 The story of the hundreds of thousands of Sudanese children who have crossed the desert and jungle in packs to flee their civil war over the last two decades is one of the more heartbreaking and fascinating stories to occur in modern history.
My editor gave me What is the What, by Dave Eggers, last year, and it’s definitely the book that left the biggest impression on me in 2008. It’s the story of Valentino Achak Deng, a Lost Boy from the southern town of Marial Bai to Ethiopia, Kenya, and finally the U.S. He’s attacked by lions, faces starvation, disease, is shot at, and is bound and mugged in his home after resettling in Atlanta.
Voices from Darfur is a traveling program that shares the stories of some of these refugees firsthand. Click here, pick a face, and hear their story.
Or come tonight and hear it in person. Here’s the release for the event.
 Charleston, S.C. – On Tuesday, April 1, at the College of Charleston, refugees from Sudan’s western region of Darfur will tell their stories as the Darfur Action Group of South Carolina hosts Voices from Darfur – a national speaking tour sponsored by the Save Darfur Coalition.
The tour features speakers such as Abu Asal Abu Asal and Mohammed Abdelrahman. Abu Asal, a published Arabic-language novelist from Western Darfur now living in Massachusetts, was arrested and beaten by the Sudanese government for protesting the mistreatment of Darfuris, and was eventually forced to flee Sudan. Abdelrahman attended primary and high school in Darfur and university in Europe. A resident of Chicago, he currently serves as President of the Darfurian Association of Illinois.
College of Charleston, Physician’s Auditorium
66 George St.Tues., April 1, 2008, 7:00pm
About the Save Darfur Coalition - The Save Darfur Coalition raises public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and mobilizes a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of people throughout the Darfur region. It is an alliance of more than 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights organization. The coalition’s member organizations represent 130 million people of all ages, races, religions and political affiliations united together to help the people of Darfur. For more information on the coalition, please visit www.SaveDarfur.org. To obtain footage from the Darfur border region, coalition events, various interviews, and more, please visit the Save Darfur Coalition media gallery at http://media.savedarfur.org.
