The "Lost Boys" of Sudan(Chapter 2)

The "Lost Boys" of Sudan (Chapter 2) Return to Unit List

Since the mid-1980s, Sudan has experienced a devastating civil war, pitting the northern Khartoum (Muslim) government against southern (mostly Christian and animist) rebel groups. This led to the mass migration of thousands of young boys who arrived in Kenyan refugee camps in 1992, after walking over a thousand miles. Called the Lost Boys of Sudan, a few of these boys were then flown to the United States and given a new opportunity at life. As the Sudanese civil war continues, it has led to reports of ethnic cleansing in the region of Darfur and the creation of thousands more refugees.

First, read the article from The New York Times Magazine, by Sara Corbett, titled "The Long Road from Sudan to America." The story of the Lost Boys has inspired an award-winning documentary Lost Boys of Sudan, as well as a comic book, Echoes of the Lost Boys of Sudan. A similar story, "Sudanese 'Lost Boy' Searches for New Life in United States," is told by Stephanie Kriner, of the Red Cross. The documentary is also featured on the PBS POV series, which features many additional resources for exploring and understanding the continuing journeys of the Lost Boys. It should be pointed out that Corbett’s article and the documentary tell the story of Peter Dut, but they are not the same person. One of the resources available on the POV Web site is a discussion board where people can post comments and reactions to a series of questions raised by the site’s producers: Is America's society of plenty available to immigrants? How effective is the U.S. response to the crisis in Sudan? What factors should shape U.S. refugee policy?

The following questions focus on Corbett’s article:

Should Peter Dut and his brothers consider themselves to have been resettled to Fargo?
Do you think it somehow cruel to send orphaned boys from equatorial Africa to North Dakota in the dead of winter? Or, do you think that, considering the trials these boys have already faced, resettlement in Fargo is the best option for a better life?
How difficult will it be for these "lost boys" to find a place in Fargo? Will their mental maps still be dominated by the idea of home in Africa? Or, has that home been forever destroyed for them?
Would, as suggested by the Sudanese elders in Kakuma, U.S. money be better spent by attempting to broker a peace settlement to the civil war instead of resettling refugees in the United States?
What advice would you give to Jacob, resettled in Boston, who is advised by the elders in Kakuma to remember that he is Sudanese and that "America is not your home"? Imagine what sort of mental map he carries with him.

Finally, look at the interviews featured on the POV site under the title of "In search of a ‘durable solution’: the refugee situation today."

Is resettlement a "durable solution" to the refugee problem? Why or why not?

Do you think the United States should put more resources into resettling more refugees like the Lost Boys? Why or why not?