0:00:14 > 0:00:17THEY SING
0:00:17 > 0:00:21DRUMS BANG
0:00:21 > 0:00:22Kuol...
0:00:23 > 0:00:25..Lam...
0:00:26 > 0:00:27..Paul.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31Three of a generation known as the Lost Boys of Sudan.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35It was the name given to more than 20,000 children
0:00:35 > 0:00:38who fled a long and brutal civil war.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Some were as young as seven,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46forced to walk over 1,000 miles to safety.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52Their epic, perilous journey began over 25 years ago.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57It's taken some of them to the other side of the world.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Now, they're coming home.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05They'll arrive at an historic moment - the war is over
0:01:05 > 0:01:09and the Republic of South Sudan is about to be born.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13For Kuol, it's an intensely personal journey,
0:01:13 > 0:01:18in search of long lost family and his parents' graves.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Lam's struggle is to reconcile childhood traumas
0:01:21 > 0:01:25and to rebuild a new country, against the odds.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28HE SHOUTS
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Paul's mission is to find a role in the new nation
0:01:31 > 0:01:33and win his countrymen's respect.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36South Sudan!
0:01:36 > 0:01:39For the Lost Boys, the birth of their nation
0:01:39 > 0:01:43offers a chance to find peace and a place to call home,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45if they can.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Civil war in Sudan began between the Muslim north
0:02:02 > 0:02:06and mainly Christian south in the early 1980s.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15In November 1987, the fighting reached Kuol's village.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Arab raiding parties began burning homes, stealing cattle
0:02:19 > 0:02:21and slaughtering all in their path.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24He was then eight years old,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27tending his family's herd.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Kuol joined hundreds of other children
0:02:45 > 0:02:50in a remarkable exodus towards Ethiopia and, they thought, safety.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Kuol's journey would take him thousands of miles away,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53to a strange and foreign land.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03After more than ten years living in squalid refugee camps,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Kuol and nearly 4,000 Lost Boys
0:04:05 > 0:04:09were offered a new home in the United States.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15He's created a new life for himself, in a land of plenty.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Now, the 32-year-old has a young family of his own.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20He's a university graduate in psychology
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and is studying for an MA.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29The proud owner of a house and two cars,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31he's come a long way from herding cattle
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and the family he left behind in Africa.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38But for Kuol, the past is never far away, even here.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44He manages the Arizona Lost Boy's Centre.
0:04:44 > 0:04:45With 600 members,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48it's the largest of its kind in America.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22At the centre, Kuol helps his countrymen come to terms
0:05:22 > 0:05:25with the very different culture and society.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28For many, it has been far from easy.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00Some Lost Boys were so young when they first fled,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02they didn't know which village they came from,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05or even their parent's names.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Recently uncovered documents have helped
0:06:08 > 0:06:11to piece together their histories.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Last year, interviews and photographs taken in the 1980s
0:06:15 > 0:06:17were found and made available online.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Among them were Kuol's.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02Kuol has been trying to track down the boys whose records have emerged,
0:07:02 > 0:07:06but he is learning many are still missing.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11Even after reaching the apparent safety of refugee camps,
0:07:11 > 0:07:16disease, war and starvation still claimed the lives of thousands.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Of the original 20,000 plus Lost Boys,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24less than half have been accounted for.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26The rest are presumed dead.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34# How long shall we be away?
0:07:34 > 0:07:37# As our hopes and dreams... #
0:07:37 > 0:07:42Lam Tungwar is one of South Sudan's biggest pop stars.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44HE SINGS
0:07:44 > 0:07:45As well as being a Lost Boy,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48he also fought in the war as a child soldier.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Aged just seven,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57he was recruited into the Sudanese People's Liberation Army -
0:07:57 > 0:07:59the SPLA.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01'I was then a more young guy.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03'We were herding cows and other things.'
0:08:03 > 0:08:06A group of soldiers showed up and, you know,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10it was very attractive when you see a guy with a gun back then,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14in uniforms, those, you know, SPLA whole uniform -
0:08:14 > 0:08:18it's very attractive because, you know, we have been told having a gun,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21you are like a superman, you are powerful,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23you're beyond something.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Promising the child soldiers an education,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31the SPLA were never short of young volunteers.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33So, when these guys arrived,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36they actually told the kids that, "Who wants to go to school?"
0:08:36 > 0:08:38A number raised their hand up.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41"Who want to be pilots?" Here. "Who want to be doctors?" Here.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42"Who want to be soldiers?" Here.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46"OK, fine. Now, you can come with us. We are going somewhere very far,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49"and you're going to have all the education you want."
0:08:49 > 0:08:51I joined the group and we started marching.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Thousands of children were recruited by both sides
0:08:56 > 0:08:58into a war few of them understood.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02A fundamentalist Muslim government was intent on extending its power
0:09:02 > 0:09:05over the largely Christian territories of the south,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08threatening to impose Sharia law.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11But war was also the premise for a land grab of southern territories,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13rich in minerals and oil.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17I didn't know why I was fighting
0:09:17 > 0:09:21and I used to ask myself, "Why are we in this situation?"
0:09:21 > 0:09:23But no one could answer me, neither the children,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26or the boys who were with me, they couldn't give me an answer.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29In one notorious incident,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33Lam witnessed hundreds of children perishing.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36There's a very big river called the River Gilo.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39I cannot cross the River Gilo. A soldier with a gun cannot cross.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Why? Because the water, once you touch it with your leg,
0:09:42 > 0:09:43it tears you away.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48That is the first time I've seen a lot of guys dying just random,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51because there's a lot of shooting, guys are running,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53people jumping into the river.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Some are jumping on the bodies of others
0:09:55 > 0:09:59and swimming on the other side. They died, both of them.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Close friends - when you lose them, you don't see them again.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08So, I really missed, totally, my childhood.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10I learned a different lesson.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13A lesson of war, a lesson of death, a lesson of killing people.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Scattered around the world,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26some Lost Boys ended up in the most unlikely places.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34About 150 live in the home of country music.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Among them, Paul Manyok.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38How y'all doing?
0:10:38 > 0:10:41With his trademark suit and tie,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43he's worked hard to reinvent himself.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46But Paul is still haunted
0:10:46 > 0:10:49by the memories of when his village was attacked.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53'The time they came, they burned houses.'
0:10:53 > 0:10:56A lot of my relatives were killed,
0:10:56 > 0:10:57some who were in the military
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and some who were not in the military.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02People were running like crazy.
0:11:02 > 0:11:08We could hear people crying everywhere and it became a disaster.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13You'd hear women - "My child, my child, my child."
0:11:14 > 0:11:18And when we hear the sound of a plane,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21that is a sign of danger. We start running.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Nashville also has a community centre for Lost Boys.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Like Kuol, Paul is intent on keeping their history and culture alive.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35And there are a lot of languages in Sudan.
0:11:35 > 0:11:3899 different tribes - Dinka, Nuer...
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Today, he's hosting some local children
0:11:41 > 0:11:44and raising funds for his return to Sudan.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49The President is from Dinka and the Vice President is from Nuer.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52This is "hello" in Dinka...
0:11:52 > 0:11:56With a college education to pay for and a family to support,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Paul is not yet certain he can afford the journey back to Sudan
0:11:59 > 0:12:01in time for independence.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03You have just learned hello. Awesome.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05In the hospital, I do transportation.
0:12:05 > 0:12:11I transport patients, you know, from one location to another,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14for testing, MRI, CAT scan.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Cows are very special in Sudan.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20They are used for many things. They are used for dowry.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24For prestige, as well, right?
0:12:24 > 0:12:30I also work in a cafeteria making smoothies, you know?
0:12:30 > 0:12:34In the cafeteria. I also work at Donut Den as a sales person.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Having been granted US citizenship when he arrived,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Paul is uncertain where to call home now.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46I feel I'm both American and Sudanese.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51Some of the American culture that I have adopted, that is mine.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56There's also some of the Sudanese culture that's also mine.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58So, I could say I'm a global figure
0:12:58 > 0:13:01where I could fit anywhere in the world.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Paul badly wants to return to his homeland
0:13:06 > 0:13:09in time for Independence Day.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Whether or not he can find a role in the new nation
0:13:13 > 0:13:16is far from certain. The country he remembers as a child
0:13:16 > 0:13:19is much changed.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34MUSIC PLAYS ON THE RADIO
0:13:44 > 0:13:49July 9th, 2011, is Independence Day,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52when the eyes of the world will be on the capital of the new nation.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01This is where every Southern Sudanese wants to be.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11How does it feel to be here in Sudan?
0:14:17 > 0:14:22THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN DIALECT
0:14:22 > 0:14:23Welcome.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Kuol's older brother, Atem, is a colonel in the SPLA,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30a veteran of over 20 years of war.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33He didn't have a choice of leaving Sudan
0:14:33 > 0:14:36and spent his formative years on the front line.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39- How are you?- I'm good.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Along with hundreds of foreign dignitaries arriving for Independence Day,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54Kuol's first impression of the new country is a construction site.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00The new arrivals hall is due to be complete by July 9th,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03less than a fortnight away.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Since the end of the war in 2005,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11international aid has flooded into Juba.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14The authorities claim this is currently
0:15:14 > 0:15:18the fastest growing city in the world.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Kuol has heard many reports of a boom time,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24but he can see the city still needs time before it fully functions.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Time is the one thing Lam Tungwar is short of.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48He is responsible for all the cultural events
0:15:48 > 0:15:51celebrating independence.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56His extraordinary story - from boy soldier to rock star,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59makes him a hero in the eyes of many.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Tomorrow, we have a rehearsal, I think you are told.
0:16:04 > 0:16:05We'll see what we can do.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11But what he has taken on here is his biggest challenge yet.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14We never had an event like that.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Getting to the line is what... You dream about it.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20How will it turn out? What will happen, you know?
0:16:20 > 0:16:25In a few day's time, thousands of people will be arriving here.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30IN LOCAL DIALECT:
0:16:35 > 0:16:39It's hectic and we had almost three weeks of sleepless nights
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and many meetings that ended at a late hour.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Another problem I have is that anything that I tell somebody to do,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48if I find you a job, then I have to see it.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52And I think, when people see me, they find that I'm too busy,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54because I have to supervise everything.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57I need to see how it goes, the way I say it.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03We're expecting more than 20,000 people
0:17:03 > 0:17:04to be in this open air.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07All this place will be doing a lot of stuff in the next few days,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11building up for the Independence.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13People ask the same question, "Are you ready?
0:17:13 > 0:17:16"Is this happening for real? Are you going to meet the deadline?"
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Today is the 30th, that means we only have, like,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23seven days or eight days to go.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Everything will be ready so people shouldn't panic.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29I'm sure there are challenges in between, but we'll meet them,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32and we'll make sure they work out.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38For all the returning Lost Boys, coming home brings mixed emotions.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42Despite the hardships they experienced,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45many feel guilty they escaped active service in the war.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN DIALECT
0:17:50 > 0:17:53For Kuol, veteran soldiers like his brother
0:17:53 > 0:17:55won a nation's freedom the hard way.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Kuol's brother was a war hero.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41He spent years fighting alongside rebel leader Salva Kiir,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44soon to be sworn in as the first President
0:18:44 > 0:18:46of an independent South Sudan.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50IN OWN DIALECT:
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Years spent waging a guerrilla war in the bush
0:19:17 > 0:19:21denied officers like Atem the sort of education enjoyed by his brother.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Now, the veterans are looking forward
0:19:25 > 0:19:28to enjoying the dividends of peace.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01HE SINGS
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Paul is so desperate to return in time for Independence Day,
0:20:04 > 0:20:09he's decided to buy a ticket to Sudan on his credit card.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12The doughnut and smoothie salesman is returning with a mission.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15With his degree in political science and bible studies,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Paul believes he has what it takes
0:20:17 > 0:20:20to become part of the new political elite.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24I would love to, you know, transfer the skills, knowledge,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27values and attitude that I've learned in peace building
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and conflict resolution.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32If the government of Southern Sudan is there
0:20:32 > 0:20:34and want me to help, that will be great.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Some of my friends say that I'm blessed with interpersonal skills
0:20:38 > 0:20:44and if that is the case, then that could work, as well.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49I think with that, I can bring some respect to Southern Sudan -
0:20:49 > 0:20:51a young nation.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Of course, a young nation will require young leaders
0:20:54 > 0:20:58that might help the generation that have sacrificed so much.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03HE SINGS
0:21:08 > 0:21:12The new parade ground, a centrepiece for Independence Day,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16is a long way from being completed.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19With just eight days to go,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22the former guerrilla fighters of the SPLA are rehearsing.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29With little experience of ceremonial parades,
0:21:29 > 0:21:33they've enrolled officers of the Kenyan army to lick them into shape.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41And the security needs to be very, very, very focused.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45Very. Anybody who is getting in the hole here and in the venue
0:21:45 > 0:21:48have to be checked, have to be protected.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51They have to check them, they have to see them, you know.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Something like that will help us.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55An event like this is the very beginning.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Lam's uncle is the former rebel leader
0:22:00 > 0:22:03and current Vice President, Riek Machar,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05who arrives to check up on progress.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21South Sudan's government has yet to be elected,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24but the former warlords of the Liberation Army
0:22:24 > 0:22:25still have a firm grip on power.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Whether they have the credentials
0:22:28 > 0:22:30to lead the country in peace time remains to be seen.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36'We're waiting for the birth of our nation.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39'The whole world will be here and they want to see us.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41'Are we going to be a failure state,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45'or will we be a good example for the rest of the African countries?'
0:22:45 > 0:22:49And I'm sure we will achieve that.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53We will be one of the best - maybe we'll be the food basket of Africa,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57or maybe we'll be the good example for the democrats in Africa.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01HE SHOUTS MILITARY COMMANDS
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Despite widespread optimism,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20lasting peace is far from guaranteed here.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24The threat from the north is clear and present.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29With days to go before the south becomes independent,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31reports are coming in to Juba
0:23:31 > 0:23:35that just 400 miles north, fighting has broken out for control
0:23:35 > 0:23:38of contested border areas and oil fields.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42It's in direct contravention of the 2005 peace agreement,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45when both sides agreed to demobilise 90,000 soldiers,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48over half of South Sudan's army.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51But neither regime has met these promises.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56With 160,000 soldiers on the government's payroll,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00this is a country more prepared for war than peace.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Paul has finally made it,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18after a 22 hour journey via Ethiopia.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23In his mission to find a role in the new government,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26he's brought with him a secret weapon -
0:24:26 > 0:24:28a gift for the President.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30How does it feel to be home, Paul?
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Very happy, very excited, glad to be home.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37But his trip gets off to a bad start.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01When he tries to check in, Paul faces another setback.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Yes, that's what they say.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14- I came from the United States.- OK.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17This is one of the best hotels in Juba,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21and appears to be fully booked with government officials.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26It hasn't been that easy a trip.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31I pretty much have the clothes that I was wearing on Monday
0:25:31 > 0:25:33and it's now Wednesday...
0:25:35 > 0:25:38..so, I don't know how long I'm going to wear them.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43It takes him an hour,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47but finally, the hospital porter from Nashville is found a room...
0:25:47 > 0:25:48Very nice.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50..and a superior one at that.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12RADIO: 'Message for the celebration of South Sudan's Independence, 2011.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15'July the 9th, 2011
0:26:15 > 0:26:19'marks the end of marginalisation and oppression
0:26:19 > 0:26:22'and is the beginning of true justice, liberty, peace
0:26:22 > 0:26:25'and prosperity for all the people of South Sudan.'
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Don't send some of them to get you.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35There's not enough t-shirts. Definitely no.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Understaffed and underfunded,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Lam and his team are struggling with the workload.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- It's very hectic, I know. - They should have first stage.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48You take any money from that 500,000. You are there, or something.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51He's managing everything on a shoestring.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Every t-shirt has to be accounted for.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57- You know, five only. You took a lot of T-shirts.- No, we didn't.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00No, you take ten. OK, you take ten, OK?
0:27:07 > 0:27:08HORN HOOTS
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Meeting finished, meeting finished.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Lam is expected to put on a show for thousands of people,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27but he can't even feed his workers,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29or provide them with basic tools for the job.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31I'm going to go to the meeting now.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33It's actually seven.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34'It is more frustrating than ever,'
0:27:34 > 0:27:38because here, everything is outsourced from everywhere,
0:27:38 > 0:27:40everything is being sent from abroad.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44We don't have anything here, there are no big shopping malls
0:27:44 > 0:27:46where you can get everything around now.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47We have to get them in Uganda
0:27:47 > 0:27:50and if things are lucky, it's difficult to get them.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54So, yeah, extremely hard.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Kuol, too, is finding it difficult to source supplies.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10He's getting ready to make the ten hour journey back to his village.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31It's a long way from the shopping malls of Phoenix.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33The irony is that even in Juba's markets,
0:28:33 > 0:28:38Kuol has to buy food apparently from the United States.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54One of the key problems faced by South Sudan
0:28:54 > 0:28:57is the country's dependence on food aid.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Despite having substantial natural resources,
0:29:00 > 0:29:05aid organisations fed about half the population last year,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07or some four million people.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11HE SPEAKS IN HIS OWN DIALECT
0:29:43 > 0:29:47It's three days since he arrived and Paul is getting impatient.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51I went to Juba airport and claimed my bag, for a second time.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58And, ah, it looks like there's none available.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03So I actually took these clothes, took them off this morning
0:30:03 > 0:30:06and talked someone into washing them.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Paul has another challenge,
0:30:08 > 0:30:12he hasn't brought enough cash with him and expects South Sudan
0:30:12 > 0:30:15to have the same banking facilities as in the US.
0:30:15 > 0:30:21Em, I haven't found no working ATM yet, if there are some working ATMs
0:30:21 > 0:30:24then they are very few, and I really don't know where they are.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26I've got to do some homework,
0:30:26 > 0:30:31finding out from people who have been here a little longer than I am.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38So, yes, it's going to be a little interesting... Yeah.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46POPULAR MUSIC PLAYS
0:31:16 > 0:31:18When Kuol first ran away from his village,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21as an eight year old boy, he walked for over a month
0:31:21 > 0:31:26on roads like these, evading enemy planes, wild beasts and land mines.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Even now, security is a major concern.
0:31:31 > 0:31:32In a country the size of France,
0:31:32 > 0:31:36there are only about 40 miles of tarmacked roads.
0:31:36 > 0:31:41Bandits set up road blocks to rob people.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44An armed escort is essential.
0:32:00 > 0:32:07Outside Juba, the contrasts become apparent very soon.
0:32:07 > 0:32:1290% of the population is illiterate, and a 15 year old girl here
0:32:12 > 0:32:18has more chance of dying in childbirth than completing school.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22Tribes like these were decimated during the war with the north,
0:32:22 > 0:32:28but now the main threat to their security is inter-tribal conflict.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31This could prove to be the greatest danger to South Sudan's future.
0:32:34 > 0:32:39An hour later, and just how volatile the situation is becomes clear.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Here, just one soldier with a machete is
0:33:00 > 0:33:02the difference between order and bloodshed.
0:33:09 > 0:33:10As more armed men arrive,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13Kuol and his cousins decide to move on quickly.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34200 miles north of Juba, Bor Town was the birthplace
0:33:34 > 0:33:39of the rebellion against North Sudan in the 1980s.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44It is now home to Lost Boy Manyang Jok.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Two years ago, he gave up a comfortable home
0:33:49 > 0:33:54and secure job in the United States to help rebuild his country.
0:33:55 > 0:34:00There's no air condition, there's no running water and there's no,
0:34:00 > 0:34:04there's no good healths, ah, like good sanitation.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10Manyang has firsthand knowledge of Sudan's tribal conflicts.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13He monitors the daily incidents of violence
0:34:13 > 0:34:15in the country's largest state, Jonglei.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20With a ship's container for an office,
0:34:20 > 0:34:22his job is to count the bodies.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00But there is another, more sinister, aspect to ethnic conflict
0:35:00 > 0:35:02among some tribes.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06Even today, children are still victims of the cycle of violence.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25Manyang is realistic about resolving tribal disputes
0:35:25 > 0:35:27that have been going on for centuries.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58OK, I'm about to call the ambassador, Charles.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Paul's luggage has finally arrived,
0:36:01 > 0:36:06but his dream of becoming one of the country's new power brokers isn't coming together.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09Hello? Hello, Governor.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13Ah, this is Paul Mator Manyok.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21'Ah, my strategy is to, to, to talk with the, the recruiters,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24'and if they think that I'm the right person for the job,
0:36:24 > 0:36:30'then I'll be there for the Republic of South Sudan to help.'
0:36:30 > 0:36:31It's busy.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Making the right connection in Juba can be tricky.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38'If I get the job in Washington DC, or somewhere, in London,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41'you know, that would be great.'
0:36:41 > 0:36:46I would call myself a quick learner, I can take, ah,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48to the job like duck into water.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52All right.
0:36:57 > 0:37:02With most government officials too busy preparing for independence,
0:37:02 > 0:37:06Paul has to make do with meeting one of the old timers.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09- Welcome, welcome young man, welcome. - Thank you.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11Welcome, welcome.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14Joseph Lagu was one of the original rebel leaders in the struggle
0:37:14 > 0:37:17for independence, and still has the ear of the president.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19How is life in Juba?
0:37:19 > 0:37:26Ah, well life in Juba is good, it's, it's, ah, colourful these days.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30It's not long before the would-be ambassador presents his credentials.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Ah, my name is Paul Mator Manyok.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35Yes, I'm one of the young men
0:37:35 > 0:37:39whom happen to be called the Lost Boys of Sudan.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43Yes. From your name, you are from Bor, are you?
0:37:43 > 0:37:49- Yes, I'm from Bor, and I'm from the tribe.- Ah, very good.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54I went to school also in the United States, I graduated.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57And, um, the aim of me coming here is to,
0:37:57 > 0:37:59is to participate in the independence.
0:37:59 > 0:38:04- Ah, with you being an advisor to the president...- Yes.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06- ..ah, I'm also looking for a job. - Mm-hm.
0:38:07 > 0:38:13Um, I think my services would be more needed here, ah,
0:38:13 > 0:38:17in South Sudan, in the new nation, where, ah,
0:38:17 > 0:38:22- a lot of college graduates are, ah, pretty limited.- Yes.
0:38:22 > 0:38:27And, ah, I'll, I'd be glad to help in any capacity, ah,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30- be it at diplomatic level...- Yes.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32..or be that whichever level that I could be posted.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37With the job application not going as well as he hoped,
0:38:37 > 0:38:40Paul unveils his surprise package.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42If you don't mind, I can go ahead and open it
0:38:42 > 0:38:45- and show you what the message is? - Yes, yes, yes.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47The gift for the President.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Here is the message.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59It says, the message that it was put together by artist named
0:38:59 > 0:39:01John Kuol...
0:39:01 > 0:39:06And, ah... A man is there, cows in place.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08This, this picture was drawn from memory,
0:39:08 > 0:39:12- there's a sign of peace there. - Yes, ah, very good.
0:39:12 > 0:39:18- And he said, "We have not forgotten our beautiful motherland."- Yes.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22RADIO: 'It's July 9th celebration for the independence of South Sudan,
0:39:22 > 0:39:27'it's an endless sweet fruits for our generations and generations to come.
0:39:27 > 0:39:32'The death of our beloved millions of heroes and heroines in the civil wars in the Sudan,
0:39:32 > 0:39:36'led by Dr John Garang De Mabior, is now justified by achieving
0:39:36 > 0:39:40'independence and freedom for all the South Sudanese people.'
0:39:40 > 0:39:45- They're coming back this way.- Yes, no problem, so even if the civilian wants to march, they can go
0:39:45 > 0:39:48- No problem with that, we have got no problem.- OK, fine.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53It's the final rehearsal for independence day, and Lam is having
0:39:53 > 0:39:58difficulty integrating his cultural performers into a military parade.
0:39:58 > 0:40:03Dance, dance, dance, ah, go that way, go that way.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Lam is at a disadvantage,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08with few resources being allocated for his work.
0:40:08 > 0:40:13Simon, where is the rest of the team? Tell them to go in the marching.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Unlike his countrymen in uniform.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Spending on the armed forces accounts for three times the amount
0:40:22 > 0:40:24spent on health and education combined.
0:40:24 > 0:40:29A generation has grown up relying on the military for everything.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35But there are a few who are working to break this habit.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43Anna was a teacher in the refugee camps of Ethiopia
0:40:43 > 0:40:46and had to flee with the Lost Boys.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50So this place used to be full of land mines,
0:40:50 > 0:40:52a lot of people lost their lives here.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55And up to now, nobody's sure where is safe.
0:40:55 > 0:41:00You can see it's a bit, ah, deserted, it has to be demined.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03And how can you demine it, it's bushy?
0:41:03 > 0:41:06A lot of trees have grown here, and some mines are carrying,
0:41:06 > 0:41:10are carried up, are grown together with the, ah, with the tree.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13So they lost a lot of lives here.
0:41:14 > 0:41:15It's sad.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Anna's job is to turn Sudan's soldiers into useful citizens.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26She runs programmes across the country,
0:41:26 > 0:41:31encouraging former combatants to surrender their arms and retrain.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34This is a training centre, an old government training centre.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38What you are seeing there are women combatants, they were
0:41:38 > 0:41:42trained for three, four months, and they've been, ah, operational,
0:41:42 > 0:41:49they've been, ah, stitching uniform for schools, and get some income.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53So today we are going to give them gifts as they graduate.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56In the war, only a few girls
0:41:56 > 0:42:00fled their villages alongside the Lost Boys.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Most remained with their families,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05facing the risk of rape or enslavement at the hands of Arab militias.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08A significant number, like these women,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11chose to fight in the rebel army.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14Now they've been retrained as dress makers, today is graduation day.
0:42:22 > 0:42:23THEY LAUGH
0:42:23 > 0:42:26I'm telling them don't stand like soldiers, be civilian.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35It's not easy to come out of the, the army.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39What I mean is, most of them would say it's easy to get me
0:42:39 > 0:42:42out of the army, but it's not easy to get the army out of me.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46And the first is, ah, Monica.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:42:50 > 0:42:53SHE ULULATES
0:42:59 > 0:43:04The most important part of Anna's programme is persuading soldiers to become farmers.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08Something about this young generation,
0:43:08 > 0:43:11who only know how to carry guns.
0:43:11 > 0:43:16They went through a trauma deeper than what you can imagine.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19They need to be handled with care.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21If we don't reintegrate them successfully,
0:43:21 > 0:43:23we will have a challenge.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29South Sudan has the climate and soil to become Africa's breadbasket,
0:43:29 > 0:43:33but only 4% of all arable land is cultivated here.
0:43:34 > 0:43:39- Carrots, cabbages, what are those, cabbages?- Cabbage, yeah.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43Our grandfathers, for 1,000 years, have been surviving on farming,
0:43:43 > 0:43:46and then we got disconnected somehow during the war,
0:43:46 > 0:43:48relying on relief food.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52We have to go back to farming and connecting back to normal life,
0:43:52 > 0:43:56getting independent by ourselves, and that's the only way to fight poverty.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00From army of war, to an army of development.
0:44:50 > 0:44:56After 24 long years, Kuol Awan is almost home.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06But his village has changed beyond recognition.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12Soon after he fled in the 1980s, it was burnt to the ground.
0:45:13 > 0:45:18Only recently have the villagers returned to rebuild their homes.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39One of the main reasons Kuol has returned here, is to try
0:45:39 > 0:45:43and find his mother's grave, to pay his respects.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51He doesn't know how many other relatives survived,
0:45:51 > 0:45:53or if he'll recognise them.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58Word soon gets round there's a stranger in the village.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02IN LOCAL DIALECT:
0:47:55 > 0:47:59For Kuol's relatives, the Lost Boy is a returning hero.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03They had no idea whether he had survived the war or not.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09Now a new generation of young men tends the cattle.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13Few of Kuol's childhood friends made it through the war,
0:48:13 > 0:48:17casualties among the 2.5 million death toll.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37Hello, Lam, where are you?
0:48:37 > 0:48:40It's the eve of independence,
0:48:40 > 0:48:44and Lam is staging a warm up event, a parade around Juba.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47- Who are you leading, did you tell them?- No, I told them to...
0:48:47 > 0:48:49But it's behind schedule.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52The temperature is over 100 degrees and rising.
0:48:52 > 0:48:53Let's go, guys!
0:48:53 > 0:48:58Guys, we are going. We are going.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02Slow down, slow down, don't go too fast.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26Lam's energy and optimism is partly driven by a strong desire
0:49:26 > 0:49:28to put the past behind him.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31At the end of the day you're at the end of the tunnel.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34It's not only me who went through a lot of problems,
0:49:34 > 0:49:37there's a lot of people who went through a lot of problems
0:49:37 > 0:49:39death, trauma, everything.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45'We are tired of being oppressed,
0:49:45 > 0:49:49'we're tired of our dignity not being recognised.
0:49:49 > 0:49:55'We still have a lot to do ahead to, you know, show our joy to the world.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57'We need to move on our own.'
0:50:11 > 0:50:15Paul is yet to find a vacancy in the diplomatic services.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19Time and money are running short.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21He, too, has family reunions to arrange,
0:50:21 > 0:50:25but he can't afford to travel outside the city.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28He's just got word that his aunt and brother are coming to Juba.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32It'll be the first time he's seen them since childhood.
0:51:11 > 0:51:15It's been 20 years since Paul had any contact
0:51:15 > 0:51:17with his extended family.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19They have much to catch up on.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Kuol is also trying to piece together his family history.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55The past has been buried in the sand.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59Kuol can't find any sign of his mother's last resting place.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07It's long and it's, it's hard to kind of conceive how...
0:52:07 > 0:52:09HE SOBS
0:52:13 > 0:52:20..come where I used to play and... HE SOBS
0:52:20 > 0:52:21..where I used to play
0:52:21 > 0:52:24and see my family, but now nobody is here.
0:53:23 > 0:53:24July the 9th, 6.00am.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31The big day has finally arrived.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54For Paul, it's an occasion full of possibilities.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56He's managed to swing a guest pass
0:53:56 > 0:53:59and can network with the great and the good.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01Although the crowd doesn't recognise him,
0:54:01 > 0:54:03he enters like a seasoned diplomat.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10'I'm very happy that I'm in a free nation.'
0:54:11 > 0:54:15This will be the young baby that has just been born,
0:54:15 > 0:54:19number 193 in the world. This is a very exciting moment.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24My people are healthy, and I'm happy with them.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27And also meeting my relatives, meeting my aunt,
0:54:27 > 0:54:30seeing her for the first time since 1987,
0:54:30 > 0:54:34it's a, it's a great day and I'm, I'm very, very happy.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49Well I think I can put it in one word - excitement.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20Four hours late, the formalities begin.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25Hundreds of foreign dignitaries have arrives from around the world.
0:55:27 > 0:55:32Independence here is a triumph for them, too.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35The international community has bankrolled
0:55:35 > 0:55:38the process of peace building, but unless the South Sudanese
0:55:38 > 0:55:41can break their habit of dependency on foreign aid,
0:55:41 > 0:55:45the world's newest state may well become a failed state.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56I know we might be the youngest country in the whole world,
0:55:56 > 0:56:01but we have not take being a victim of war as a scapegoat anymore.
0:56:01 > 0:56:06That freedom will be useful for us, we need to start working.
0:56:06 > 0:56:07The whole world will not give us aid,
0:56:07 > 0:56:12we will not survive on donations from the whole world every day.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16At the end of the, of the era is over from the 9th,
0:56:16 > 0:56:19and now it is time for the southerners to wake up
0:56:19 > 0:56:22and start picking what you want to do, and then start doing it.
0:56:22 > 0:56:27For all the Lost Boys, those who left, and those who stayed,
0:56:27 > 0:56:31this moment could mean they can leave the past behind.
0:56:31 > 0:56:37Perhaps today, like their countrymen, they are free at last.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57'The raising of the flag of South Sudan.'
0:57:04 > 0:57:08CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:57:13 > 0:57:15CHEERING
0:58:18 > 0:58:21'Thank you and God bless you all.'
0:58:21 > 0:58:23CHEERING
0:58:41 > 0:58:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:44 > 0:58:47Email: subtitling@bbc.co.uk