Return of the Lost Boys of Sudan This World

THEY SING

DRUMS BANG

Kuol...

..Lam...

..Paul.

Three of a generation known as the Lost Boys of Sudan.

It was the name given to more than 20,000 children

who fled a long and brutal civil war.

Some were as young as seven,

forced to walk over 1,000 miles to safety.

Their epic, perilous journey began over 25 years ago.

It's taken some of them to the other side of the world.

Now, they're coming home.

They'll arrive at an historic moment - the war is over

and the Republic of South Sudan is about to be born.

For Kuol, it's an intensely personal journey,

in search of long lost family and his parents' graves.

Lam's struggle is to reconcile childhood traumas

and to rebuild a new country, against the odds.

HE SHOUTS

Paul's mission is to find a role in the new nation

and win his countrymen's respect.

South Sudan!

For the Lost Boys, the birth of their nation

offers a chance to find peace and a place to call home,

if they can.

Civil war in Sudan began between the Muslim north

and mainly Christian south in the early 1980s.

In November 1987, the fighting reached Kuol's village.

Arab raiding parties began burning homes, stealing cattle

and slaughtering all in their path.

He was then eight years old,

tending his family's herd.

Kuol joined hundreds of other children

in a remarkable exodus towards Ethiopia and, they thought, safety.

Kuol's journey would take him thousands of miles away,

to a strange and foreign land.

After more than ten years living in squalid refugee camps,

Kuol and nearly 4,000 Lost Boys

were offered a new home in the United States.

He's created a new life for himself, in a land of plenty.

Now, the 32-year-old has a young family of his own.

He's a university graduate in psychology

and is studying for an MA.

The proud owner of a house and two cars,

he's come a long way from herding cattle

and the family he left behind in Africa.

But for Kuol, the past is never far away, even here.

He manages the Arizona Lost Boy's Centre.

With 600 members,

it's the largest of its kind in America.

At the centre, Kuol helps his countrymen come to terms

with the very different culture and society.

For many, it has been far from easy.

Some Lost Boys were so young when they first fled,

they didn't know which village they came from,

or even their parent's names.

Recently uncovered documents have helped

to piece together their histories.

Last year, interviews and photographs taken in the 1980s

were found and made available online.

Among them were Kuol's.

Kuol has been trying to track down the boys whose records have emerged,

but he is learning many are still missing.

Even after reaching the apparent safety of refugee camps,

disease, war and starvation still claimed the lives of thousands.

Of the original 20,000 plus Lost Boys,

less than half have been accounted for.

The rest are presumed dead.

# How long shall we be away?

# As our hopes and dreams... #

Lam Tungwar is one of South Sudan's biggest pop stars.

HE SINGS

As well as being a Lost Boy,

he also fought in the war as a child soldier.

Aged just seven,

he was recruited into the Sudanese People's Liberation Army -

the SPLA.

'I was then a more young guy.

'We were herding cows and other things.'

A group of soldiers showed up and, you know,

it was very attractive when you see a guy with a gun back then,

in uniforms, those, you know, SPLA whole uniform -

it's very attractive because, you know, we have been told having a gun,

you are like a superman, you are powerful,

you're beyond something.

Promising the child soldiers an education,

the SPLA were never short of young volunteers.

So, when these guys arrived,

they actually told the kids that, "Who wants to go to school?"

A number raised their hand up.

"Who want to be pilots?" Here. "Who want to be doctors?" Here.

"Who want to be soldiers?" Here.

"OK, fine. Now, you can come with us. We are going somewhere very far,

"and you're going to have all the education you want."

I joined the group and we started marching.

Thousands of children were recruited by both sides

into a war few of them understood.

A fundamentalist Muslim government was intent on extending its power

over the largely Christian territories of the south,

threatening to impose Sharia law.

But war was also the premise for a land grab of southern territories,

rich in minerals and oil.

I didn't know why I was fighting

and I used to ask myself, "Why are we in this situation?"

But no one could answer me, neither the children,

or the boys who were with me, they couldn't give me an answer.

In one notorious incident,

Lam witnessed hundreds of children perishing.

There's a very big river called the River Gilo.

I cannot cross the River Gilo. A soldier with a gun cannot cross.

Why? Because the water, once you touch it with your leg,

it tears you away.

That is the first time I've seen a lot of guys dying just random,

because there's a lot of shooting, guys are running,

people jumping into the river.

Some are jumping on the bodies of others

and swimming on the other side. They died, both of them.

Close friends - when you lose them, you don't see them again.

So, I really missed, totally, my childhood.

I learned a different lesson.

A lesson of war, a lesson of death, a lesson of killing people.

Scattered around the world,

some Lost Boys ended up in the most unlikely places.

About 150 live in the home of country music.

Among them, Paul Manyok.

How y'all doing?

With his trademark suit and tie,

he's worked hard to reinvent himself.

But Paul is still haunted

by the memories of when his village was attacked.

'The time they came, they burned houses.'

A lot of my relatives were killed,

some who were in the military

and some who were not in the military.

People were running like crazy.

We could hear people crying everywhere and it became a disaster.

You'd hear women - "My child, my child, my child."

And when we hear the sound of a plane,

that is a sign of danger. We start running.

Nashville also has a community centre for Lost Boys.

Like Kuol, Paul is intent on keeping their history and culture alive.

And there are a lot of languages in Sudan.

99 different tribes - Dinka, Nuer...

Today, he's hosting some local children

and raising funds for his return to Sudan.

The President is from Dinka and the Vice President is from Nuer.

This is "hello" in Dinka...

With a college education to pay for and a family to support,

Paul is not yet certain he can afford the journey back to Sudan

in time for independence.

You have just learned hello. Awesome.

In the hospital, I do transportation.

I transport patients, you know, from one location to another,

for testing, MRI, CAT scan.

Cows are very special in Sudan.

They are used for many things. They are used for dowry.

For prestige, as well, right?

I also work in a cafeteria making smoothies, you know?

In the cafeteria. I also work at Donut Den as a sales person.

Having been granted US citizenship when he arrived,

Paul is uncertain where to call home now.

I feel I'm both American and Sudanese.

Some of the American culture that I have adopted, that is mine.

There's also some of the Sudanese culture that's also mine.

So, I could say I'm a global figure

where I could fit anywhere in the world.

Paul badly wants to return to his homeland

in time for Independence Day.

Whether or not he can find a role in the new nation

is far from certain. The country he remembers as a child

is much changed.

MUSIC PLAYS ON THE RADIO

July 9th, 2011, is Independence Day,

when the eyes of the world will be on the capital of the new nation.

This is where every Southern Sudanese wants to be.

How does it feel to be here in Sudan?

THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN DIALECT

Welcome.

Kuol's older brother, Atem, is a colonel in the SPLA,

a veteran of over 20 years of war.

He didn't have a choice of leaving Sudan

and spent his formative years on the front line.

-How are you?

-I'm good.

Along with hundreds of foreign dignitaries arriving for Independence Day,

Kuol's first impression of the new country is a construction site.

The new arrivals hall is due to be complete by July 9th,

less than a fortnight away.

Since the end of the war in 2005,

international aid has flooded into Juba.

The authorities claim this is currently

the fastest growing city in the world.

Kuol has heard many reports of a boom time,

but he can see the city still needs time before it fully functions.

Time is the one thing Lam Tungwar is short of.

He is responsible for all the cultural events

celebrating independence.

His extraordinary story - from boy soldier to rock star,

makes him a hero in the eyes of many.

Tomorrow, we have a rehearsal, I think you are told.

We'll see what we can do.

But what he has taken on here is his biggest challenge yet.

We never had an event like that.

Getting to the line is what... You dream about it.

How will it turn out? What will happen, you know?

In a few day's time, thousands of people will be arriving here.

IN LOCAL DIALECT:

It's hectic and we had almost three weeks of sleepless nights

and many meetings that ended at a late hour.

Another problem I have is that anything that I tell somebody to do,

if I find you a job, then I have to see it.

And I think, when people see me, they find that I'm too busy,

because I have to supervise everything.

I need to see how it goes, the way I say it.

We're expecting more than 20,000 people

to be in this open air.

All this place will be doing a lot of stuff in the next few days,

building up for the Independence.

People ask the same question, "Are you ready?

"Is this happening for real? Are you going to meet the deadline?"

Today is the 30th, that means we only have, like,

seven days or eight days to go.

Everything will be ready so people shouldn't panic.

I'm sure there are challenges in between, but we'll meet them,

and we'll make sure they work out.

For all the returning Lost Boys, coming home brings mixed emotions.

Despite the hardships they experienced,

many feel guilty they escaped active service in the war.

THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN DIALECT

For Kuol, veteran soldiers like his brother

won a nation's freedom the hard way.

Kuol's brother was a war hero.

He spent years fighting alongside rebel leader Salva Kiir,

soon to be sworn in as the first President

of an independent South Sudan.

IN OWN DIALECT:

Years spent waging a guerrilla war in the bush

denied officers like Atem the sort of education enjoyed by his brother.

Now, the veterans are looking forward

to enjoying the dividends of peace.

HE SINGS

Paul is so desperate to return in time for Independence Day,

he's decided to buy a ticket to Sudan on his credit card.

The doughnut and smoothie salesman is returning with a mission.

With his degree in political science and bible studies,

Paul believes he has what it takes

to become part of the new political elite.

I would love to, you know, transfer the skills, knowledge,

values and attitude that I've learned in peace building

and conflict resolution.

If the government of Southern Sudan is there

and want me to help, that will be great.

Some of my friends say that I'm blessed with interpersonal skills

and if that is the case, then that could work, as well.

I think with that, I can bring some respect to Southern Sudan -

a young nation.

Of course, a young nation will require young leaders

that might help the generation that have sacrificed so much.

HE SINGS

The new parade ground, a centrepiece for Independence Day,

is a long way from being completed.

With just eight days to go,

the former guerrilla fighters of the SPLA are rehearsing.

With little experience of ceremonial parades,

they've enrolled officers of the Kenyan army to lick them into shape.

And the security needs to be very, very, very focused.

Very. Anybody who is getting in the hole here and in the venue

have to be checked, have to be protected.

They have to check them, they have to see them, you know.

Something like that will help us.

An event like this is the very beginning.

Lam's uncle is the former rebel leader

and current Vice President, Riek Machar,

who arrives to check up on progress.

South Sudan's government has yet to be elected,

but the former warlords of the Liberation Army

still have a firm grip on power.

Whether they have the credentials

to lead the country in peace time remains to be seen.

'We're waiting for the birth of our nation.

'The whole world will be here and they want to see us.

'Are we going to be a failure state,

'or will we be a good example for the rest of the African countries?'

And I'm sure we will achieve that.

We will be one of the best - maybe we'll be the food basket of Africa,

or maybe we'll be the good example for the democrats in Africa.

HE SHOUTS MILITARY COMMANDS

Despite widespread optimism,

lasting peace is far from guaranteed here.

The threat from the north is clear and present.

With days to go before the south becomes independent,

reports are coming in to Juba

that just 400 miles north, fighting has broken out for control

of contested border areas and oil fields.

It's in direct contravention of the 2005 peace agreement,

when both sides agreed to demobilise 90,000 soldiers,

over half of South Sudan's army.

But neither regime has met these promises.

With 160,000 soldiers on the government's payroll,

this is a country more prepared for war than peace.

Paul has finally made it,

after a 22 hour journey via Ethiopia.

In his mission to find a role in the new government,

he's brought with him a secret weapon -

a gift for the President.

How does it feel to be home, Paul?

Very happy, very excited, glad to be home.

But his trip gets off to a bad start.

When he tries to check in, Paul faces another setback.

Yes, that's what they say.

-I came from the United States.

-OK.

This is one of the best hotels in Juba,

and appears to be fully booked with government officials.

It hasn't been that easy a trip.

I pretty much have the clothes that I was wearing on Monday

and it's now Wednesday...

..so, I don't know how long I'm going to wear them.

It takes him an hour,

but finally, the hospital porter from Nashville is found a room...

Very nice.

..and a superior one at that.

RADIO: 'Message for the celebration of South Sudan's Independence, 2011.

'July the 9th, 2011

'marks the end of marginalisation and oppression

'and is the beginning of true justice, liberty, peace

'and prosperity for all the people of South Sudan.'

Don't send some of them to get you.

There's not enough t-shirts. Definitely no.

Understaffed and underfunded,

Lam and his team are struggling with the workload.

-It's very hectic, I know.

-They should have first stage.

You take any money from that 500,000. You are there, or something.

He's managing everything on a shoestring.

Every t-shirt has to be accounted for.

-You know, five only. You took a lot of T-shirts.

-No, we didn't.

No, you take ten. OK, you take ten, OK?

HORN HOOTS

Meeting finished, meeting finished.

Lam is expected to put on a show for thousands of people,

but he can't even feed his workers,

or provide them with basic tools for the job.

I'm going to go to the meeting now.

It's actually seven.

'It is more frustrating than ever,'

because here, everything is outsourced from everywhere,

everything is being sent from abroad.

We don't have anything here, there are no big shopping malls

where you can get everything around now.

We have to get them in Uganda

and if things are lucky, it's difficult to get them.

So, yeah, extremely hard.

Kuol, too, is finding it difficult to source supplies.

He's getting ready to make the ten hour journey back to his village.

It's a long way from the shopping malls of Phoenix.

The irony is that even in Juba's markets,

Kuol has to buy food apparently from the United States.

One of the key problems faced by South Sudan

is the country's dependence on food aid.

Despite having substantial natural resources,

aid organisations fed about half the population last year,

or some four million people.

HE SPEAKS IN HIS OWN DIALECT

It's three days since he arrived and Paul is getting impatient.

I went to Juba airport and claimed my bag, for a second time.

And, ah, it looks like there's none available.

So I actually took these clothes, took them off this morning

and talked someone into washing them.

Paul has another challenge,

he hasn't brought enough cash with him and expects South Sudan

to have the same banking facilities as in the US.

Em, I haven't found no working ATM yet, if there are some working ATMs

then they are very few, and I really don't know where they are.

I've got to do some homework,

finding out from people who have been here a little longer than I am.

So, yes, it's going to be a little interesting... Yeah.

POPULAR MUSIC PLAYS

When Kuol first ran away from his village,

as an eight year old boy, he walked for over a month

on roads like these, evading enemy planes, wild beasts and land mines.

Even now, security is a major concern.

In a country the size of France,

there are only about 40 miles of tarmacked roads.

Bandits set up road blocks to rob people.

An armed escort is essential.

Outside Juba, the contrasts become apparent very soon.

90% of the population is illiterate, and a 15 year old girl here

has more chance of dying in childbirth than completing school.

Tribes like these were decimated during the war with the north,

but now the main threat to their security is inter-tribal conflict.

This could prove to be the greatest danger to South Sudan's future.

An hour later, and just how volatile the situation is becomes clear.

Here, just one soldier with a machete is

the difference between order and bloodshed.

As more armed men arrive,

Kuol and his cousins decide to move on quickly.

200 miles north of Juba, Bor Town was the birthplace

of the rebellion against North Sudan in the 1980s.

It is now home to Lost Boy Manyang Jok.

Two years ago, he gave up a comfortable home

and secure job in the United States to help rebuild his country.

There's no air condition, there's no running water and there's no,

there's no good healths, ah, like good sanitation.

Manyang has firsthand knowledge of Sudan's tribal conflicts.

He monitors the daily incidents of violence

in the country's largest state, Jonglei.

With a ship's container for an office,

his job is to count the bodies.

But there is another, more sinister, aspect to ethnic conflict

among some tribes.

Even today, children are still victims of the cycle of violence.

Manyang is realistic about resolving tribal disputes

that have been going on for centuries.

OK, I'm about to call the ambassador, Charles.

Paul's luggage has finally arrived,

but his dream of becoming one of the country's new power brokers isn't coming together.

Hello? Hello, Governor.

Ah, this is Paul Mator Manyok.

'Ah, my strategy is to, to, to talk with the, the recruiters,

'and if they think that I'm the right person for the job,

'then I'll be there for the Republic of South Sudan to help.'

It's busy.

Making the right connection in Juba can be tricky.

'If I get the job in Washington DC, or somewhere, in London,

'you know, that would be great.'

I would call myself a quick learner, I can take, ah,

to the job like duck into water.

All right.

With most government officials too busy preparing for independence,

Paul has to make do with meeting one of the old timers.

-Welcome, welcome young man, welcome.

-Thank you.

Welcome, welcome.

Joseph Lagu was one of the original rebel leaders in the struggle

for independence, and still has the ear of the president.

How is life in Juba?

Ah, well life in Juba is good, it's, it's, ah, colourful these days.

It's not long before the would-be ambassador presents his credentials.

Ah, my name is Paul Mator Manyok.

Yes, I'm one of the young men

whom happen to be called the Lost Boys of Sudan.

Yes. From your name, you are from Bor, are you?

-Yes, I'm from Bor, and I'm from the tribe.

-Ah, very good.

I went to school also in the United States, I graduated.

And, um, the aim of me coming here is to,

is to participate in the independence.

-Ah, with you being an advisor to the president...

-Yes.

-..ah, I'm also looking for a job.

-Mm-hm.

Um, I think my services would be more needed here, ah,

in South Sudan, in the new nation, where, ah,

-a lot of college graduates are, ah, pretty limited.

-Yes.

And, ah, I'll, I'd be glad to help in any capacity, ah,

-be it at diplomatic level...

-Yes.

..or be that whichever level that I could be posted.

With the job application not going as well as he hoped,

Paul unveils his surprise package.

If you don't mind, I can go ahead and open it

-and show you what the message is?

-Yes, yes, yes.

The gift for the President.

Here is the message.

It says, the message that it was put together by artist named

John Kuol...

And, ah... A man is there, cows in place.

This, this picture was drawn from memory,

-there's a sign of peace there.

-Yes, ah, very good.

-And he said, "We have not forgotten our beautiful motherland."

-Yes.

RADIO: 'It's July 9th celebration for the independence of South Sudan,

'it's an endless sweet fruits for our generations and generations to come.

'The death of our beloved millions of heroes and heroines in the civil wars in the Sudan,

'led by Dr John Garang De Mabior, is now justified by achieving

'independence and freedom for all the South Sudanese people.'

-They're coming back this way.

-Yes, no problem, so even if the civilian wants to march, they can go

-No problem with that, we have got no problem.

-OK, fine.

It's the final rehearsal for independence day, and Lam is having

difficulty integrating his cultural performers into a military parade.

Dance, dance, dance, ah, go that way, go that way.

Lam is at a disadvantage,

with few resources being allocated for his work.

Simon, where is the rest of the team? Tell them to go in the marching.

Unlike his countrymen in uniform.

Spending on the armed forces accounts for three times the amount

spent on health and education combined.

A generation has grown up relying on the military for everything.

But there are a few who are working to break this habit.

Anna was a teacher in the refugee camps of Ethiopia

and had to flee with the Lost Boys.

So this place used to be full of land mines,

a lot of people lost their lives here.

And up to now, nobody's sure where is safe.

You can see it's a bit, ah, deserted, it has to be demined.

And how can you demine it, it's bushy?

A lot of trees have grown here, and some mines are carrying,

are carried up, are grown together with the, ah, with the tree.

So they lost a lot of lives here.

It's sad.

Anna's job is to turn Sudan's soldiers into useful citizens.

She runs programmes across the country,

encouraging former combatants to surrender their arms and retrain.

This is a training centre, an old government training centre.

What you are seeing there are women combatants, they were

trained for three, four months, and they've been, ah, operational,

they've been, ah, stitching uniform for schools, and get some income.

So today we are going to give them gifts as they graduate.

In the war, only a few girls

fled their villages alongside the Lost Boys.

Most remained with their families,

facing the risk of rape or enslavement at the hands of Arab militias.

A significant number, like these women,

chose to fight in the rebel army.

Now they've been retrained as dress makers, today is graduation day.

THEY LAUGH

I'm telling them don't stand like soldiers, be civilian.

It's not easy to come out of the, the army.

What I mean is, most of them would say it's easy to get me

out of the army, but it's not easy to get the army out of me.

And the first is, ah, Monica.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

SHE ULULATES

The most important part of Anna's programme is persuading soldiers to become farmers.

Something about this young generation,

who only know how to carry guns.

They went through a trauma deeper than what you can imagine.

They need to be handled with care.

If we don't reintegrate them successfully,

we will have a challenge.

South Sudan has the climate and soil to become Africa's breadbasket,

but only 4% of all arable land is cultivated here.

-Carrots, cabbages, what are those, cabbages?

-Cabbage, yeah.

Our grandfathers, for 1,000 years, have been surviving on farming,

and then we got disconnected somehow during the war,

relying on relief food.

We have to go back to farming and connecting back to normal life,

getting independent by ourselves, and that's the only way to fight poverty.

From army of war, to an army of development.

After 24 long years, Kuol Awan is almost home.

But his village has changed beyond recognition.

Soon after he fled in the 1980s, it was burnt to the ground.

Only recently have the villagers returned to rebuild their homes.

One of the main reasons Kuol has returned here, is to try

and find his mother's grave, to pay his respects.

He doesn't know how many other relatives survived,

or if he'll recognise them.

Word soon gets round there's a stranger in the village.

IN LOCAL DIALECT:

For Kuol's relatives, the Lost Boy is a returning hero.

They had no idea whether he had survived the war or not.

Now a new generation of young men tends the cattle.

Few of Kuol's childhood friends made it through the war,

casualties among the 2.5 million death toll.

Hello, Lam, where are you?

It's the eve of independence,

and Lam is staging a warm up event, a parade around Juba.

-Who are you leading, did you tell them?

-No, I told them to...

But it's behind schedule.

The temperature is over 100 degrees and rising.

Let's go, guys!

Guys, we are going. We are going.

Slow down, slow down, don't go too fast.

Lam's energy and optimism is partly driven by a strong desire

to put the past behind him.

At the end of the day you're at the end of the tunnel.

It's not only me who went through a lot of problems,

there's a lot of people who went through a lot of problems

death, trauma, everything.

'We are tired of being oppressed,

'we're tired of our dignity not being recognised.

'We still have a lot to do ahead to, you know, show our joy to the world.

'We need to move on our own.'

Paul is yet to find a vacancy in the diplomatic services.

Time and money are running short.

He, too, has family reunions to arrange,

but he can't afford to travel outside the city.

He's just got word that his aunt and brother are coming to Juba.

It'll be the first time he's seen them since childhood.

It's been 20 years since Paul had any contact

with his extended family.

They have much to catch up on.

Kuol is also trying to piece together his family history.

The past has been buried in the sand.

Kuol can't find any sign of his mother's last resting place.

It's long and it's, it's hard to kind of conceive how...

HE SOBS

..come where I used to play and... HE SOBS

..where I used to play

and see my family, but now nobody is here.

July the 9th, 6.00am.

The big day has finally arrived.

For Paul, it's an occasion full of possibilities.

He's managed to swing a guest pass

and can network with the great and the good.

Although the crowd doesn't recognise him,

he enters like a seasoned diplomat.

'I'm very happy that I'm in a free nation.'

This will be the young baby that has just been born,

number 193 in the world. This is a very exciting moment.

My people are healthy, and I'm happy with them.

And also meeting my relatives, meeting my aunt,

seeing her for the first time since 1987,

it's a, it's a great day and I'm, I'm very, very happy.

Well I think I can put it in one word - excitement.

Four hours late, the formalities begin.

Hundreds of foreign dignitaries have arrives from around the world.

Independence here is a triumph for them, too.

The international community has bankrolled

the process of peace building, but unless the South Sudanese

can break their habit of dependency on foreign aid,

the world's newest state may well become a failed state.

I know we might be the youngest country in the whole world,

but we have not take being a victim of war as a scapegoat anymore.

That freedom will be useful for us, we need to start working.

The whole world will not give us aid,

we will not survive on donations from the whole world every day.

At the end of the, of the era is over from the 9th,

and now it is time for the southerners to wake up

and start picking what you want to do, and then start doing it.

For all the Lost Boys, those who left, and those who stayed,

this moment could mean they can leave the past behind.

Perhaps today, like their countrymen, they are free at last.

'The raising of the flag of South Sudan.'

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

CHEERING

'Thank you and God bless you all.'

CHEERING

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

Email: [email protected]