Since the civil war started in Sudan in 1953 and has been going on for 20 years, various attacks on the Dinka village has lead the 20,000 “Lost Boys” searching for freedom. Thousands of Sudanese people have been killed because of the two different cultures (North and South) fighting for land and religion. Dinka villages have been burned and destroyed, scores of men killed, and women were taken captive.
20,000 “Lost Boys” made it to the refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya after all the horrible thingys they had to go through. Some were eaten by lions and some were shot in rivers. With the help of the United Nation, they were provided with surplus amount of supplies needed to survive. After spending times in the refugee camp, they were given a chance to re-live their lives in “heaven”. At that time, America was known as heaven because of the fact that it could support a lot of people.
“The Lost Boys of Sudan” is a docurama about two Sudanese victims (Santino and Peter) who have escaped Sudan and is going to “heaven”. It shows their lives in their new home where they thought it was “heaven”.
As Peter and Santiono followed the steps of “heaven” they were experiencing great difficulties. They thought they would be able to earn money to send back to Sudan, however the money they earned was being lured away for their own good. “American money has become so sweet to us.”- Santino said. One of the hardest challenges Peter and Santino faced was being lonely. Unlike in the refugee camp, in “heaven” they were busy earning money to pay for their food and rent whereas back in the refugee camp, they ate, played and danced together.
Even the simplest everyday life was a big challenge they had to go undergo; the food, their shelters, and the new facilities. In Sudan since it was undeveloped, they generally had to make their own fire, and their food generally consisted of what a normal Sudanese person would eat. However in America, the boys had to change their lifestyles and learn how to cook American food, take the transportations and acting independent. From the fact that no one told anything to Santino about the traffic lights, caused Santino to receive 3 tickets all in high amount of money.
Independency was another contradiction Peter and Santino faced. As Peter moved out, Santino had to live by himself. All along Santino had thought “Peter is my friend. I will live with him forever.” But after he moved out, he suddenly grew very lonely and upset.
Racism was the main thing they had to deal with. Although there were Black Americans living in the States, they weren’t as Black as the Sudanese people. Often times when Peter and Santion walked by, people around them gave them the look, making them feel strange. “When I come nearby people, people just look at me. I look odd. I feel shame and I don’t like that. I’m so black. Than the black peopler than the black people living here. I’m so black.”- Said Santino. They’re skin colour made them encounter more problems rather than the fact that he was from a different culture. One of the Dinka boys got a job of working in the supermarket but from the fact that he has a different skin colour he is told that he should work out in the hot weather just because he is an African. From this we can tell how much their skin colours affect their everyday lif and how people look at them.
On their first few days on America, Peter and Santino found out that Sudan and Texas were really different places. Laws, jobs, transportations, cultures, and languages. At first they found it hard to adjust to the new surroundings and was willing to go back home to Sudan. However trying to fit in, they adapted to their surroundings by leaving their traditional Sudanese culture behind and looking towards the American culture.
To fit in, they wore what the American Blacks wore: hip hop, golden necklaces; baggy jeans. This helped them gain some friends in America and actually raise their reputation higher.
Back in Sudan, it was normal for boys to hold hands, as it was the symbol of friendship between the two. In the states however they pretty soon noticed that men holding hands with other men while walking wasn’t such a good idea. “Hey, in America, a man can’t touch another man like that. They’ll think you’re a homosexual.”
Although the guys who’ve come to U.S.A promised the people back in Sudan that they will look after the Dinka culture, slowly one by one begin to adapt to the American culture. “Forget about Africa! We’re in America!” This tells us that he is now totally facing towards the side of America, with his back towards Sudan.
To help them adapt to the new surroundings, food eaten by Peter and Santino slowly changed. They begin to eat American food, cheeseburgers and although at first they had no idea how to cook American food (pasta), in the end were successful.
In the end both Peter and Santino were successful in living in America although they had their ups and downs. To adapt to a new culture must have been hard and taken a bit of time but the fact that they didn’t give up is very admiring. To adapt to a new culture at the age of 17 or 18 must have hard but the fact that they didn’t loose their Dinka culture but gained the America’s culture at the same time is fascinating.
