Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The Translator - Daoud Hari

Title: The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur
Author: Daoud Hari (as told to Dennis Burke and Megan McKenna)
Country: Sudan/USA
Year: 2008
Pages: 200
Rating: 5 out of 5

In 2003, fighting broke out in Darfur as a result of the government's systematic campaign to move non-Arab Sudanese in Darfur off of the oil-rich land. Sudanese government forces and armed militia (known as "Janjaweed") began attacking civilians who are members of the same ethnic groups as the rebels. Countless villages have been destroyed. The rape of women and young girls is used as a tool of war. Hundreds of thousands have died, and over two million people have fled to refugee or IDP (internally-displaced) camps.

Much to my delight, I recently received an ARC of The Translator--a memoir by Daoud Hari, a Sudanese refugee--from one of the marketing managers at Random House.

Daoud Hari, a Zaghawa tribesmen from Darfur, had recently returned to his village after living abroad when his village was attacked by the Janjaweed. He lost his beloved brother, Ahmed, in the attack, but helped his family and many of his relatives and fellow villager cross the desert to reach the relative safety of a border refugee camp.

Daoud Hari is not a person to stand around and do nothing. Despite the danger, he felt compelled to put his English skills to use as a translator for genocide investigators and reporters, in an attempt to get the word out about the genocide, to bring the ethnic cleansing of his people into your living room, so their voices could be heard. His memoir largely follows his work from 2003 until 2006, when he received protection as a refugee in the United States. It is a remarkable story of one man's determination to help his people, risking his life over and over again to fight the injustice that he has witnessed.

Daoud's story is the story of his people. It is also the story of millions of refugees living in border refugee camps around the world. They encounter many of the same problems that Hari witnesses: inadequate shelter, women and girls raped when they have to leave the camp to gather firewood for fuel, and people unable to earn any income when their host country forbids them from working. It is a story that must be read, and that needs to be heard. I believe one of Hari's goals in writing this memoir is to encourage people to take action. It is a lesson I took to heart. Since leaving my work in the refugee field to become a stay-at-home parent, I have wondered how to fill that void. Reading Hari's memoir gave me the impetus I needed to seek out volunteer work with the Stop Genocide Now organization. Thank you, Daoud.

The Darfur genocide is still taking place today. It may come and go in the news, on the whim of large media outlets, but it has not gone away. Ineffective peace agreements often make the situation worse. As Hari points out, as long as the Sudanese government attacks villages or provokes others to do so, there will be more people that join the rebel groups and fight back. In recent months, as predicted, is threatening to create a broader regional instability. In the beginning of this month, fighting broke out on the border regions of Chad and Sudan, threatening refugee camps, as well as the city N'Djamena.

Darfur links:

Recent news:

26 comments:

tanabata said...

A lot of people have been reading this lately. It seems like an important book to read, I've already added it to my wishlist.

Anonymous said...

I think it's marvelous when a book spurs us to action, and I'm glad to see this happening here. I'll put this on my to-read list as well... Thank you for sharing!

Eva said...

I've bookmooched an ARC of this from all the reviews I've been seeing and I just can't wait for it arrive. In case you're looking for another book for the challenge, Martin Meredith's The Fate of Africa is a really interesting look at post-1950s Africa. He manages to discuss each country at least once! And I also read a really good book about Rhodesia/Zimbabwe called House of Stone (non-fic).

Nyssaneala said...

tanabata - it is sooo good! I considered giving away my ARC, but I see myself coming back to it in the future, so I'm greedily keeping it.

dave - Thanks!

eva - Those both sound good, especially House of Stone. Thanks for the recommendations!

Literary Feline said...

Wonderful review! Having recently read this, it's especially fresh in my mind.

I also have been looking into the Stop Genocide Now organization since reading this book. It really does put you in the mind to do more than just read about situations like this.

Anonymous said...

I have greedily put this on my TBR list after seeing such great reviews in the blogging world. But I shall have to wait until March since I am not so lucky to have a ARC. Sigh . . .

Anonymous said...

I am adding this book to my "to read" book list. It is important that we stay informed on what is happening in the world.

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