When I taught third grade, the social studies curriculum focused on world cultures. It took a lot of effort convincing the kids that Africa was a continent rather than one gigantic country, so we never made it very deep into looking at its people. As a result, I knew exactly one thing about Sudan before picking up What Is the What. It is the largest country in Africa.

Of course, I've seen the Save Darfur commercials. It took several viewings, however, before I realized that Darfur is in Sudan. Then, talking with Eddie the other night, I mentioned my annoyance at not finding it on the map at the front of What is the What. Eddie lived in Zambia for two years, so I hoped for a quick primer on the conflict. Since Africa is such a big place, he readily admitted also knowing very little about Sudan.

Curious, I began Internet surfing and was very surprised to discover that Valentino Achak Deng, the novel's main character, is not from Darfur. Huh? While reading What is the What, I assumed I was getting some information on what we've been hearing about on television.

Since I can't be the only one who is confused, here is some information on Sudan to help orient us in anticipation of tomorrow's discussion. To begin, the following map shows Sudan's states as they were in 1994:

Clicking on the map will take you to a larger image. Deng's village, Marial Bai, is located in the southern Sudanese region of Bahr al-Ghazal ("river of the gazelles"). Darfur ("home of the Fur," an ethnic group) is a region in the west and is just north of Bahr al-Ghazal. Today, Sudan has been further divided and is currently made up of 26 states.

Deng is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, a name borrowed from Peter Pan because so many of them arrived at refugee camps without parents. In the late 80s, fighting began between Sudan's government in Khartoum, its northern capital city, and rebels (the SPLA) who wanted autonomy for the south. Driven from their homes by the conflict, these boys, mostly aged 8 to 18, traveled hundreds of miles to Ethiopia. When Communists overthrew the Ethiopian government in 1991, the refugees were chased back to Sudan by armed militia. Walking for more than a year, they arrived in Kenya in 1992 after losing nearly half of their original number.

The current situation in Darfur is not dissimilar to what happened to the Lost Boys. In 2003, rebel groups in Darfur began attacking government army installations amidst cries of injustice and neglect of the region. The Sudanese government sent their own troops and recruited armed militias to quell the rebels. The militias, known as Janjaweed, are made up of Sudanese Arab tribesmen and have been accused of atrocities against the African Sudanese in Darfur. Currently, it is estimated that 400,000 civilians have been killed and over 2 million people have been displaced by the fighting.

Additional Resources and Information

Facts and figures on Sudan from Encarta.

A thorough timeline of key events from the BBC.

Salon's interview with Deng and Dave Eggers: "Lost and Found."

More informative than the Save Darfur commercials, this four-minute video shows tragic images from Sudan set to ultra-sad music by James Blunt: