‘Amira’s Diary’ reveals Sudan’s war the world forgotーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
We’re looking at the nation of Sudan through the lens of a very special book. This illustrated children’s book was published last year. Amir’s diary of the Sudanese revolution and war tells the story of what happened and continues to happen in the war torn country. Sudan has suffered a series of civil wars over the last 70 years. The most recent fighting broke out in April 2023 between the military government and the paramilitary rapid support forces or RSF. It’s a conflict that has so far drawn little overseas [Music] attention. The humanitarian situation in Sudan was already precarious and is now catastrophic. The United Nations says the fighting has already killed more than 28,000 people with over 30 million, at least 23 of the population in need of aid. Now, Amira’s diary is shedding a little light on the plight of ordinary people caught up in the war. Let’s take a look. While Amamira is a fictional child, the story is based on children’s real experiences as the war unfolds. It begins in January 2018, 5 years before the conflict erupted. The focus is on life for ordinary people in the capital after 30 years of authoritarian rule. It introduces Amamira, her mother and father, or Baba as she calls him. Mama, Baba and I were supposed to go to the Nile River today. We were going to have hot legimatic ginger chai with milk. It was going to be a great day, but Mama said we could not go anymore. Baba needs to go stand in a very long line to get gas for the car. After years of pro-democracy protests, the military seizes power through a coup in October 2021. Today was a bad day for all of us. We woke up to the news that the military came back to take over. Why did the military take control when the people don’t want them in charge? The writing team behind Amamira’s diary are Ree Ail and Whitney Warren. Both lived and taught in Sudan before the civil war and felt a responsibility to share the stories of a people caught in the crossfire. When Ree and I were deciding how we wanted to bring people’s attention to this conflict, we thought about it through two different lenses. both through the lens of informing people but also through the lens of it being a tool for Sudin families. We then had to also interview you know like 13 I believe actually at that point it was 13 but after that it was more people that we ended up interviewing to be able to get information so we can figure out what happened on each of those dates. Things come to a head for the family in 2023 when the fighting escalates into a full-blown civil war and they decide to flee. This morning, however, my cousin and I woke up to mama pulling us out of bed. There were loud blasts. My 2-year-old cousin didn’t understand why we had to lie down. She thought it is a game. When my aunt chased her, she just laughed and ran faster. I wanted to tell her to stop, but I was so scared I couldn’t say anything. The diary comes to an end as Amira and her extended family travel by bus to neighboring Egypt. We have a safe place to sleep. We have food to eat. But I miss cartoon. Will I get to go home? I am Sudin, but am I a refugee now, too? Amira is based on children the writers interviewed, including 12-year-old Laya, who’s now in Pakistan. I miss Sudan so much because all my memories are there. It just angers me that they forced all these people out of their homes and made all these people suffer. It was just such a beautiful country. Stories like Laya’s are having an impact far from Sudan. This high school near Tokyo is using Amamira’s diary in English class. But by the time we got there, we had to wait five days. The students have learned how little they know about the conflict in Sudan. It was scary to realize that a problem as serious as a war that affects the lives of people in Sudan started with such a small thing. We live in the same world, but didn’t know about this terrible war that’s happening. It’s frightening that we didn’t realize. I want personally for Japanese students, youth, to understand that this could happen to anybody anywhere at any given time. And nobody nobody’s immune from it. There’s so many children around the world who have experiences like this who can relate to this story. And for the children who are fortunate enough not to have experiences that they can relate to, helping them understand what’s going on in the world in ways that are developmentally appropriate and giving their adults the tools that they need to do that work. At the end of March this year, the Sudin military declared that it had recaptured Kartum from the RSF. But with the RSF having then set up its own government, the war appears far from over. That led the UK, EU, and African Union to call for action. We have got to persuade the waring parties to protect civilians to let aid in and across the country and to put peace first. With peace still elusive in Sudan, many of the country’s children remain cut off from their homes, schools, and the security of a normal life. Amira’s diary is currently available in English and as of last month Japanese. Russian, Arabic, and Spanish editions are also in the pipeline. All sales will be used to support civilians impacted by the crisis.
Told through the eyes of a fictional young girl, “Amira’s Diary” offers a child’s haunting account of Sudan’s descent into war. As her world unravels amid the gunfire, Amira and her family face impossible choices. #world #japan #africa #security #children #education #war
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