The Translator
A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur
Published on 5. June 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-0-14-103700-4 (ISBN)
Description
Daoud Hari lost a way of life in Darfur. But amidst the carnage and turmoil, he found a new calling...
As a Zaghawa tribesman in the Darfur region of Sudan, Daoud Hari grew up racing camels across the desert, attending gloriously colourful weddings and, when his work was done, playing games under the moonlight. But in 2003, helicopter gunships swooped down on Darfur's villages and shattered that way of life for ever. Soon, Sudanese government-backed militias, attacking on horseback, came to murder, rape and burn. To drive the tribesmen from their lands.
When Hari's village was attacked and destroyed, his family was decimated and dispersed. He escaped, and together with a group of friends roamed the battlefield deserts, helping the weak and vulnerable find food, water and a path to safety. And when international aid groups and reporters arrived, Hari gave his services as a translator and guide. To do so was to risk his life, for the Sudanese government had outlawed journalists, punishing aid to 'foreign spies' with death. Yet Hari did so time and again. Until, eventually, his luck ran out and he was captured...
The Translator is a harrowing tale of selfless courage in terrifying conditions.
As a Zaghawa tribesman in the Darfur region of Sudan, Daoud Hari grew up racing camels across the desert, attending gloriously colourful weddings and, when his work was done, playing games under the moonlight. But in 2003, helicopter gunships swooped down on Darfur's villages and shattered that way of life for ever. Soon, Sudanese government-backed militias, attacking on horseback, came to murder, rape and burn. To drive the tribesmen from their lands.
When Hari's village was attacked and destroyed, his family was decimated and dispersed. He escaped, and together with a group of friends roamed the battlefield deserts, helping the weak and vulnerable find food, water and a path to safety. And when international aid groups and reporters arrived, Hari gave his services as a translator and guide. To do so was to risk his life, for the Sudanese government had outlawed journalists, punishing aid to 'foreign spies' with death. Yet Hari did so time and again. Until, eventually, his luck ran out and he was captured...
The Translator is a harrowing tale of selfless courage in terrifying conditions.
Reviews / Votes
The age of the African chronicler lives on in Daoud Hari's ground-level account of turmoil in Darfur. So much more than a history book, The Translator is a work of lyrical beauty, a moving elegy to the otherwise overlooked victims of a modern genocide -- Tim Butcher, author of * Blood River * If you read nothing else about Africa this year read this book * Terry Waite * If you read nothing else about Africa this year read this book * Terry Waite *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
275 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-14-103700-4 (9780141037004)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
06/2008
1st Edition
Penguin Books Ltd
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Daoud Hari was born in the Darfur region of Sudan. After escaping an attack on his village, he entered the refugee camps in Chad and began serving as a translator for the BBC, New York Times and other media, and for various NGOs. He now lives in the US, where he is a spokesperson for www.SaveDarfur.org.