Monday, May 25, 2009

The Lost Boys.

Peter and Santino were two of thousands of misplaced children during the violence involving SPLA rebel forces against Arab armies. They were living in a small village Sudan, when their families were killed or taken captive by the army, punishing the people for an attack by the SPLA. Peter and Santino joined the stream of thousands of boys, heading for safety. They spent years in the desert, undertaking an amazing journey, to finally reach the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. However, their journey was not yet over. The boys recuperated at the camp, and gathered their strength to live again. Meanwhile, some were chosen to migrate to America, to further their success. Only a few were chosen at a time, to undertake the journey, and be left to fend for themselves in a country they could scarcely imagine. For those at the camp, growing up, America was a land of dreams and unlimited opportunity. Many ‘lost boys’, could not wait to leave Africa and find out what it was like in the West.
Peter and Santino were chosen at the same time to leave the camp, and embark. After a grueling journey, they arrived in Houston, where they were given simple housing, with many other Sudanese boys. This docurama follows their story from here.


Peter and Santino both faced a culture shock when they first arrived, America is so different from any place they could have visualized. However, assimilating into western society is not an easy task for the boys. They are racially stereotyped, and people pick fights with them, assuming they are violent and uncivilized because of their skin tone. They barely speak English, and work hard at learning the language of their host country. After learning basic English, Santino and Peter got small, and low paid jobs, yet worked hard and prospered somewhat. Education was a problem for the boys, as their age cannot be classified and some were not eligible for school. Peter got into high school, and worked at his job and his schooling, taking it very seriously, and succeeding in many areas. Santino, however, was lacking funds, as he sent most of his money to the camp in Africa for his relatives and close family. The law also was a problem for the boys, as Peter drove a car for two months without a license, only after he had an accident did he discover that he needed to pass the driving test first, and pay money in court for his mistake. Santino had troubles with his rent, as he kept mailing it and it never seemed to get to the office. This was very difficult for him as communicating with the people he was involved with was limited.


The boys went through many hardships in their journey to America, but they always kept an open mind and worked hard at most everything they did. This is the only way to achieve results. The boys successfully assimilated into American culture, and still keep the remnants of their Sudanese identity.

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