News Release

August 14, 2007

Boise State, Idaho Human Rights Education Center Present Sept. 29 Lecture by Sudanese 'Lost Boy' John Bul Dau

John Bul Dau, one of the Sudanese “lost boys,” will speak from 7-9 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Boise State University Student Union Jordan Ballroom. Admission is free and open to the public, and free parking will be available in the new parking structure PS2 on the corner of University and Lincoln. Dau’s appearance is sponsored by Boise State University Student Activities and the Idaho Human Rights Education Center.

Dau, a refugee from the war-torn country of Sudan, has gained attention through his appearance in the film “God Grew Tired of Us.” Dau is one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan who were displaced during the Second Sudanese Civil War from 1984-2005. Dau’s journey began in 1987, when his village was attacked by government troops. Dau’s family was broken apart, and he spent three months on foot to reach a safer place in Ethiopia. He remained in a refugee camp in Ethiopia for four years, but after civil war broke out there he had to flee again.

He wandered again until he arrived in Kenya, facing disease, starvation and violence along the way. He spent several years in another refugee camp sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church of Skaneateles, New York, before coming to the United States in 2001.

Dau has thrived in the United States, working 60 hours a week as a security guard, earning an associate’s degree from Onondago Community College and bringing his mother, sister and fiancée to the United States. Dau is currently studying for a degree at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

His experiences in America were part of the film “God Grew Tired of Us,” which won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. His memoir of his experiences was released earlier this year by National Geographic Press.

He has founded two non-profit organizations to benefit other Lost Boys, raising thousands of dollars for books, medical expenses and a clinic in southern Sudan. He also has been named the Director of the Sudan Project at Direct Change, a non-profit organization where he is working to raise money for projects in Sudan.

“I hope for my country to get out of war and secure a good government,” Dau has said. “I want Sudan to become a place where people are welcome and hope is restored.”

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Contact: Holly Gilchrist, Student Activities, (208) 426-1223, hollygilchrist@boisestate.edu
Media Contact: Julie Hahn, University Communications, (208) 426-5540, juliehahn@boisestate.edu

Boise State University celebrates its 75th anniversary this fall. From its founding on Sept. 6, 1932, the institution has evolved from a small church-sponsored college in a downtown schoolhouse to a metropolitan research university of distinction with about 19,000 students. Visit boisestate.edu and click on the “75” button for more information.
 

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Last reviewed on Monday, August 27, 2007