TFN Talks with Ger Duany
TFN Talks sat down with Ger Duany, Sudanese-born Hollywood actor, model, writer, UNCHR Goodwill Ambassador and former refugee to talk about his extraordinary journey. A war refugee turned child soldier who rose above insurmountable adversity to make it to the United States in search of an education, Ger’s story is one in a million. He has gone on to become an internationally respected actor (The Good Lie, I Heart Huckabees) and voice for the most vulnerable citizens of this planet.
Ger, can you talk about your upbringing, the life changing events which transpired in your early childhood and how they have shaped your life?
I was born in Akobo town in Sudan, now South Sudan. In 1983, Sharia law was introduced as a law in the entire Sudan. That law was opposed by South Sudanese Animists/Christians. That’s why civil war broke out between Arab North and Animist/Christian south Sudan. Long story short, my life was in the center of that extended civil war that ended 2005 which led to the separation of Sudan into States. Imagine at 11, I was among the boys who were trained as Jesh Amer (Child Soldiers), so I resided in a refugee camp Itang that gave us a little stability to learn our ABC’s.
The feature film you starred in opposite Reese Witherspoon called The Good Lie introduces us to the story of a group of young people who live through the harrowing reality of civil war in Sudan and make their way over to America. What was it like to fictionally recreate a story that you essentially have lived in real life and how did this film come about?
I was pleased to be part of The Good Lie crew. It was like a constant reminder - to relive a civil war experience. I had to use my experience to shape my role. You know, we have to make decisions as actors. My role was a resilient man of God. His name is Jerry. He held his group together by teaching words of wisdom from a bible in the bushes of Sudan and also he did it here in Kansas City. My character understood obstacles that they encountered through the journey. Dated back to 2004 - 2005, Bob Neumeyer had lived and breathed the project for a long time. Unfortunately he passed away in 2004. I thought the story was buried along with him. The writer Margaret Nagle was not giving up until she got that one big ‘yes’, ten years later I was given a call to audition face to face with Reese Witherspoon in LA. You see, time can't be managed because it takes care of everyone. The Good Lie educates more people about refugee plights, and I realize that I was in the centre of some of the biggest conversations globally.
In mid-2011, you co-produced and starred in the documentary Ger: To Be Separate, about your journey from war child to refugee to Hollywood actor and international model. What emotions came up for you while filming this project and what did you take away from it?
It was an emotional year because it was my first time reconnecting with my father and mother after 18 years. My parents thought that I perished. My mother couldn't believe that I came back in one piece. And my father couldn’t recognize me because I left home when I was a small boy. I captured all the emotions on my Canon 5D Mark II camera along with my filmmaker friends Wanuri Kahui and Director of Photography Marius Van Graan, so 2010 - 2011 was full of emotions my friend.
I have recently ordered your book ‘Walk Toward The Rising Sun’. I cannot wait to read it. Can you talk a bit about the writing process and what it was like to put your story on paper?
First thank you for the support. Walk Toward the Rising Sun has been living with me for a very long time. In 2014, I couldn't do anything besides revisiting all my raw and unfiltered material that I kept since I was at University of Bridgeport. I worked on my proposal for nearly a year. I sent out my proposal to close friends and family members. One of my friends, Etan Thomas, connected me with his literary agent Todd Shuster. Todd and I were at the Time Warner building at Columbus circle, he told me at the meeting that “Ger, you've a story to share which will open many doors of opportunity”. He shopped my proposal to publishers in New York. I think we have over five big time publishers who bid on my proposal. I was excited to learn that I got options to choose from.
I signed the contract to work with Knopf under Penguin and Random House. I knew that I needed some help and Garen Thomas is a perfect person to work with closely. I am very lucky to have wonderful minds and trusted guides in this world. As always, I want to share my story with the young generation because they carry our future on their shoulders, they are brave, smart and can see things through fresh eyes which is needed at this present time. I do believe children have extra strength because I have taken a long journey as a child to refugees and transformed my journey to fulfill things that I desire in life. That journey helped me understand faith and my work is always to care for things out of my comfort village. If I didn't have hope and dream of learning far from my village, I wouldn't have had the strength to pull through.
In your powerful TedX talk you speak of your history and what it’s like being a refugee. You spoke about living for the dream of getting an education, something so many of us who are born with the privilege of living in countries which are not plagued by war take for granted. How did you feel when you arrived in America and were able to fulfil that dream thanks to your own hope, belief and perseverance? Was it difficult to adapt?
The first thing that came to mind, I was in absolute amazement of everything around me. New country, new people, and the English language is the only language that everyone can communicate with. How to acclimate? How could I navigate in a strange land without speaking the language? There were a lot of emotions in which I was torn between leaving my friends in camps, and family behind in Akobo Sudan, yet I was happy at a chance for a new chapter ahead. I had a lot of challenges from learning the English language, I tried not fitting in with anyone which was a miserable task at a time while missing family and friends. In the midst of trying my best, I found basketball, it kept me grounded forever. Competition became a thing that helps me cultivate depth and strength to move through life. Therefore I poured all my energy, time, frustrations and everything into basketball. That was my major outlet which helped me overcome daily obstacles.
Can you talk a bit about your work with UNHCR, it’s importance and what part it plays in your life?
As a Goodwill Ambassador to a UNHCR, it was about supporting the mass displacement. In 2014, If there was anything that was breathing close to my neck was the refugee crisis. We have to make use of experience to curb trauma by empowering refugees in order to understand that we are more than what we can become. The pathway to healing is simply sharing experiences so that refugees can understand that they are not alone. We are immuned but we are strong enough to overcome challenges together. This year, I'm sitting on the board of directors of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in the USA office at DC. We are a new board in Washington DC, we are ready to leverage the mission, vision of NRC, it is an accomplished organization that impacts lives in a positive sense. Building partnership and media is my strength because I am always a lifelong advocate.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about refugees and what can we do as a society to help the refugee crisis?
The biggest misconception about refugees is that they are looking for handouts. As a former refugee myself, I realized that refugees are more than what they were told. They are the stakeholders of humanity. They are more than refugees because if you give a refugee a chance, he/she will be striving simply to thrive and to succeed in their adopted country.
How often do you go back to South Sudan? What is the situation like there currently?
I used to go to South Sudan three times a year. I've not gone home since the civil war took ugly shape in Juba. This year, after cover-19, I decided to go home to stay with my family. We are struggling from an internal civil war from 2013 until today. Poverty and insecurity are the biggest issues to tackle. Life is not easy but as a new nation we have a chance, we may lead the world with refugees in our neighboring countries yet diaspora can play roles in economic development of our country. We've to promote trades and foreigner direct investment to create businesses that help entrepreneurs to eliminate unemployment. Everything takes time together. That's why we want to bridge investors with great projects in the private sector. We have young people that aren't lazy at all. We want to use our natural resources to build generational wealth. In my opinion, there's no blueprint on how to bring change. I've to move home to start where I stand.
Your life journey has been absolutely extraordinary, both in how much darkness you were dealt and were able to overcome and in the light that originated as a result of those experiences, the light you were and are able to share with others. You have lived the life of a true alchemist. How do you heal from the past and how do you transform such tragedy into lessons and actions that can help thousands of people around the world instead of letting pain dictate your future?
I think we are all creatures capable of learning through good and bad times. As always, I've been into educational projects with the diaspora community in New York City. I've surrounded myself with smart people who educate me on how to communicate myself on a global stage. I've to embrace every opportunity while staying grounded about learning which makes me a student for life. I think my only work has been to stay healthy and focus, everything else is secondary.
Because you have experienced the contrast of life on both sides of the world I will ask you this. What do you think the West takes for granted in our daily lives? On the flip side, what do you miss about your homeland that you have not been able to find in America?
The West and Far East both need to stand together not to take our ability to thrive with integrity for granted. They must grasp our life skills, and what we can contribute rather than what we can do voluntarily in a global economy. We need to amplify the voices of refugee communities around us to help us reach our birth countries. On the flip side, our diaspora community should elevate our focus on how to bring positive change. Sometimes we, the diaspora can go back home, and easily tend to create classicism within our birth country. We have to do better by interacting with the local population. If there's anything that I miss in my country, it is always family. Yet home for me must be where I rest my head, period.
Having lived through and survived through the experiences that you have in your life, do you believe that you have found your purpose?
Yes, I've found my purpose since I was a small boy growing up in the midst of the previous civil war in Sudan. And when I came to the United States in 1994, I deeply knew that it is a land of opportunity but I knew that those opportunities are not there for all of us as refugees. When I first landed my role on the silver screen I Heart Huckabees I realized that my purpose is to be a trusted guide to humanity through my work. Yes, I knew that when I was a small boy, but dreams and purpose take overtime to develop. I am always learning far from my birth country, South Sudan.
How do you enjoy spending your free time? I read that you have quite an affinity for basketball.
I love walking, reading, journaling, listening to podcasts and revising my audiobooks on my little library, Audible. I spend my money buying books and eating healthy food. Being a father is lively for me as well. Yes, I do have an affinity for basketball. The game taught me a great deal of discipline in America. Basketball is responsible for things I tend to achieve outside war-torn countries like South Sudan, Sudan and recently Ethiopia.
What projects may we expect from you going forth?
I think it is a project in itself to have an ideology that unites us, so my project is always to educate by dedicating my life to get involved in my nation building. In the context of South Sudan, we've liberated ourselves from Sudan in which I think it is clear how we won the independence in 2011. We have to teach our upcoming generation how to build legacy work which could last a thousand years, those legacy works are pending slowly. If we get a chance to revisit this conversation in the next few years, you will be proud about improvement in South Sudan. Thank you for the interview.
‘TFN Talks’ In Partnership with Tropical Nomad Coworking Space