Product Description
My father said to me, ‘No matter what happens, don’t let go of your blanket or your water bottle’.
Walking to Freedom chronicles the lives of a group of young men and women from Southern Sudan’s Awulian clan, Christian, animist, agricultural people driven from their homes by northern Islamic government forces.
Their stories recall the terrifying, arduous thousand-mile treks forced on them as children, orphaned or separated from their families by civil war and dubbed the Lost Boys of Sudan by aid agencies. Their journeys crisscrossed harsh and hostile landscapes, into neighbouring Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, in search of refuge, alone and in groups, fending for themselves.
From displaced persons camps, ration cards and school classes under trees, they eventually make their way as humanitarian refugees to Australia.
Powerful, eloquent, heartbreaking yet uplifting, Walking to Freedom brings alive the sounds of cattle camps, children’s games, village meetings and the wisdom received from beloved family elders.
AK47s, air assaults, wild animals and disease and starvation also inhabit these pages.
The lasting image is of grace, dignity, courage and resilience and the enduring power of hope.
‘When I was crossing the Gilo River, I could not dream that we would all do so well. Our generation is establishing productive lives in Australia.’
