for the "museums and public memory: cultural production" class we are working with the community of refugees from Southern Sudan in Boston. there are nearly four thousand of them in the States, where they arrived from the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya before 9/11. and they reached Kakuma after several years of travelling through Sudan, after being in Ethiopia, after being reduced by half or more by the bombs, crocodiles, starvation, deseases... even if you listen to their stories, still can't believe it, how they made it... there is a wonderful book by three of these refugees, which are called 'lost boys of Sudan', although there were some girls among them. the book is entitled "they poured fire on us from the sky". the kids had to leave there home in Sudan at the age of three, four, five, six... their parents were killed or lost, villages burned... in the camps they painted as some guy brought them some canvas and brushes. now we have these paintings or, more correctly, the Southern Sudanese education fund has them, and we are preparing an exhibition. difficult, as we don't agree how much explanation should be given on each painting... or let the art speak for itself... we have been doing interviews with these refugees who are about our age and study in various universities, like Brandeis and University of Massachusetts... setting up an exhibition like this is difficult. and most of the artists are still in Kakuma camp. they need some money.





today in Lincoln, the fanciest suburb of Boston, there was a cocktail party for the rich and famous where the Sudanese refugees sang and danced and where the paintings were sold in an auction... well, only the right to have your name on the painting and the reproduction as the paintings will be stored at Brandeis after travelling around Boston for some exhibitions. more than a hundred people showed up, including the democrat candidate for the presidential election some years ago... i was asked by my professor to be the photographer of the event. weird but good event. those rich and famous spent hundreds and thousands of dollars for the reproductions, for the pictures, for the evening with some refugees, for the wine, for a four-day stay in a villa in South Africa... and just donated for the books of the refugees who are already in the U.S. they told stories about their flight from terror, wandering around Sudan for years and coming here... sad stories but with a happy ending, at least for some. Aduei, my classmate at Brandeis, was among them...





although it was sad and a bit disappointing to contrast this elite with the life of the refugees... it was also good. the party had a purpose, i think. if i had the money, i could donate them for this purpose.

look here for more pictures...
http://picasaweb.google.com/ieva.jusionyte/SouthernSudanese