We got to laugh quite a bit today. At New Sudan School, we spent time with students again. I asked if anyone knew a joke. A girl in blue stood up and started singing. The whole class erupted in laughter. I was laughing without knowing what the song was about. The song was in her tribes vernacular. She then translated it in to Arabic, and the laughter in the room got louder! Finally, they told me in English. The song talked about how she “would rather marry an old man, than that white teethed boy with the neck of a camel.”
Also on the video, a boy and girl perform a beautiful duet. It is a song about being respectful of your parents and following their directions. I really liked the voices of these two good looking kids.
If I remember correctly, the classroom that is singing together, are singing a song about going back to Darfur; but, I did hear a lot of songs yesterday, so I could be mistaken about the meaning of that one. I don’t have Bouba around right now to ask him.
It was fun, except for when I asked that same classroom that sang for anyone that had eaten anything that morning to raise their hand. Out of 52 students, only 8 raised their hands. Not funny at all.
Peace, Gabriel
9 replies on “Some laughing and some singing, on an empty stomach.”
Gabriel,
It was so nice y’all captured such beautiful voices singing, and spontaneous laughter, which all children should have a right to. I’m hoping the tribal dialect the funny song was in was Zaghawan, so our local Darfuris can hear their tribal language. Although there are a few other Sudanese in San Antonio, none are from the Zaghawa tribe; so, these families we work with communicate with other Sudanese in Arabic, which has variances by region, and English, which has increased tremendously in one year.
We can only imagine how many more of these children would feel like singing and have improved learning ability with proper nutrition.
Paz,
Lisa
Hi Lisa!
Please tell Khaltoum that we shared her message with our friends in the camp today! Our good friends, Achta and Adef, were in the audience. They were so moved by Khaltoum’s call to continue praying and staying strong. Tell her that Adef and Achta thank her for the message of peace and a future for Darfur.
You will have to show your local Sudanese the video – we are not sure what language it is in! There are quite a mix of tribe here. One young girl told today that she traveled here with Fur, Zaghawa and Massaleit when fleeing.
Peace, ktj
Children are always children. No matter how horrible the circumstances may be, they always find a way to make things a little better. If we, adults, could keep a little of that child within us, things in Darfur would have improved a long time ago… These brilliant kids are the future of Darfur; I truly hope that they will be able to participate in that future…
Take care,
Rachel V.
Hi Rachel,
We met today two young women studying in the highest level in their school, level 6. One wanted to be Interior Minister, the other President of Sudan. The want to bring human rights to their country. As you said, children are always children. And they all have dreams as children do. We should work hard for every child so they can see their dreams come true.
peace, ktj
Visions of all our students together in one classroom, sharing learning and lunch and laughs. Wonderful videos and photographs!
Our thoughts are with you and our friends, Pam
Hello Pam:
It will be amazing when that happens, and I believe it will. They would have a blast together, showing each other how they sing and tell jokes and play.
Gabriel, YL, katie-j
Guys what you are doing is very important than some people like cry on the financial crisis in the world because of the business and i I-ACT Team are struggling to save the humanity as it said ” HUMANITY BEFORE POLITIC”, i think all as people we should please spent as least 5 min to call the white or US Congress about the refugees in Darfur and donate at least 1 dollars to WFP( World Food Programm) and UNICEF to feed , education and provide adequate material for a better education those people specially the students.
Hello my friend Ali:
You are so right. There are problems in all of the world, but there so many people that have more than enough, and we should all be ready to help those that have less, especially when it’s for no reason under their control. Children have no fault, and they should not be the victims of adults’ decisions.
dear familia,
if i speak on Drafur because i work in darfur with many NGOs and also with STOPGENOCIDENOW through which i get this big opportunity to talk about Darfur. I know about 20 camps in Darfur so i know how the children live in the camp. i can swear there is no protection at all. children at the age of 10 years do some heavy work like construction from morning to the evening. why because there nothing to eat that’s why they work. Humanitarian are not serious they don’t care about students and i can swear there no kindergarten in the whole 20 camps that i visited. if you ask why they will tell no money for such activities. So please you at your side and we stopgenocidenow.org try to help these people as your sister, brother, mother, family living in such condition since 20 mars 2003 when the crise since began. CALL US CONGRESS AND WHITE HOUSE everyday in inform. please