P3

The movie God Grew Tired of Us is a documentary that portrays the dark situation with Sudan's "Lost Boys" during the country's civil war. Though this documentary successfully connects with its audience through the brilliance of the director, it does validates Fadlalla's opinions and views on media and refugees.

I must say that this documentary is one of the better documentaries I have seen in a while, primarily due to the strong employment of emotions and the resulting connection I felt throughout the film. In fact, I constantly caught myself clinching my fist when I would hear the personal stories of the many refugees revealed in the documentary. These refugees not only are displaced from their homes and personal belongings, but are also stripped of their family and friends. Primarily, this revelation of the poor conditions of the refugees is seen with the director's incorporation of interviews with various Sudanese refugees. Through this, the audience is able to become aware of the poor conditions these people must live with on a daily basis, including the lack of food, water, and sense of direction. With these types of living conditions, it is easy to see why many are "waiting for their graves" while they are awaiting to be reunited with their previous life.

However, the most impressive part of the documentary is the integration of comedic relief. Although these refugees are living in bleak conditions, they still are able to laugh and have fun with one another, thereby creating long lasting relationships. Further, the humor exhibited by the refugees when they travel to America is integral in connecting with the audience. This combination of emotions of humor and empathy personally allowed me to easily connect with the Sudanese refugees. As a result, I am even more excited than before to start my volunteer work at the African Community Center.

Yet, although this documentary does a great job in staying entertaining, informative, and emotional, it does fall into the traps that Fadlalla sets forth in his article. According to Fadlalla, humanitarian discourses legitimize "a hegemonic neoliberal/neoconservative narrative about rescue and compassion that render the other visible on claims of charity and compassion rather than on claims of entitlement and socio-economic rights" (Fadlalla, 79). Essentially, here he explains that humanitarian organization that attempt to fund for refugees use the skill of emotion to invoke feelings of sympathy and compassion, something that I have seen to work well in my own life. This technique is certainly very apparent in the documentary and does help the director get his point across. However, after reading Fadlalla's article and reflecting on it, I have realized that though this technique can be helpful to elicit help, it offers absolutely no solutions to Sudan's civil war. If we can fix the root of the problem, the refugees would be in much better shape.

P2: My thoughts after the UNHCR report

Reading the UNHCR report has given me great insight into what it really means to be a refugee and has taught me the complicated process that one must go through to officially be considered a refugee.

First of all, I thought that refugees had a hard enough life with all of the social and cultural problems they face on a daily basis. However, I had absolutely no idea that refugees are first considered an "asylum-seeker" and must wait for their claim of being a refugee to be accepted. With this added information, I cannot even fathom a displaced person's life while waiting to be accepted as a refugee for help.

Secondly, I was a bit surprised by the large distinction made between a refugee and an internally displaced person. It seems a bit ridiculous to me that one has to cross a border to be considered a refugee. Crossing over a border should not be a distinction between people with the exact same problem. It is absurd.

I have also realized that there are millions of refugees worldwide. The very fact that the UNHCR is attempting to help this many people, along with millions of other displaced people, is astou

nding. Though I had originally expected the UNHCR to help all of the displaced people across the world, I now understand how tough it is for one organization to do this amount of work by itself. As a result, I have an even deeper connection and urge to help this group. This way, I can give a helping hand to UNHCR, thereby making a difference in countless lives.

As one can imagine, I have been able to change my definition of what a refugee is with this informative report. Essentially, refugees are a group of people that have left their country for another due to fear from prosecution, war, or natural disasters.  Though they remain strong and resilient, they are continually tested by having to jump through hoops to claim their status as a refugee. However, one thing has not changed. I still believe that it is our responsibility to help displaced people across the world, for it is truly the right thing to do.

Question: How can I connect with refugees, while seeming genuine?

P1: My view on refugees

" When I arrived in America, though I had left the war physically far behind, in my mind, the soldiers were still chasing to kill me, my stomach was always hungry, and my fear and distrust kept me from opening up to new friendships. I thought the war was over when I left Cambodia, but I realize now that for survivors and all those involved, the war is never over just because the guns have fallen silent." Luong Ung

To me, a refugee is someone who has lost a place that they called home. These men and women are usually forced out of their own country due to natural and human disasters that make it impossible to continue to live due to fear or danger. Perfect examples of these causes are war and discrimination. Further, because these people are kicked out of their country, they are forced to live in a brand new one, thereby causing cultural and social problems.

Although refugees have been wrongly persecuted and forced to leave their countries, they stay strong in the face of adversity. Antonio Guterres, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, sums up the bravery of refugees well when he explained that "while every refugee's story is different and their anguish personal, they all share a common thread of uncommon courage – the courage not only to survive, but to persevere and rebuild their shattered lives." As one can imagine, this group of people has no other option than to make the most out of their situation.

As one can imagine, the life of a refugee is unimaginable and unlike anything I have ever encountered. Most of us here at the University of Denver have no idea how it feels to be forced to live in a foreign place, while, possibly, being torn away from loving family. It is because of this lack of experience that none of us will ever truly understand what a refugee deals with on a daily basis. However, it is through classes like our Writ 1733 class that we are able to better understand a refugee's position, hence giving us the opportunity to make an impact in this world.