James	
  Anei	
  
	
  

Age:	
  26	
  
Region:	
  Bahr	
  al	
  Ghazal	
  	
  
	
  
I	
  am	
  Dinka	
  from	
  Gogrial.	
  I	
  was	
  ten	
  when	
  I	
  left	
  home	
  because	
  of	
  the	
  war.	
  The	
  village	
  
was	
  attacked	
  on	
  a	
  daily	
  basis.	
  The	
  Khartoum	
  government	
  raped	
  women	
  and	
  took	
  
women	
  to	
  the	
  north	
  to	
  act	
  as	
  slaves.	
  Men	
  were	
  their	
  enemies.	
  That’s	
  how	
  the	
  whole	
  
thing	
  came	
  about.	
  
	
  
When	
  we	
  left	
  my	
  village,	
  my	
  family	
  and	
  I	
  were	
  separated.	
  Until	
  recently,	
  I	
  didn’t	
  
know	
  where	
  my	
  parents	
  and	
  two	
  brothers	
  and	
  sisters	
  were.	
  When	
  we	
  left	
  Sudan	
  we	
  
had	
  to	
  travel	
  though	
  the	
  desert.	
  It	
  was	
  tough,	
  believe	
  me,	
  it	
  was	
  tough.	
  The	
  main	
  
problems	
  were	
  dehydration,	
  starvation,	
  and	
  attacks	
  by	
  animals	
  like	
  tigers,	
  desert	
  
lions,	
  crocodiles,	
  and	
  alligators.	
  We	
  didn’t	
  have	
  any	
  modern	
  equipment	
  to	
  protect	
  
ourselves	
  from	
  the	
  wild	
  animals.	
  We	
  were	
  able	
  to	
  climb	
  the	
  trees.	
  Most	
  of	
  the	
  time	
  
when	
  the	
  tigers	
  attacked,	
  we	
  fought	
  with	
  sticks	
  and	
  stones.	
  
	
  
I	
  traveled	
  with	
  many	
  others.	
  We	
  formed	
  friendships	
  along	
  the	
  way.	
  That’s	
  the	
  unity	
  
we	
  are	
  still	
  having	
  today.	
  It	
  was	
  only	
  in	
  God	
  that	
  some	
  of	
  us	
  were	
  able	
  to	
  survive.	
  I	
  
believe	
  for	
  many	
  of	
  us	
  who	
  are	
  here	
  today	
  we	
  are	
  blessed	
  to	
  have	
  survived.	
  
	
  
I	
  went	
  to	
  Uganda	
  and	
  lived	
  there	
  for	
  four	
  years.	
  I	
  traveled	
  to	
  Kakuma	
  to	
  get	
  the	
  
processing	
  to	
  come	
  to	
  the	
  United	
  States.	
  I	
  arrived	
  in	
  Kakuma	
  February	
  22,	
  1996	
  and	
  
I	
  was	
  there	
  for	
  five	
  years.	
  Life	
  was	
  tough	
  in	
  Kakuma.	
  The	
  people,	
  the	
  Turkanas,	
  were	
  
hostile.	
  Climactic	
  conditions	
  were	
  bad.	
  It	
  was	
  dusty	
  and	
  many	
  people	
  died	
  of	
  
cholera.	
  
	
  
On	
  April	
  12,	
  2001	
  I	
  came	
  to	
  the	
  United	
  States.	
  It	
  is	
  safe	
  and	
  peaceful	
  here.	
  You	
  are	
  
able	
  to	
  move	
  freely	
  about.	
  Everything	
  is	
  okay.	
  	
  
	
  
I	
  go	
  to	
  Phoenix	
  College.	
  Education	
  is	
  the	
  best	
  opportunity	
  here.	
  It	
  is	
  the	
  key	
  issue.	
  If	
  
we	
  educate	
  ourselves	
  we	
  can	
  understand	
  why	
  we	
  are	
  persecuted.	
  I	
  would	
  like	
  to	
  
work	
  for	
  the	
  United	
  Nations.