Clarksville, Ark. -- John Bul Dau, a Lost Boy of Sudan, will recount his story of unparalleled courage and achievement when he speaks at the University of the Ozarks on Thursday, Nov. 8, as part of the University's 2006-2007 Walton Arts & Ideas Series.
Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased by calling 479-979-1346. The event begins at 7 p.m. in the Walton Fine Arts Center on the Clarksville campus.
Born in war-torn Sudan, Dau was one of 27,000 "Lost Boys" forced to flee their villages when the northern government began attacking the south. Forced to walk to refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, he faced starvation, disease, and violence in a 16-year journey into exile that covered hundreds of miles. Finally, in 2001, Dau was one of many "Lost Boys" sponsored to live in the United States.
Following his initial culture shock, he took on two jobs and has made a successful life. He is currently studying public policy at Syracuse University, and is a part of many efforts to save Darfur and Sudan from conflict. He has helped raise money for books and medical expenses for "Lost Boys" living in the United States, and he has also helped raise more than $150,000 for the "American Care for Sudan Foundation," which is building a medical clinic in southern Sudan.
Dau’s message is one of hope and inspiration, but it is also a call to action for everyone who hears about such attrocities but thinks there is nothing that can be done. In his memoir God Grew Tired of Us, Dau says "Hope is never lost. Impossible things are the things you refuse to do."
His book was made into a major motion picture of the same title. The movie was the winner of both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
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