Introduction
“God Grew Tired of Us,” which documents the lives of three citizens from Sudan—John Bul Dau, Panther Bior, and Daniel Abul Pach—who migrate to the United States of America and give up the civil war in their homeland has been selected as the film that will be the subject of inquiry. It is the film that will be analyzed deeply. The movie is going to be subject to dissection and much analysis. The process of integrating immigrants into society and getting used to their new environment is shown in this film, which gives us the opportunity to observe this complex process. The refugees are not only suffering during the transition to a new culture but are also diligently struggling to overcome the obstacles they experienced in the past. This scene was deliberately shot at this same site.
Along with the topics of conflict, strife, ethnocentrism, and prejudice, the movie merges in the discussions on migration and cultural assimilation through the course of its narrative. In the film, not only migration but also cultural change are taken into consideration. Among other things, the topics discussed in the movie emerge from various levels. This paper will evaluate the past impact of migration and conflict on traditional civilizations based on an analysis of numerous examples. Moreover, the research will also be customer-centric and will bring out the variances in the way migrants have been suffering from discrimination and ethnocentrism.
Background
‘God Grew Tired of Us’ is a movie that depicts the consequences of the Second Sudanese Civil War, which lasted from 1983 to 2005, on the people of South Sudan (Walker, 2006). The war, which lasted for five years, came to an end. After five long years had elapsed, the conflict ended at last. The top lasted ten years until the war, after which it came to an end. Besides the SPLA and the government of Sudan at the time, many other people took part in that war. The highly disruptive nature of these violent events resulted in mass displacement, death, and other devastation, which shows that many people died during the events that happened. The fact that many people died as a result of this is evidence of this. Immediately, the situation drew many, for example, John Bul Dau, Puma Bior, and Daniel Abul Pach, to migrate to countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya as part of the requirement to review their safety. A portion of the people who were pushed into skipping luncheon tables and using the funds for other, more urgent needs were indeed the object of this research.
These were a few of the youngest kids who had been living in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya for a long time before being accepted as refugees in the United States of America and sent to the mentioned location to resettle. The peace and reconciliation camp is in Kenya. The most challenging part that they needed to endure to be finally granted permission to enter the country is what is shown in the movie. Refugees face the ugly fate of an unprotected and insecure environment when they are in search of a place where they may attain safety and security. The fact that they have been forced to cohabit in overcrowded camps lack resources and do not know what their future holds are some of the things they live with.
Moreover, the scene that follows after the travelers have reached America is part of the movie. By studying this episode, the immigrants experience an introduction to the US culture that prevails in the country. Furthermore, they are clearly informed of the complex systems that they have to wrestle with and the fantastic efforts they are putting in to restart their lives from scratch.
Political Analysis
As a result of the political context of Sudan, which has been marked by civil war, ethnic disputes, and wars for succession for decades, the majority of the characters in the film are dictated by the political climate. These circumstances, which are also the key variables, largely determine the characters in the movie. There existed ethnic friction between the north (government controlled by Arabs) and the south (ethnic groups suppressed by the government) as a result of the establishment of British and Egyptian administrations during the colonial period. The fact that Arabs predominated in the government was what led to this conflict. Not only were the Dinka and Nuer tribes involved in this conflict, but they were also the most afflicted in the southern region. It is possible to trace the origin of the dispute all the way back to the time of colonial rule. Not only does the imposition of Sharia law and the unequal distribution of resources upset the southern populations, but it also causes them to get agitated, which finally leads to the eruption of internal warfare (Bakheit, 2020).
The film emphasizes that conflicts and political instability have a negative impact on regular people; individuals are compelled to leave their homes and search for a location where they can find peace and security. Consequently, John, Panther, and Daniel are a metaphor for the hardships of other Sudanese people. This is because of the relationship between them. It is estimated that over fifteen thousand of these individuals were compelled to leave their homes and transfer to camps, where they were only able to access a restricted amount of essential services and amenities.
The film reveals how international intervention contributed to the conflict in Sudan. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its other partners were providing support to the population that was displaced by the conflict. Nevertheless, the refugees face challenges in accessing the available resources and support, which underlines the fact that a humanitarian intervention alone is inadequate when it comes to engaging with the numerous consequences of conflicts and displacement.
Cultural Implications
The most significant cultural implication is that the protagonists get relocated and resettled to an entirely new destination, leading to a far-reaching cultural impact at their point of origin. The movie is built around the conflict that comes about from the clash between the traditional Dinka culture and the American lifestyle of the people. There are a number of reasons that contribute to the difficulties that the three boys, John, Panther, and Daniel, have when attempting to acclimate to their new environment while simultaneously maintaining their cultural heritage (The Migration News, n.d.). One of these elements is the conflict. By virtue of the contrast between the communal and communally sharing lifestyle of their Sudanese hamlet and the individualistic society of the United States, the protagonists are confronted with significant problems when it comes to adapting their behavior to new social norms and conventions. This is because their hamlet is located in Sudan.
The video emphasizes the traits and imaginative methods by which Sudanese exiles have been able to keep their religion, minority groups, and other components of their culture despite the fact that they are assimilating into another country. Specifically, the film focuses on the ways in which they have been able to do this. Utilizing ceremonies like ancestral moves, narrating, and shared feasts, the characters can lay out a feeling of having a place in another area. This is achieved through the use of customs. During the time spent reconnecting with their starting points, these ceremonies offer the characters a specific level of comfort and peace. They also need help with the problem of either preserving their cultural history while ignoring the culture that is dominant in the nation or the opposite, which leads to internal conflicts and struggles with identity.
Additionally, the film “God Grew Tired of Us” examines the issue of conceptual misinterpretation and miscommunication by using the challenging cases of the film’s main characters to demonstrate how assumptions, prejudice, and discrimination can be made on the basis of people’s ethnicity or their refugee status. This is done throughout the film. It is through the medium of this video that we are able to appreciate the significance of building multicultural cooperation and sympathy among individuals hailing from a variety of places (Brownlee, 2019). This action is taken with the purpose of supporting individuals in bridging the gap that exists between such groups and cultivating an attitude of openness and tolerance towards other cultures in the world.
Conclusion
“God Grew Tired of Us” depicts very impressively and intelligently many problems faced by the Sudanese refugees from the moment they get outside of the country until they are settled down comfortably in a new life. The movie provides an insightful representation of people who have lost their homes and are forced to start their lives over again in an unknown land while signaling to us the human cost of war and conflict, thus enabling us to realize that they are the ones punished for that because they are incredibly courageous.
The paper critically evaluated displacement, cultural assimilation, and resilience themes portrayed in the film, thus showing the way war and migration influence traditional cultures and the role of ethnocentrism and prejudice on refugees. Through the political context analysis of the Sudanese civil war, the cultural implications of displacement, and the challenges of acculturation into a new society, this essay highlighted the significance of dealing with the root causes of conflict, embracing cultural diversity, and the need for respect and compassion for the uprooted population. Overall, the movie “God Grew Tired of Us” is a stirring reminder of the power of resiliency in humans. We must remember the power of empathy, solidarity, and advocacy while looking at the events of John, Panther, and Daniel, and the world should support refugees and displaced communities.
References
Walker, T. (2006). God Grew Tired of Us. ShareStream Next. https://fullerton.sharestream.net/mediacloud/#/lms/embed/play/8a038e5e8ab7b8af018c376445c4012f/8a8082a861c23f7d0162fe57fea30374/000/27066db6-844f-4213-a28e-f6d8363d2c8d
Bakheit, E. (2020). Conflict of a Nation, and Repatriation in Collapsed States: The Conflict of a Nation, and Repatriation in Collapsed States: The Case of South Sudan Case of South Sudan. https://repository.usfca.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2437&context=thes
Brownlee, T. (2019). Chapter 27. Cultural Competence in a Multicultural World | Section 8. Multicultural Collaboration | Main Section | Community Tool Box. Ku.edu. https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/multicultural-collaboration/main
The migration news. (n.d.). God Grew Tired of Us: The Lost Boys of Sudan Documentary. Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://www.themigrationnews.com/2022/03/22/god-grew-tired-of-us-the-lost-boys-of-sudan-documentary/
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