It seemed like Sudan was a very magical place while I was there. Most every sunset was full of beautiful color from golden yellow, to bright orange, red, and even purple. There were butterflies everywhere you walked. That "golden hour" of sunlight just before sunset... in Southern Sudan lasted from 4PM to 6:30. Pretty much everyone I met was friendly. Despite my knowledge of the past conflicts in the area, and seeing the occasional soldier or policeman carrying an AK-47, I felt perfectly safe all the time.
At the same time however, there was this constant sense that there was an uneasy peace in the area. You could always feel that the people were hurting and had been seriously affected by the war of the last 20-some years. There were also physical afflictions, in the 10 days I was there I met one man who was totally blind, and two who were deaf and mute, and while I did not see her the rest of my group noticed a woman in church who had a large hole in her face.
This mixture of magic and beauty with severe tragedy really is the only way I know how to put into words what my time in Sudan was like. Each day I would just walk with my camera and find some new beautiful image to capture. From Butterflies to flowers to cows to smiling children and stone-faced adults, it was like my camera could not fail me. While in Sudan I felt more creative energy than I’ve had in quite some time and the challenge became trying to focus it to useful video images. I did also take a lot of photographs some of which are now posted on my Facebook (INSERT LINK) if you would like to check them out.
A specific magical example is that when we arrived in Sudan, I stepped off the plane, with no idea what was ahead. I was the only one in our group who had never been to this place before and in that way felt a little disadvantaged compared to my companions who were ready to begin working. Once I put my feet on the ground and walked around to the other side to get a bearing on my surroundings my eyes caught sight of this one particular tree. I called it the first tree I saw in Sudan, but it seemed to really hold my attention and in that moment it seemed the tree spoke to me and said, “Welcome to Sudan, you’re going to love your time here.” And in that moment I found comfort in the words of the tree.
Something that I found interesting about my time in Sudan was that I still don’t understand the sense of calling that I had felt to visit Sudan. Don’t get me wrong, I do feel that it was a very worth while experience and I’m so glad I was able to do it, but I don’t totally feel like there were any moments of sudden clarity and vision while I was there. I almost feel that the calling was just to spur on an interest and curiosity that will encourage me to continue praying. I feel I actually understand the place a little better and I will be more excited to talk to others about their experiences, but I don’t feel like I am called to return there full time.
At the same time I do recognize that I am not done yet with Sudan. That is to say, I have a few weeks of video editing still ahead of me. I shot 11 hours of tape in Sudan for the 5-7 minute video I hope to produce in the upcoming weeks. There is still a lot of processing ahead of me and I wonder how I’ll feel when it’s over…
I was very happy for the friends I made there. My personal favorite of my Sudanese friends was Joseph Mayek. Mayek works at the hospital as a translator for the Kenyan nurses and also does dental work, I think mostly pulling teeth. Fortunately I did not need Mayek’s help in medicine or teeth pulling, but in the afternoons when I would go out to the town to film and conduct interviews Mayek’s assistance as a translator was invaluable. I could not have functioned well without him. Mayek was also a great insight to learning the culture and language of the Dinka people. Not that I’m in any way an expert after my ten days, but most of what I have learned has come from Mayek. It was great to have someone who could speak very good English and was used to being around Kawaja (foreigners) who were clueless. I felt very comfortable to ask him questions about everything we saw and he was always gracious to answer and explain.
One final example of the strange beauty of Sudan is in the Tukle ruins spread out across the region. Here’s a photograph to show you what I mean. Just stare at it for a moment, take note of the shapes and lines, ask your self what the purpose or meaning could be for this strange grouping of logs. When you feel you’ve come to appreciate it for it’s beauty read below to find out what a Tukel is.
A tukel is a hut. A traditional round Sudanese home made of mud, these logs are the foundational remains of a hut that was abandoned some time ago.
Overall, I feel like my trip to Sudan was a real blessing to me personally and I hope and believe it was a blessing to those I met and will be a blessing to those who view my final video. Thank you all for your prayers they were much appreciated.
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