Like many busy people, I've developed a kind of "I'll wait for the movie" attitude when it comes to African horrors. Well, the movies are here.As long as it gives me a better understanding of the world crises, I'm willing to watch. The documentary I'm about to recommend gave me that understanding, but also caused nightmares.
<a href="http://www.godgrewtiredof us.com">"God Grew Tired of Us"</a> follows four boys who were among the 25,000 "lost boys" who had to leave their civil-war torn homes in Sudan, trek across the desert and live years in a Kenyan refugee camp before emigrating to America. I watched this one about a year ago, and the images are still vivid. I still see the never-ending lines of near-naked children walking barefoot for thousands of miles. I still see the images of the boys who died along the way; dehydration, starvation, diarrhea, vomiting are all depicted, but the words of the descriptions of the survivors who tell their story are worse. Imagine the 11-year-old boys who, because he is oldest, becomes responsible for guiding the hundreds of others with him. And when any of the boys die, it is he who must bury them as best he can with his bare hands.
If I haven't scared you off already, this documentary is ultimately uplifting, but between here and there, lies hell. The four boys come to America, get jobs, learn skills, get college educations, organize other Sudanese refugees here, raise money, and sponsor other refugees for immigration.
It's worth your time to understand.