An award-winning author and the former Sudanese refugee who inspired his novel advocated for global recognition of the continuing problems in southern Sudan at the University of Wisconsin Wednesday.
Dave Eggers, author of the novel “What is The What,” told the untold stories of men and women who were displaced by the civil war in Sudan because he said he believes the media simply glossed over the 13 years these people lived in refugee camps.
“It is necessary to let people know about the millions of people who died during the civil war because the conflict was far bigger than anyone could ever imagine,” Eggers said.
The man who served as motivation for the novel, Valentino Achak Deng, was driven from his Sudan town, Marial Bai, when he was a young boy, spent several years in Ethiopian and Kenyan refugee camps and eventually was granted the opportunity to resettle in Atlanta.
“I was at the center of the conflict during the civil war and no longer wanted to keep my story quiet,” Deng said. “I wanted to inform people about the conflict and about the many people who paid the ultimate price.”
Eggers’ novel highlights the responsibilities of people who live in the world of privilege and encourages them to act in aiding those who are suffering, said Madison resident Eric Eble.
All proceeds from Eggers’ book went directly to the funding of a secondary school to be built in Deng’s hometown.
Many of the primary schools in Marial Bai have almost no access to ordinary school supplies, Deng said. Children had to sit underneath trees in the dirt to receive instruction.
He added after primary school, the children had no opportunity to receive any form of secondary education, which inspired him to encourage Eggers to donate the profits from his book to the creation of an institution for higher learning.
The new high school, which is the sole institution of its kind in the entire region, took slightly more than one year to build and now offers more than 100 Sudanese teenagers the chance to obtain not only access to textbooks and professional educators, but also a greater amount of general knowledge, Deng said.
“What Deng accomplished in his community is amazing because education is a way to develop the community and to achieve progress,” said University of Wisconsin graduate student Andrea Padgett.
Deng said he continues to advocate for universal educational opportunities by attempting to convince his community of the importance of educating both boys and girls, which is uncommon in much of Sudan.
Since effort from the entire village is essential to raising a child, the construction of this school will help to heal the division and pain that is present within the entire community, Eble said.
Deng ended by stressing the necessity of both the freedom of his people in Sudan, as well as global cooperation and peace. He offered a final plea to the audience asking everyone to “keep the faith so that improvement of the global community is possible.”
