Orphans of Passage: The Uduk
Directed by Bruce MacDonald
Synopsis
In 1987 Sudanese government forces attacked the Uduk of Southern Sudan, and 20-25000 Uduk fled. Since then they have criss-crossed the Sudanese/Ethiopian border 5 times. In the spring of 1992, 13000 Uduk arrived in Gambela, Ethiopia to find the last man at UN office was locking the door prior to departure. The man stayed. The UN opened a camp in nearby Karmi. The film reveals the hardship and remarkable resilience of a people under fire. Since 1987 increasing number of the Uduk have converted to Christianity, the camp at Karmi has ten open-air churches. However throughout the film we see references to the Uduk’s own ceremonies such as “listening to the ebony”, to the original marriage customs which gave women much freedom and placed certain responsibilities on the men. In their six years of enforced wandering, they have crossed international boundaries several times. Homeless and on the road, with children lost and scattered, the Uduk are struggling to make sense of their lives, and their future.
