I don't remember avoiding the iron nets or finding my father. But I do remember seeking safety in a Sudanese refugee camp. My family spent three years there.
But the camp had its own problems. Disease took its toll, famine always threatened, and warfare plagued Sudan.
Although the fighting never reached our camp, the Sudanese armies were always looking for new soldiers. And they didn't hesitate to draft refugees.
My parents wondered: What kind of future do we have here? What kind of future do our kids have?
They started hearing more and more about a distant land, a paradise where everyone had a future.
And then, one day, they decided that they'd had enough. War at home. War in Sudan. They wanted peace, and they were ready to go. The village elders watched them prepare and offered a few words of wisdom.
Heading to America, are you? They say that everyone there drives big cars and lives in big houses. Money flows through streets of glimmering gold. And everyone lives long, easy lives.
You will undoubtedly be happy there. Go well, live long, and please, do not forget us.
But as you gather your belongings, please permit us a few words of caution. We may be the poorest and least educated of folks, Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees living in Nowhere, Sudan, but even we have heard things that may interest you.
America seems sweet on top, like fresh honey straight from the comb. But what's sweet on the surface is often rotten underneath. So beware.
Beware your skins. Blacks are treated like adgi in America, like packhorses. Beware, too, of thieves. Yes, thieves who steal much more than money--thieves who can loot minds, cultures, and even bodies.
Most of all, please remember your country and remember us. Remember
your people.
'Remember us'