LOST BOYS OF SUDAN (TV)
Summary
This documentary film, aired under the umbrella of the "POV" series, focuses on the lives of two young men, Santino and Peter, who immigrate to America and attempt to begin new lives after being orphaned by the civil war in Sudan. The program begins by explaining that the cattle-herding Dinka tribe of Sudan has suffered many attacks from fundamentalist Islamic groups within the country and that 20,000 young boys escaped in the late 1980s. The boys describe their memories of fleeing their villages after their parents' deaths and eventually arriving at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Nearly a decade later, in 2001, several of the young men prepare to move to America through a resettlement program, a journey their friends compare to "going to Heaven." Santino admits that he is fearful of being alone in a new country, and his friends throw a goodbye party, reminding the emigrants to return home to Africa once they have found success abroad. Their departure date is set for the end of August, and the boys promise to remember their Dinka culture and to send money back as soon as possible. They receive their INS letters and depart from the Nairobi airport, and they eventually land in Houston, Texas and meet with a case worker from the YMCA.
The case worker takes them to the apartment that they will be sharing, for which four months' rent has been paid, and explains some of the modern technology to them, adding that she will assist them in finding jobs and education. The men begin settling into their new home and perfecting their English, and Santino lands an assembly-line job at the United Plastics Group. He admits that he feels embarrassed and alienated because of his skin color, while elsewhere Peter attempts to befriend some local boys over a game of basketball. At the apartment the men have a lively discussion about cultural norms in America, wondering if they should "forget about Africa" and move on. Peter makes friends at work and marvels at the American mindset that "time is money," and Santino grows exasperated with his roommates' messy habits. Some of their Texas neighbors donate furniture and other items, though the boys reflect that their biggest need is still for education and discuss the challenge of making enough money to send back home. Five months after arriving in America, Peter abruptly departs Houston and heads for Kansas, feeling that he has been "working for nothing" and needs to pursue school. He talks with some other Sudanese men who explain that they too have had trouble enrolling because their ages are only "a guess" and not documented. Santino calls from Texas and asks about Peter's life in Kansas, adding that he was hurt by Peter's sudden decision to leave.
Peter manages to enroll in a local high school as a junior and begins to take English as a Second Language classes, among others, though he struggles to make friends. In Texas, Santino fails his first attempt at his driver's test, compounding his frustrations that he is currently the only one paying rent, and he and his friends vent their displeasure over crime and race relations in America. Peter attends church with some new friends, and Santino is summoned to court when he fails to pay several traffic tickets. He and his friends conclude that one is expected to "make it all alone" in America, though agree that there are still many advantages over their lives in Africa. A classmate of Peter's asks to write a newspaper article about his experiences, and he attempts to articulate the devastating loss of his parents. Santino encounters further rent troubles, though continues working hard to make money, and Peter takes a job at Wal-Mart and works on his basketball skills, hoping to make the school team.
Santino and his friends attend a South Sudan Liberation Day party, where the speaker declares that they are no longer "lost boys" and the guests strongly declare their desire to reclaim their homeland. Peter attends a house party and makes some new churchgoing friends, admitting that he is still trying to find a girlfriend. He later phones a friend back in Kenya, who chastises him for not calling more and not sending enough money, though he protests that he is very busy with work and school. He goes to the gym and continues practicing basketball, hoping to win an athletic scholarship, but is then disappointed to be cut from the team. One year after their arrival, the Sudanese men reunite in Washington D.C. and discuss their current lives in cities all over the country, agreeing that America is not "Heaven" after all. They head for Camp Letts and enjoy a few rare days of leisure, and several of the men discuss their experiences and impressions of the country, debating whether or not they intend to return to Africa. Back in Kansas, Peter plans to take the ACT college placement test, and his counselor is startled by his grim and honest biographical essay. He also bonds with a young lady, giving her a bird as a present and showing her photos of his friends back home.
In Texas, Santino explains that he is still lonely, as another roommate has recently left, and decides to learn electrician work through a correspondence course, wondering if he can someday bring electricity to his village. He and his friends sing a song about their homeland, and the film concludes with some statistical information about modern-day refugees. Producers and directors Jon Shenk and Megan Mylan briefly discuss the film's goals and the importance of learning about different cultures.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: September 28, 2004 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:26:46
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:84758
- GENRE: Documentary
- SUBJECT HEADING: Documentary; Refugees - Sudan
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 2004
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Starbucks coffee
- TV - Promos - "Lost Boys of Sudan" home video
CREDITS
- Frances Reid … Executive Producer
- Megan Mylan … Producer, Director
- Jon Shenk … Producer, Director
- Kelly Davis … Associate Producer
- Ben Ajiek Ajiek … Associate Producer
- Thon Deng … Associate Producer
- Joe Harrison III … Associate Producer
- Mario Makol … Associate Producer
- Vicky Mauleon … Associate Producer
- Santino Majok Chuor … Interviewee
- Peter Nyarol Dut … Interviewee
- For "POV":
- Yance Ford … Coordinating Producer
- John Woo … Senior Producer
- Juliet Gorman … Associate Producer
- David Nanasi … Creative Producer
- Chris White … Director
- Theresa RIley … Director
- David Byrne … Theme Music by
- Jo Ann Allen … Announcer