'Lost boy' shares tales of Sudan childhood

As students file into a Raef Hall lecture room, all eyes begin to notice the man standing at the front of the classroom. His skin is the color of a midnight sky and he towers above those around him. His thick accent is barely audible over the audience's excited murmurings. Soon a hush comes over the audience and Benjamin Ajak is introduced as one of the "lost boys of Sudan."

Ajak is just one of the 19,000 men who survived a harsh childhood in Sudan. On Thursday, May 1, the College Hour presentation was all about these "lost boys" with Ajak sharing his personal story about being orphaned in a land filled with war.

The presentation began with a film by "60 Minutes," which explained the plight of those like Ajak. Reportedly, government troops began attacking villages in southern Sudan in the late 1980s and many of the inhabitants were killed or displaced from their homes. The only survivors were young boys who had no place to go. These children banded together and began walking across Africa, away from Sudan.

The war forced all of the "lost boys" to grow up fast and enter into early adulthood. Ajak says the war began because of age-old disagreements.

"The allegiance war began between the North and South [areas of Sudan] because of [tension between] Islamic versus Christian beliefs," Ajak explained after the film. "I lost my childhood at [age] 5 in 1987. I fled the country when I lost my mom and dad."

Ajak and the other "lost boys" walked for many years, eventually reaching relief camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. So far only 3,800 of the boys have been able to fly to the United States and begin new lives. Those left in the camps wait patiently for the U.S. government to help fly them to America.

The "lost boys" all hope to make the trip to the U.S. so they can escape the horrors that continue to plague Sudan.

"There is no united Africa, each of the 53 states have their own rules," explained Ajak.

"We need to discontinue whatever [injustices are] going around there. We have a right for allegiance and education."

Education is something Ajak and many of the "lost boys" hold important above anything else, as they have not had the opportunity to attend classes before arriving in the U.S. Ajak says students should stay in school and that they need to work to expand their knowledge.

"Education brings quality and unity to people," he said. "I'm happy when I see different faces from all over the world in a classroom.

Ajak has been working to end human rights abuses in Sudan since 2004 when he joined Amnesty International; he joined to help educate others about the injustices occurring in Sudan.

"The mission [is] now it is time for me and the 'lost boys' to put awareness to the world," he said. "I do this right now because of what is going on today."

He explains that he is deeply concerned about areas like Darfur because the children there have no future and over 2.5 million civilians have been displaced.

"The true victims there are women and children because they don't know how to escape genocide," he said. "We need freedom. If you can carry this word, we can have peace worldwide."

The local chapter of Amnesty International supports Ajak's statements and is campaigning to end the violence and mistreatment in Darfur. The regional office for Amnesty International recommended Ajak as a guest speaker to explain their cause.

Marcos Medina, president of the ARC chapter of Amnesty International, was involved in getting Ajak to speak at the College Hour.

"I really liked his story. His story touches people to the core and inspires students to get involved," said Medina.

Medina and others involved with the organization say they hope Ajak's visit, which drew many students, will encourage people to join Amnesty International in their fight to draw attention to the bloodshed in Darfur.

"It was a good turnout. Here at ARC, it's a grassroots movement. From where we started to here [is a big difference.] It's a great turnout," said Medina.

Students interested in learning more about Benjamin Ajak and his journey can read his book, "They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky," which he co-wrote with two relatives from Sudan. To learn more about Amnesty International, students can visit www.amnestyusa.org. Students can also log on to www.myspace.com/darfurnow to learn more about Darfur and view a documentary made about the plight of its people.