Children at the Tinney Community Center Wednesday heard a first-hand account from a survivor of one of the most horrific episodes of the last 40 years.
El-Fadel Arbab, 26, a survivor of the genocide in Darfur, spoke to the children about his harrowing experiences.
For the young audience, many of whom were wearing “Save Darfur” T‑shirts, it was history come alive.
“I was 12 years old when the government of Sudan and [the] Janjaweed came and attacked my village,” Arbab said.
The attack on his village happened at night, when everyone was sleeping. Although he and his family were able to escape their burning home, Arbab was captured by the Janjaweed.
“I was running in the street, so they chased me and caught me,” Arbab said. “The house was on fire so they took me and threw me into the fire to be burned inside.”
Although he was able to escape the burning house, he was separated from his family and was forced to survive on his own.
In order to avoid being captured by the militia, Arbab explained how, for a week, he stayed in trees during the days and traveled on foot by night.
During this time, Arbab lived off tree seeds and leaves. He drank water from a lake.
“When I wanted to drink water, I had to make sure nobody was around — no Janjaweed or military — then I would come down,” Arbab said.
In his traveling, Arbab made it to a nearby town where he befriended a dishwasher at a restaurant who aided his survival.
Eventually, Arbab made it to Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan. From there, Arbab traveled to Egypt.
After four years in Egypt, Arbab was able to come to the United States. In all, Arbab said his traveling, including his arrival in Maine, took 10 years.
He currently lives in Portland, Maine and gained citizenship this past October 2009.
About 24 members of his family, including six brothers whom he was reunited with during his travels, also live in Portland. But three of his brothers, one sister, and his father are in different camps in Darfur, he said.
Since his arrival in the United States, Arbab said he has been a guest speaker at various schools and universities and has shared his story with thousands of students.
Naomi Wallace, director of the community center, said she is happy Arbab came and spoke to the children because it was a good learning experience.
“It’s good for them to hear what other people have gone through,” Wallace said. “And they’re learning about what’s happening outside of this country.”
According to Wallace, two years ago, after a local resident gave the community center a box of “Save Darfur” T‑shirts, some of the students researched Darfur on the Internet and became interested.
That Thanksgiving, many of the students at the community center performed in a “Save Darfur” program in which they gave thanks and prayed for the people of Darfur.
Wallace said the Ansonia High School Human Relations Club scheduled Arbab to speak to the children because of the “Save Darfur” program they did two years ago.
Arbab said he likes sharing his story as much as he can because “people can learn from it.”
“The children are our future. They will be our leaders. If they can learn from this and keep it in mind, they can help find a solution,” Arbab said.
After the lecture, Arbab was the keynote speaker at the Ansonia High School Human Relations Club Prejudice Reduction Conference.
This was the third year the school’s Human Relations Club has hosted the conference, which attracts hundreds from the community.
The conference included the speech by Arbab and several workshops to help members of the community learn more about other cultures.
The workshops include African drumming circles, a swing and salsa performance and discussions on the Human Relations Club, which is funded thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
