God Grew Tired of Us

We all use the computer ‘n shit. You’re using one right now. Well I guess you could be on one of those fancy phones that gets the interweb. Or an i-something or other. Does the TV get internets now too? Whatever, what I want to ask is what if you had never seen a webbernet before? What if you’ve never used electricity? Well we can get an idea of what that might be like after watching God Grew Tired of Us.

Back in the 80’s we were livin’ it up here in the U.S. We had hip hairdos, dope jams and some badass movies. But in Sudan they weren’t having a good time, they were at fucking war with each other. About 27,000 people fled southern Sudan and trekked all the way to Ethiopia. But after a couple of years there the Ethiopian government was toppled and they had to flee again this time to Kenya. So after walking thousands of miles and suffering from dehydration, starvation, lack of shelter and a place that they were welcome they finally set up a refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya. The images from this journey are horrifying. A lot of these people were children and were deteriorating into skeletons. They look like they were in a concentration camp. The people that left Sudan were mostly young men because the government was targeting them specifically. If they weren’t killed they would be sterilized so they couldn’t have children. Tens of thousands fled the country and maybe only half survived the trip all the way to Kenya. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be forced to leave your home country and be stranded in another.

This documentary focuses on three of the “lost boys of Sudan”, Panther, John and Daniel. They were just about thirteen or so when they left. They thought that the war in Sudan would only last a couple of weeks or months but it has been over ten years. They would love to go back but if they do then they will surely be killed. So the U.S. has decided to help by letting them come to America for a better life.

Life in the refugee camp doesn’t look totally terrible but the main problem is that there isn’t anything to do. They were given some education and were taught how to speak English but after that there’s nothing left. Some are so depressed they think about killing themselves. Coming to the U.S. can’t be an easy decision to make. You’ll be leaving behind all of your friends and everyone that you know. The environment and culture is completely different. John, Panther and Daniel have never used or even seen many of the luxuries that we have in the U.S. like electricity and running water. But they are willing to take a chance and try life in America.

Panther and Daniel go to Pittsburgh and John goes to Syracuse, NY. When they first arrive at their apartment (and they don’t know what an apartment actually is by the way) they are given a quick rundown of what some basic things are. This was one of the most fascinating parts of the movie because this is genuine ignorance of what we have in a modern society. They need to be shown how to turn lights on and off, how to throw trash in a trash can and not out the window, how to use a toilet, what things are edible, which knob turns the cold water on so they don’t burn themselves accidentally and on and on. Right before the guy who’s telling them all of this leaves he pulls out a digital alarm clock and I thought to myself, “holy shit you can’t explain this thing to them now. Put that sonuvabitch away and give them at least a day or two. Jesus man.” But thankfully the guy tells them that he’ll show them how to work it the next day. Phew. I’m telling you witnessing all of this stuff is a real mind blower. It’s not like in The Road where Viggo Mortensen is showing his son what shit is and how shit used to be. That didn’t make for touching, exciting or, more importantly, interesting cinema. Why the fuck are you marveling at and showing us all this shit that currently exists? With God Grew Tired of Us it’s not things that were lost but rather things that were never seen. And it must have been incredibly overwhelming to be hit with an entirely new culture but the new arrivals ask a lot of questions and they pick it up quickly.

They have three months to get a job and start paying Uncle Sam back for the flight, lodging and services. They all get pretty menial jobs at first. And it’s not that they’re not smart it’s just that they have to get acclimated to society and customs in America. Some even take more than one job at places like McDonald’s and factories.

After a while they start to earn some money and they acquire some things like a car. But John in particular sends almost everything he makes to his friends in the refugee camp and to his family that he finds out is living in Uganda. He talks about how he left them in a bad place and that they’re depending on him so he can’t let them down. John becomes very involved in helping other “lost boys” and spreading word about war in Sudan.

The three of them go through a range of emotions when they make the move to the U.S. and this is the other important part of this documentary (the first being that it lets us know that the “lost boys” exist in the first place). In the beginning they are excited to be in America because it means that they have an opportunity to do something more with their lives than wait for war to end. Then they get more used to the way things are here and settle into the culture. But they also get depressed because it really is a completely different way of life than they are used to. They don’t like that most people seem to be unfriendly and keep to themselves. They find that Americans are so busy all of the time that they have little time to spend with their families. They’re homesick. Then they come to terms with how their lives are now and push through to continue with that life.

All three end up going to college but none of them forget about their previous lives and connections in Africa. With their new knowledge and wealth they want to help their people and their homeland as much as they can. It sounds like a typical Hollywood story with a typical Hollywood ending but it’s real life. It’s very touching to see these guys succeed at what they set out to do. But at the same time it’s also very interesting to watch as John asks why we put out a Christmas tree and who Santa is and if he’s in the Bible.