Escaping

By Bior Aguer Kuir, Adelaide, Australia

–

Freedom is a collared faith

And even today eleven years rush by

Since my family escaped from Sudan

–

My family has been eaten up by this war

I was born into

And though my memories are shallow

–

I do remember one hot Saharan afternoon

Seated under the hut and tucked into my mother’s arms

I looked around to see there were hundreds of panicking people

From the horrors happening at the hospital

And the screams of my people terrified me

–

In my camp everyone looked

Like their souls had been taken away

Everyone including us were on temporary life support

–

Mine came when I was 3 years old I was told that

I would go to Australia where there was freedom

Where there was peace where there was hope

–

Context: The poet’s statement

This poem Escaping is based on an experience I had 14 years ago, one that has taught me a lot about life ­ that we all must be appreciative for the freedom we have been given. The poem is set in 2001, at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, which now holds 180,000 refugees. Everyone at the camp was escaping war or persecution. During this time, Sudan was in war because the south, where I am from, had been fighting against the north in a bitter 50 year political war. A historical event for Sudan was when the south finally found independence from the north in 2011 (early July 9th) and became recognised as the world’s newest nation. However, south Sudan has not found peace since their independence as the country has struggled rebuilding its nation, because of reasons including tribalism. So the problems for the Sudanese people have continued on in spite of the fact that they were just about to reach freedom. The exact moment captured in this poem, is the time when I was around 3 and was with my mum seeking refuge at a refugee camp. It was this moment in time where I witnessed first hand the devastation caused by war as well as how the only way to get through was by faith and using your human will to strive onwards.

Process:

The decisions made regarding the structure and word choices of the poem E scaping involved utilising a whole range of poetic techniques. For instance in the first stanza “ Freedom is a collard faith” I utilised symbolism to describe to the reader that freedom is something that can only be achieved by clinging on to faith. Also, I applied figurative language here “ and even today eleven years rush by since my family escaped from Sudan.” I n order to state the fact that I haven’t seen my family for eleven years now. Moreover, imagery was used when I wrote “everyone including us were on temporary life support” to describe, metaphorically that the state we were in at the refugee camp made us seem like our lives and our freedom were on a temporary hold. Also, simile was added to show to the reader that everyone at the camp looked traumatised by the war “ In my camp everyone looked like their souls had been taken away.”

Accordingly, alliteration and repetition were used to explain what kind of freedom I was seeking in Australia, “where there was freedom where there was peace where there was hope.” Further, rhetorical questions was used here to emphasise what freedom was promised to me in Australia “ I was 3 years old I was told that I would go to Australia ” Hyperbole was to explain the state that we were in was very dire a matter of life and death “ everyone looked like their souls had been taken away.” Also, free verse was used throughout the poem to tell the story to the reader. Moreover, personification was applied to tell the reader that the war had cost the lives of many of my family members “ my family has been eaten up by this war.” Overall, all these poetic techniques helped described to the reader my experience at the refugee camp as well as how me and my family were chasing freedom.

In summary this poem was a great success with the input of Geoff Goodfellow’s expertise. Additionally, the poem describe precisely in the reader’s mind my experience at the refugee camp with great use of descriptive imagery. Moreover, Escaping met my primary goal of getting the message across of what I learned during my experience at the refugee camp. The message is not to become too self centered and be grateful for the freedom you are given. Also, the poem reminded me of where my roots lie. Overall, through writing this piece I have learned that I have the potential to write and portray my ideas and stories through poetry.

About Post Author

PaanLuel Wël

administrator

PaanLuel Wël is the founder and editor-in-chief of PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd, a news website that covers news, opinions, analysis, history, culture and literature of South Sudan and the world. Founded in July 2011 by PaanLuel Wël to create a platform for free expression and constructive dialogue, the website features articles from various contributors, including columnists, commentators, poets, authors, activists and academics. PaanLuel Wël believes that media can play a vital role in informing, educating and empowering the people to participate in nation-building and social transformation. He also believes that media can foster a culture of dialogue, tolerance and diversity among different communities and groups, and hopes to inspire and mentor the next generation of South Sudanese writers and journalists.

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