“I am the fifth child from a big family with five brothers and three sisters. My parents were pastoralists and subsistence farmers of the Bahr al Ghazal region of southern Sudan. We call ourselves Dinka now, but according to our elders’ stories there was no such name before the British arrived.”

The first part of the book introduces the reader to the culture and lifestyle of the Dinka, helping to highlight the contrast that the war heralds. Benson’s introduction showcases how the Dinka typically have large families; engage in peaceful work in harmony with nature, such as farming and animal herding; and have a colonial past that feeds into the ethnic and religious divisions in the country (See: Background).

“Yier wanted to be a lawyer but didn’t qualify—because when the trouble started and the government started killing all the smart students he had to flee, so he joined the freedom fighters. I hardly remember Yier except wearing the clothes of a soldier.”

Alepho describes his oldest brother, Yier. When the boys later reunited with Yier, he told them about how the government massacred all the Black students who refused to convert to Islam. Yier became an SPLA soldier and was immensely helpful materially and psychologically to the boys throughout their exile, as he fulfilled the role of an elder or parent.

“When a boy ate alone, they said he was cruel and not following the traditional ways. His age-mates would throw bad words at him when they saw him walking on the street or in the jungle taking care of his cattle. The advantage of this tradition is that you got to know all the other boys in a wide area. It encouraged friendliness, building unity between the children’s parents. Parents always knew that if a boy wasn’t home, someone would bring him home.”

Benjamin reflects on the Dinka value of togetherness. The importance of sticking together with one’s “age-mates” became crucial to the Lost Boys of Sudan, as they fled their homes without any adult support or help. Banding together and helping each other out was imperative to their survival in the wild. Benson, Alepho, and Benjamin all remembered and adhered to these values throughout their journeys.