Collegiate Times

Audience members could hear a pin drop in the crowded Graduate Life Center Auditorium Tuesday night as Valentino Achak Deng took the stage.

Sponsored by the Virginia Tech chapter of STAND, a student-led division of genocide intervention, Deng took the stage dressed in a crisp white shirt and black slacks in front of an enthralled crowd. 

All eyes remained glued on the southern Sudanese man as he spoke in a gentle voice, recounting his childhood struggles to escape from war-torn Sudan, his time in exile in Ethiopia and Kenya and his current education project in his hometown Marial Bai.

Deng’s story is one many have become familiar with since the 2006 publication of Dave Egger’s book, “What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng.” 

The book tells the parallel story of his experience as one of the Lost Boys of Sudan and the difficulties he experienced upon moving to the United States.

The Second Sudanese Civil War, which erupted in 1983 and lasted until 2005, became the longest lasting conflict in
Africa.

“I witnessed atrocities. In my village I witnessed total destruction,” Deng said of his reasons for undertaking what would become a five-month trek to a refugee camp in neighboring Ethiopia. 

“I thought the journey would last eight days. I was wrong. It took many days, weeks, months. I was separated from my family for 17 years.”

The 22-year war, which claimed more than 2.5 million lives and displaced nearly four million Sudanese from their homes is a reality “I didn’t want to stay away from — and could not forget,” Deng said.

Resettling in the U.S. in 2001, Deng had escaped the violence that erupted in the Ethiopian refugee camp, but the transition of moving to Atlanta was a difficult one. 

He immediately began work in a Christmas gift shop, where he had to “wrap gifts and answer questions about Santa Claus even though I had never heard of him in Africa,” he said.

Simultaneously working and attending night classes, Deng frequently traveled across the country speaking to increase advocacy for his country and raise money for the Lost Boys Foundation.

“I learned not many people knew about (the situation in Sudan). I had to put my biography in a book,” Deng said of his introduction to Eggers and the birth of his autobiography.

In 2003, Deng returned to southern Sudan to see his family for the first time.

“My dream (was) always to go back to my country to help the young people — put a smile on their face,” Deng said.

In 2009, he opened the Marial Bai Secondary School, the first of its kind in his region. Deng currently divides his time between administering his school in southern Sudan and traveling abroad to raise funds and increase awareness.

What lies ahead for southern Sudan remains uncertain, and Deng foresees the possible outbreak of more violence in the near future. 

In February 2011, southern Sudan will hold a referendum on whether it will remain a part of Sudan or become an independent state.

A version of this article appeared in the Nov 11 issue of the Collegiate Times.