Massachusetts. Great details, although interesting how the numbers are so inconsistent from story to story: this one claimed 33,000 boys in Ethiopia, while other stories claim 20-35,000 walked, and about 10-15,000 made it to Ethiopia. This story claims 5,000 made it to Kakuma, where other stories claim more like 10,000 made it to Kakuma.

World Refugee Day: Press Release

2008-06-04T07:25:00.000-07:00

World Refugee Day 2008: Fargo Events
World Refugee Day is a global event, started in 2001, to recognize the contributions refugees make to the world, as well as acknowledge the aid refugees would benefit from, whether living in refugee camps or Fargo ND.

The 2008 theme is “Protection.” The United Nation’s High Commission on Refugees has identified these three key points.
1. More than 30 million forcibly displaced persons in the world share a fundamental need for protection.
2. Since 1951, UNHCR has protected refugees in a multitude of ways, ranging from humanitarian assistance to legal protection.
3. On World Refugee Day 2008, we can all help protect refugees by raising awareness of UNHCR and its engagement.

Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota—New American Services
World Refugee Day Celebration
1-5 pm, Friday June 20th.
1325 11th St S Fargo, ND

Join us for an afternoon of live music, ethnic food, and fun as we celebrate the contributions of refugees in our community and hear the stories of their journey. Entrance fee to the event is the donation of a household item, such as towels, bedding, or cleaning supplies, to benefit refugees in our community.

Contact: Darci Asche. dasche@lssnd.org, (701) 271-1604
http://www.lssnd.org/

African Soul, American Heart Foundation
World Refugee Day: Watch, Listen, Learn, Participate
6:30-8:00 PM, Friday June 20th
Zandbroz Variety
420 Broadway North.

The African Soul, American Heart Foundation is sponsoring an event which will include:
• Original video footage from the Kakuma UN Refugee Camp.
• A first-hand account of being a refugee from Sudan.
• An anthropologist’s perspective on the Bosnian and Sudanese refugee experiences in Sioux Falls and Fargo.
• A report from Giving + Learning, a volunteer program for working with New Americans in Fargo.

Contact: Kevin Brooks (Kevin.Brooks@ndsu.edu) 701-231-7147
http://africansoulamericanheart.org
De.licio.us tag: http://del.icio.us/kabbie/WorldRefugeeDay

Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan

2008-05-30T07:43:00.001-07:00

The Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan in north Florida (Jacksonville) is a well-established support group for Sudanese refugees. They have put together an SSS campaign: Stand Up, Speak Out, Stop the Genocide; be sure to watch their video! They seem to be one of the most active Sudanese aid groups working in the US right now.

Where are the cows?

2008-05-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

Great story from 2003 about Lost Boys of Sudan wondering "There is so much milk: where are the cows in America?" Dinka culture is a cow culture, so a handful of Lost Boys who were settled in Boston ended up attending the University of New Hampshire to study the dairy industry.

Valentino Achak Deng photo updates

2008-05-26T09:46:00.001-07:00

Valentino Deng updated the slide show on his website. He did a great job of documenting some of the steps he has been taking to build schools and community centers in Marial Bai. His foundation bought a larger transport truck, a Toyota pickup, materials in Kampala, and he is buying his bricks in southern Sudan. ASAH will be able to learn a lot from his great work!

Lost Boy to speak at the Vietnam Memorial

2008-05-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

NPR ran a story this morning about a Lost Boy of Sudan, now Captain in the US Army, speaking at the Vietnam Memorial for Memorial Day. David first came to Sioux Falls and now lives in Utah; the Desert News also covered this story.

Three Cups of Tea / Central Asia Institute

2008-05-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm reading Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea, about his incredible work to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His efforts lead to the founding of the Central Asia Institute, which he continues to run from Bozeman Montana. Inspirational story and model for African Soul, American Heart; inspirational story for every one!

Revisiting One Laptop Program

2008-05-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

I hadn't visited the One Laptop Per Child program in a while, but the fact that the program adopted Windows as the operating system came up at the Computers and Writing conference I am attending. I thought I should see what else is going on a OLPC.

My visit was fruitful. I just found out that donors can now designate where they would like the laptops to go--no initially part of the program. 100 laptops at $299 would probably be sufficient to outfit the orphan center and school Joseph wants to build. A $299 donation would be a very concrete, tangible donation, although it might be something that we want to emphasize after we get basic needs solidified.

$4.8 Billion Pledged

2008-05-21T07:08:00.001-07:00

Great news for southern Sudan; $4.8 billion dollars in aid have been pledged to help with recovery projects for the next 3 years. As the article says, southern Sudan is at a tipping point, and it is important that the global community help Sudan now!

Hoops of Hope

2008-05-18T11:36:00.001-07:00

My son brought home his weekly reader magazine and showed me a story about a 13 year old boy who started the organization, Hoops of Hope, to raise money for orphans in Zambia. I can't imagine a much better event for North Dakota school kids to undertake some cold day this coming winter, but I also think that a project like this should be kid driven, kid organized. I'll see if I can gently nudge my son in that direction.

I saw on the website that Ellendale North Dakota ran this fundraiser yesterday (May 17th, 2008).

I also watched the YouTube video used to promote the cause during this year's March Madness.

Sudanese refugee video

2008-05-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

I dug a little deeper into the UNHCR website, and their Nine Million campaign (nine million children world wide living in refugee camps), and discovered a video profile of a young Sudanese boy living in refugee camp.

Graduation photos

2008-05-16T18:38:00.001-07:00

A close-up of Joseph in his robes, then
Joseph with his sister Amer (far right), his sister Akon, her husband and fellow NDSU student, Daniel Geu, and their children.

Links, Links, Links

2008-05-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

I embedded the ASAH Concept video on the The Hub. The Hub is website with hundreds of human rights and advocacy videos--worth a visit!

I discovered that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has a YouTube channel and a Flickr Stream. The UNHCR runs the Kakuma refugee camp where Joseph spent about 10 years of his life; these images and videos provide incredible glimpses into the lives of refugees.

I also discovered that teh UNHCR is sponsoring a World Refugee Day, June 20th. We will have to look into doing an event for that day.

Joseph has graduated!

2008-05-10T21:36:00.001-07:00

Deb Dawson, ASAH Producer, sent out this message on Friday:

Dear Friends of African Soul, American Heart,

Please join me in congratulating Joseph Akol Makeer on his graduation today from North Dakota State University where he earned a degree in Criminal Justice. You will probably agree that this is an extraordinary accomplishment for a 31-year-old man who spent his childhood trying to survive by escaping his war-torn country of South Sudan, who learned to read as a teen in a refugee camp, and who came to Fargo, North Dakota in September of 2003. In only 4 1/2 years since that day, he has earned a college degree, written a book, and inspired a group of talented people to help him tell the story of those who continue to suffer in his country and his desire to help the orphans there.

I am proud to announce African Soul, American Heart is now incorporated and our non-profit status is pending approval. Our board of directors is actively putting together information about costs for building materials, supplies, labor, and staffing so that we might build an orphan center in Duk Payuel, South Sudan, the village Joseph left as a ten-year-old.

Our film director and editor will be working hard over the summer to edit our documentary. We hope to have a rough cut by the end of August and a finished product by November. African Soul, American Heart (the movie) will be available then for showings and to submit to film festivals around the country to help us generate interest and funds to support these children who have no one to care for them.

For more information about our project and to VIEW A 3 MINUTE EXCERPT of our documentary, check our website.

______

To add a personal note, yesterday, as I was driving my Sudanese friend Joseph home from graduation, we heard this NPR story about Lost Boy Emmanuel Jal, now a successful musician. As Jal was describing walking to Ethiopia, then back to Sudan, and living through those incredibly difficult years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I turned to Joseph and said, "can you believe that you were there, too, and now you are here, in Fargo ND, a graduate of NDSU?" He said he couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it.

Sioux Falls Picture

2008-04-30T06:37:00.001-07:00

Joseph was in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to attend an event with John Dau and Moses Jokhnial. Moses lives in Watertown SD and is working on a raising funds to build a school in his home village in Sudan. It is not often Joseph is the shortest person in a photograph!

Successful book signing at B. Dalton

2008-04-28T21:03:00.001-07:00

Ron Saeger and Joseph spent about 3 hours at B. Dalton in Fargo on Saturday and had a good day of sales and visiting with well-wishers. They spent Sunday in Watertown SD and Monday in Sioux Falls with John Dau promoting other Sudanese aid projects.

I just discovered Valentino Achak Deng's Google Book talk on YouTube. He is the subject of Dave Egger's What is the What and does a nice job of telling his story--much like Joseph's--in a succinct, powerful, and occasionally humorous way.

Dying in Peace: The Ongoing Emergency in Southern Sudan

2008-04-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

Ron Saeger, an ASAH Board of Director, has been doing some great research on Sudan and turned up this startling video and report from Doctors without Borders, Dying in Peace: The Ongoing Emergency in Southern Sudan.

The influx of Sudanese returning to the country with so little infrastructure in place is putting a tremendous strain on the returnees as well as the aid organizations trying to help them make the transition.

April 26 Book Signing, B. Dalton Fargo

2008-04-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Joseph will be signing books from 12-3 pm on Saturday April 26th at the B. Dalton store in the West Acres Shopping Mall, Fargo ND. Come out and visit with Joseph; buy a book if you don't already have a copy, or think of three friends who need to read it!

The Barnes and Noble signing last Saturday, April 12th, went well.

John Dau, Joseph's cousin and good friend to ASAH, will be in South Dakota doing at least two events: Friday the 25th in Watertown and Monday the 28th in Sioux Falls.

Memo to Bush on Darfur

2008-04-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Kristof's opinion piece in the New York Times lays out 8 steps the Bush Administration should take to help not only Darfur, but, as Mr. Kristof says, "Save Sudan." A little over a month ago Kristof started to broaden his view (and his readers' view) on Sudan; the crisis is most visible and deadly in Darfur (western Sudan), but the North-South tensions have returned after only 3 years of peace.

Southern Sudan desperately needs piece. Various aid projects grounded in the US are gaining momentum, but they will not be realized if fighting in the south resumes.

Bill Moyers, Hope in the Congo

2008-04-05T10:17:00.001-07:00

Bill Moyer's Journal covered the rebuilding efforts in The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Southern Sudan faces many of the same challenges--lack of infrastructure, few jobs, no reliable food source, etc. What really stood out for me, and something that I have heard from Joseph and others in southern Sudan, is that life was good before the wars. People had enough food, kids were going to school, progress was being made and it was being made by the people of Sudan and the DRC. Joseph remembers a good life before the Sudanese Civil war of 1983-2005. Valentino Deng in What is the What describes a good life in his Sudanese village before the war. My Congolese friend Martin says life was good for him, he was going to school, his father had earned a Master's degree and was gainfully employed before the family was forced out of the Congo in 1999. I fear that many in the west assume these African countries are always at war within and among themselves; I fear that many in the west assume life has always been and will always be difficult in Africa, but that isn't an accurate perception. The wars disrupt everything, they destroy everything.

Returning to Sudan

2008-04-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

A very good story about a Sudanese man who left Bor with his family when he was 10, stayed in Pochalla for about 6 months, and then moved to Pinyudo for 3 years. From there, his story looks like the Lost Boy story, except he was never resettled to the US, and in November 2007, at age 29, returned to Bor with his family.

What's particularly interesting here is that it describes whole families moving out of the Bor area to Pochalla--different than the typical Lost Boy story. Pinyudo, I have read, had 40,000 or more refugees, about half of them unattended minors.

GDR Kids of Namibia

2008-04-04T18:59:00.001-07:00

Today at the Red River Conference on World Literature, I heard Jason Owens of SDSU present on the GDR Kids of Namibia, a group (about 140 I think he said) of Namibian children who were relocated from a refugee camp in Namibia to East Berlin in the late 1970s. They were educated in Germany, became known as the GDR kids, and returned to Namibia when the government there changed and the Berlin Wall fell (almost simultaneously).

The parallels with the Lost Boys of Sudan story were interesting, although the GDR kids were much younger when they left Africa. Jason told me afterward that the kids did become "media darlings" a bit like the Lost Boys have become, but the name has proved problematic, as these kids are now well into adulthood.

Surprisingly little on the Web about this group--the one book about them is very expensive, and Jason's conference presentations show up, but not even a Wikipedia entry!

New Film: Come Back to Sudan

2008-04-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Come Back to Sudan is a 29 minute documentary about the return of 3 Lost Boys of Sudan to their home village, Duk Payuel. Duk Payuel is also Joseph's home village, and this group returned to Sudan in January of 2008--they slept in the tents we left!

Their film just showed at the Aspen Film Fest.

Barnes and Noble Book Signing with Joseph

2008-04-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Joseph will be signing African Soul, American Heart from 12:00-2:00 PM at the Fargo Barnes and Noble, Saturday April 12th. Direction and details.

Facing Sudan: The Documentary

2008-03-30T09:15:00.001-07:00

The ASAH project has been quiet since the book launch of Joseph's book, but when we aren't working on our project, we are often reading about Sudan or watching some of the other documentaries that have been made about the Sudanese refugee experience.

I'm watching the documentary Facing Sudan right now, and learning about the Water for Sudan project organized by Salva Dut, one of the Sudanese featured in Facing Sudan. This documentary makes some of the moves we are planning to make, including tracking the boys journey on a Sudanese map. The documentary also has some great footage from other sources, and tremendous original music.

Successful book launch: From Africa to America.

2008-03-18T19:37:00.001-07:00

Joseph launched his book, From Africa to America, at the Hjemkomst Museum tonight. We had a great turnout, Joseph spoke with energy and passion I have not seen from him before, and the crowd responded positively and with tremendous support. Deb had photos on display for the first time, and we showed an extended version of the video clip we currently have on our main page. Matt and Greg pulled that together over the weekend.

In all the flurry of getting ready, none of us brought a camera! If anybody who attended reads this, and you are one of the handful of people who took some pictures, please share! : )

In the absence of a picture from tonight's great event, I have include another one of Deb's great photos from our trip: the people of Duk Payuel meeting our plane.

Mash-up Ideas for ASAH

2008-03-09T19:26:00.001-07:00

I submitted some ASAH ideas to the NetSquared Mashup Contest. The Mash-up contests asks non-profits like ours to identify various data sources and web applications relevant to our project, and then envision how the data and the interactivity of the web might be brought together in compelling ways. In a nutshell, I envision an old-school mash-up of data that might simply constitute a montage for the documentary, but also an interactive component on the website where people might be able to interact with photos, videos, and maps to get a better feel for the history, geography, and current humanitarian needs of the region.

Please take a look and see what suggestions for improving this mash-up you might have.

Two speaking engagements coming up: March 14 and 18

2008-03-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

Joseph and I will be doing an NDSU English Department Seminar on Friday March, 14 at 3:00 PM.

Joseph will be launching From Africa to America, his memoir, on Tuesday March 18 at 6:00 PM, in the Hjemkomst Center, Moorhead MN, 202 First Avenue North.

Both events are free and open to the pubic.

HELPsudan: A Humanitarian Project

2008-03-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

The HELPsudan project is similar to the African Soul, American Heart project. A Lost Boy of Sudan is raising funds to support education near Bor Town. HELPsudan does not seem to be making a documentary, but they got some great video footage from their February 2007 trip, including some great shots on the airplane from Lokichoggio to Bor.

Their annual fund-raising goal seems to be about $40,000, and at this point, their money is going towards a teacher's salary and supplies for the school.

Justin Luoi's Story

2008-03-04T19:49:00.001-08:00

This story about Justin Luoi, another Fargo Lost Boy of Sudan, ran in the Fargo Forum the day before Matt and I left for Africa, Dec. 9, 2007. I just came across it again, posted on a blog called "Panyijiar News."

Two stories from Calvin College

2008-03-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

The Calvin College magazine profiled two of their Sudanese student in the summer of 2006. Both pieces are well-researched and nicely written; link to a great photo exhibition, too.

Abraham Deng's story

2008-03-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

Abraham Deng is from Duk, Joseph's village, but according to this story, his mother was still in Fugnido, Ethiopia, in 2006. Abraham is also looking to return some time this year (2008)--we wish him the best of luck!

The media turning its attention back to Southern Sudan

2008-03-01T15:03:00.001-08:00

Joseph and I have been exchanging notes and ideas for an essay tentatively entitled, "Why Southern Sudan Matters Now!" but it looks like others have already figured that out, too. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times is generally thought to be one of premier African reporters working today, and his columns shed light on the atrocities in Darfur. His most recent video commentary, however, acknowledges that he and others may have overlooked the brewing tensions in the south, and that if war breaks out in the south again, the country as a whole returns to fighting.

What Kristof doesn't provide in the commentary is even a hint of a solution. What Joseph and I would like to focus on are the various American projects, like our own, poised to make a difference in the south. Southerners are understandably outraged that the northern Islamic government is not sharing oil revenues, but if war breaks out again, the projects that have already made a difference, like John Dau's clinics and Valentino Deng's schools, and the projects in the work, like ours, like Rebuilding Hope, like The New Seed of Sudan, will not be able to provide aid or hope for the future.

Lokichoggio photo from our trip to Africa

2008-02-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

Deb has shared many of her great photos from the trip on the ASAH Website,but having so many photos makes it difficult to explain each one. I thought I would try to get in the semi-regular habit of uploading one photo and writing about it.

This particular photo is from Lokichoggio, Kenya. Lokichoggio is the first little town the Sudanese Lost Boys came to when they walked south in 1991-2, having been kicked out of Ethiopia. Loki is also the base of operations for UN programs like the World Food Program, and it is the airport that serves anyone flying into or out of the Kakuma refugee camp. This part of Kenya, as this photo illustrates, is desert-like, sparsely populated, and at the base of some small mountains.

NDSU presentation

2008-02-15T12:26:00.001-08:00

Joseph and I presented at North Dakota State University, this afternoon--a nice change from the 6 hours in the car we spent the last two weekends traveling to events. We had a small but appreciative crowd--part of Black History Month events on campus.

One of the knowledgeable attendees was Bibian Nwokedi, a graduate student who works in our Multicultural Student Services office. She told us about some ongoing experiments to grow flax in South Africa, and told us more generally about the potential of flax seed to provide nutritional aid in Africa. As this story says, flax is a little seed with a big punch.

She also told us about an organization that runs orphanages in Africa. Not sure if she meant Orphanages for Africa, but this group seems to be doing good work. They even have their Canadian office in Brandon MB--not too far from us, and very close to my home town.

ASAH on the cover of the Fargo Forum

2008-02-11T19:45:00.000-08:00

Our project made an appearance on the cover of the Fargo Forum, although the story gave too much credence to a few detractors rather than really highlighting Joseph's vision for building an orphanage in Duk Payuel.

Deb is composing a formal response that will be shared with our supporters.

Our new video beautifully and succinctly articulates Joseph's goals. The video is also available on our website.