The Review

In the documentary God Grew Tired of Us the Lost Boys of Sudan are portrayed in a humorous light. While the subject matter of the film is naturally somber, the directors of the film consistently shine light onto the small conversations and actions of the Lost Boys that highlight an omnipresent spirit of hope and humility. For example, a long scene is dedicated to explaining the origins of the so-called “White House” that was established in the refugee camp- a small detail that displayed the inner-spirits of the refugees of South Sudan. The humorous take allowed viewers to move from a state of pity to a state of appreciation. Humor is an intrinsically human emotion; thus, actively working to incorporate moments of humor helped to evolve the refugees’ image from that of a suffering fool to that of an optimistic opportunity-seeker.

Overall, the film failed to incorporate key elements of a refugee’s journey. The film, in essence, depicts a refugee’s journey to asylum as fun and exciting, using humor to highlight a positive enthusiasm. So far, the film does an adequate job of not painting Western humanitarian efforts as the “ultimate hero”, which is the tone Fadlalla warned against. In his Urban Anthropology, Fadlalla notes that many Western humanitarian efforts work to prove the neoliberal belief that safety and success can only be attained by “[being] brought back to civility” (Fadlalla 106). In other terms, many Western, neoliberal humanitarian organizations acquaint success with Western developed societies and savagery with the underdeveloped bush lands of Africa. This association is dangerous because it fuels the ego of the powerful Western hegemon dominant in the international system today. The film does a decent job of avoiding this ego-fueling formula by allowing refugees to speak directly for themselves and by showing the happy energy of the refugees (which works to disrupt the humanitarian assumption that all people fleeing from tragedy are innately suffering beings).

However, one prominent fault of the movie is that it does contribute to Western society’s tendency to “[produce] simplistic understanding[s] of the conflict, which obscure[s Africa’s] complexity and embeddedness in both national and international politics” (Fadlalla 105). In the beginning of the film, the conflict between North and South Sudan is merely described as a religious contention between Muslims and Christians. The simplification of the conflict contributes to the refugees’ helpless and simple image, which in turn, allows Western humanitarians to dehumanize the refugees into small objects in distress. In this way, the film fuels the egotistical mindset of the Western hegemon.  

The New Refugee

After interpreting a comprehensive definition of the term “refugee” from the UNHCR, it is clear that the term describes something more than the individual emotional or physical state of a displaced person. The state of "refugee" must be a recognized entity outside of the mind of an individual; it is a label that is determined by greater powers in the international system. It is a term that prescribes a two-way relationship between the outside international community that houses the refugees and the refugees themselves. Before reading the UNHCR account, I did not consider the effect of refugees on the international system, only taking into account the uncontrollable circumstances that have created the heartbreaking desperation driving the actions of refugees. While reading the article, I was actually surprised that a formal, application process determined the right of a person to adhere to the label of “refugee”. In some ways, the demand for an application process is nothing more than another way to isolate and weaken vulnerable populations. It is understandable that the international community does not want stable persons taking advantage of the protections and resources specifically available for refugees in need, yet the international organizations, distinctively removed from all crisis situations that produce refugees, do not have the direct experiential knowledge that enables them to properly determine which populations deserve special protections. No matter how proper the UNHCR’s motives are, their authority to determine “refugee status” will always come from a safe office space away from the emotional turmoil that is driving people out of their homes.

One aspect of the UNHCR’s definition that I would like to incorporate into my original (possibly too poetic) statement, “in essence, a refugee is a wandering soul” is the idea that a refugee is both a person with little power and a person with great power in numbers. The UNHCR noted that foreign governments and systems could collapse if they receive an influx of refugees in a small period of time. It is interesting to think that a group of disparaged, displaced persons could have a profound impact on the powerful members of the international system; recognizing this impact is an essential part of analyzing the definition of “refugee” because it evolves a refugee from something to pity into a relevant and incremental aspect of the international system at large.

Questions:

What are ways in which the volunteers can disrupt educational/racial/religious/socio-economic privilege while communicating with refugees? How can we replace feelings of guilt/pity with a sense of equal commodity? Is help always appreciated or can it (or perhaps, should it) be resisted? 

Refugee (noun):

Refugee (noun):

And Webster's dictionary would define the term refugee as something technical, general, and devoid of a human connection, I'm sure. However, a refugee, in essence, is a staggering corner of humanity. To be a refugee is to be stranded outside one's home; it is to be lost in a place you have never been before, driven there by a certain set of demons against your will. It is to be a personification of cognitive dissonance- physically bound to one location but emotionally attached to another. A refugee, if I am defining it simply, is a soul controlled by outside, unfair circumstances.

It is one thing to describe a refugee from the sanctuary of a private university hall in Denver, CO. I imagine (justifiably or perhaps arrogantly) that to be a refugee is to straddle two spheres of emotion. One is an astounding courage, the courage to continue moving forward even when past events may have proven the reality of your worst nightmares. The other, a dark shadow,  is an omnipresent fear. Fear of both the past and the unknown future- a constant uncomfortableness in one's state of living.