My Lost Boys of Sudan collage is in the shape of a flower because it symbolizes the new beginning the Lost Boy’s are attempting to create for their country, and themselves in America. When looking at my poster one must start at the bottom, and work their way to the top. This is because each time the Lost Boy’s migrate they become closer and closer to heaven, which they believe is America. The pot symbolizes Sudan, because it’s where all the Lost Boy’s started their journey, and also because it is the furthest from the skies. Although Sudan is their home, it is also somewhat their hell on Earth. It is where their parents were killed, their siblings taken as slaves, and fellow countrymen chased them out of their homes.
The background of the pot is an explosion to symbolize the civil war of North and South Sudan. I emphasized the effect the war had on children to show that no one was spared. The cattle represents the culture of the Dinka tribe, who measured ones wealth on the amount of cattle they owned. The barbed microphone symbolizes that the Lost Boys want to be heard, however, it’s painful for them to say their story, because they must talk about memories that they are trying so hard to forget.
The countries the Lost Boys migrated too are connected with a red string, to symbolize blood, because everywhere they went, more and more of them were killed. Even in America, many Lost Boys cracked under the pressure of stress, and resulted in violence, such as killing just for $10. I do not have many pictures of their stay in Ethiopia, for they only stayed there for a short time, for soon after they arrived they were expelled. The painting in the Ethiopia section is done by a Lost Boy, who painted the horrific scene he survived from when they were forced to escape through the Gilo River, where they then headed to the refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya. In the refugee camp a critical problem was starvation and malnutrition, I also showed a picture of the refugee camp, which as you can see is very simple.
On the top right petal is a picture of people visiting the refugees, and programs to help raise awareness and money to rebuild Southern Sudan. Once people began hearing about the Lost Boy’s story, they gained empathy for the Lost Boy’s and began helping them. America opened it’s doors to the Lost Boys, and began flying them all over the states to start new lives. This gave hope to the boys, and they imagined America to be heaven on earth, hence the term “seeking heaven”. However, soon after arrival more problems such as receiving an education, racism, and exhaustion from work and school bombarded them. Notice that only my six word memoir, “Escaping Hell, surviving death, seeking Heaven,” are the only words handwritten. I did this to make it stand out, and also to make it seem that a Lost Boy had written it, because it summarizes their plight. The last part I wanted my viewers to see, were the words “Are you our solution?” I want my viewers to walk away after seeing my collage and think, “what can I do to help?”
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