The Lesson of Childhood
Southern Sudanese young people
by Julia Aker Duany, Ph.D., 6-23-2004
read by Nok at the Sudanese Peace Celebration, 2/19/05


Dr. Julia Aker Duany (right)
with daughter Nok Nora Duany
 

Dear young Sudanese men and women:

       I love childhood. When my brothers, sisters, and I were growing up in southern Sudan, we chased each other every day out of pure joy. Our legs, strong and swift, carried us over the yards and even through the house. We chased cattle in the camp. Boys dashed after antelope.

       Our parents exuded enthusiasm and let us grow with imagination, excitement, love, and the hope of future potential. Affection at home was not flaunted, but was profound and joined with respect, honor, and love for our parents. We bounced on our parents' knees. We listened to our grandparents' stories and songs of our great heroes. These trusted adults gave us our childhood.

       As a young mother, I was eager to give the gift of childhood to my own little boys and girls. Then war rolled over the landscape. I could not give the gift of childhood to my children in southern Sudan. Twenty years later, countless young Sudanese men and women are scattered among the nations and cities of the world. You are among them.

       The American press has named you "the lost boys and girls." This name troubles me. It comes from James M. Barrie's Peter Pan. In that story, the lost boys were controlled by a charismatic leader ("a lust of battle was in his eye"). They all were stuck, fighting endless battles against enemies in a place called the Neverland. Worse, the boys of the Neverland remained children, but they had no childhood because they had no home, no parents, and no one to love them. "All," writes Barrie, "wanted blood…"

       You don't deserve to be called lost boys and lost girls, for me as a parent you were never lost, but I'm thankful and glad that the American press has published so many of your stories. When you tell your stories of suffering, abuse, and loss, you encourage people everywhere to cherish the things that matter most in life. Your stories also help the world understand the suffering of the southern Sudanese people and our need for peace.

       Fighting back home continues, but here in the United States you have the opportunity to bridge the strife that divides us as a people. Here, as you share in the common struggle to live an American life, it is easier to see that the southern Sudanese are all part of one another. You must not get stuck fighting endless battles. You must not remain a child of the Neverland.

       I am a member of the generation that should have given you your childhood. My generation made mistakes, and you paid the price. We are guilty. I, for one, am truly sorry.

       There are many lessons to learn from our experience. For now, I ask you to find room in your heart to forgive us, the older generation of southern Sudanese, who have failed you. We Sudanese must be willing to forgive, to love, and to hope, so that together, as responsible men and women, we can give to our own children and grandchildren the precious gift of childhood.

       Can you, a young person, contribute something toward that gift? Yes, you can. Search your soul and you will find one little thing that you can do. Go to school. Master a skill. Education is one thing you can never lose. Work hard. Take care of yourself. Help someone else. One act of kindness may touch many lives. This is how we give the gift of childhood: study, work, and serve; forgive, hope, and love. Please go out there and be somebody by doing these things. Stick to it day by day.

       I want to thank everyone who is working so hard to support the young Sudanese people. With all my heart, I say thanks a lot. I am also inspired by the young people of southern Sudan, who in spite of all that has happened still have strong hearts of love and courage to survive. You have taught us a lesson of life.

Blessings,
Julia Aker Duany, Ph.D.

 

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