About 420 people filled the Rion Ballroom at the Reitz Union on Wednesday to hear the inspiring stories from one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan.”
John Bul Dau told the audience he escaped from troops whose mission was to kill all black Christian males in southern Sudan in 1987 when he was 12 years old.
“The whistling of bullets, the bombardment, the sound, woke my brothers and I in the middle of the night,” Dau said. “All of a sudden, a long line of troops were coming through our village, shooting everyone they could find.”
Dau and the other boys of his village then began a journey that would last more than 14 years.
He said he and other escapees went long periods of time with no food and no shelter.
The experience made the boys act like animals, Dau said.
Dau and the rest of his group traveled more than 1,000 miles through Africa, and they eventually ended up in a refugee camp in Kenya.
In 1999, a church group brought Dau to the United States from the refugee camp.
Dau described his early experiences in the U.S. as a “culture shock,” but he said through hard work, he was able to succeed.
He encouraged audience members to not let their past define their future.
“Do not let yourself be held hostage by what happened in your life,” he said.
The event was co-sponsored by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service and the Dean of Students Office.
Caroline Shell, an 18-year-old psychology freshman, said Dau’s speech had special meaning to her.
“I got to go to south Sudan this summer and have met several ‘lost boys,’ so it’s really awesome to see them giving back to their community.”
Taylor Jones, 20-year-old criminology and psychology junior and treasurer for the UF Public Leadership Society, said she thought his speech was moving.
“I like his ‘do not give up’ motto,” she said.
