About the Project
I met Solomon Awan and Gabriel Garang Atem eight years ago. I sat across the table from them in a small restaurant while interviewing them about their experiences as the Lost Boys of Sudan. After the interview, I sat in my car crying. How could this happen?
Over the past three years, Todd and I have researched the history and struggle of the people of South Sudan, alongside the plight of innocent people who have been caught up in this deadly struggle – a war where over two million people have perished.
The musical, Sudan & Me, begins in South Sudan where the two main characters, brothers Solomon and Deng, grew up. These two young boys, ages 7 and 11, would witness the horrors of war by losing their entire family when their village was massacred.
The musical starts with the hard moment when Solomon and Deng’s parents, Kudior and Adual, are contemplating sending their boys alone into the African jungle. Many families were sending their sons, and sometimes their daughters, so that their children wouldn’t be killed or conscripted by the Murahaleen – the government army from northern Sudan. Sadly, Solomon & Deng’s village was attacked before their parents could make this decision, and Solomon and Deng were forced to flee the ravages of war without any help or guidance. Another 20,000 boys (and a few girls) would be forced into the same predicament. Hence, the colloquial term given to them by the U.N.: The Lost Boys. They were, literally, lost in the jungle.
The Murahaleen, a Muslim army from the north, raided the Christian villages in the south. Eventually, the Murahaleen were met by the rebel army called the S.P.L.A. (Sudanese People’s Liberation Army). The S.P.L.A. became known for defending Southern Sudan, but at a price! They trained the Lost Boys to become child soldiers. The child soldiers in the S.P.L.A. became known as the “Red Army.”
Solomon & Deng would spend 14 long years in different refugee camps across Africa. In 2001, 4000 of the Lost Boys and Girls were granted refuge in America. However, most of the “Lost Boys and Girls” are still living in the Kakuma refugee camp in Africa – some of them have been there for over 27 years.
Solomon and Deng’s story is one of life’s greatest parables of resilience, forgiveness, hope, and integration – all pressing issues facing our communities, our cities, and our nation.
Learn More at tanyataylorproductions.com/
Production Team
