For the rest of the jaded, removed world, the very word Darfur may no longer elicit that wave of angry, impassioned, urgent cry that has arisen in response to the ongoing civil war taking place there. It’s been years, after all, and combined with frequent headlines, impossible statistics and other global crises, it’s natural that the world’s collective attention would flicker elsewhere.
For the people of Sudan, however, the term civil war is a continuing, horrific reality and an inescapable concept. With the exception of an 11-year hiatus, the country has been engaged in war since it gained its independence in 1955. According to GlobalSecurity.org, the ongoing war has displaced more than 4 million southerners.
A 2005 peace treaty signed by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army granted southern Sudan autonomy for six years. The country is in dire need of resources taken for granted everyday by Americans, and this is the time for change. One organization, Nadus Films, refuses to look away any longer.
Nadus Films is a nonprofit documentary film company made up of men and women dedicated to increasing awareness on the state of Sudan, and to moving others to action. “The vision for Nadus is simple: amplify the cries of the Sudanese so that people hear their call for help, and do something about it,” says Coury Deeb, the company’s founder, who is committed to working with others toward rebuilding the devastated country. As their website states, “Our work thus far and the film exist solely to impact the lives of those suffering in southern Sudan.”
The roots of Nadus Films extend back to a speech Deeb heard given by Celestin Museukura, president of African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries, a ministry focused on empowering African leaders to bring positive change to their communities. Museukura was shedding light on the current situation and needs of Sudan, and his words inspired Deeb and a small team to make a trip to the African nation in 2005. There, a passion was born, and it was after this experience that Nadus Films was conceived. A return trip in 2007 resulted in hours of incredible footage that have been transformed into “an honest cinematic vision of The New Sudan.”
The New Sudan is a film aimed at educating viewers on southern Sudan’s war-laden history and, of greater importance, their current struggle to create sustainable peace. “Nadus Films goes and gets its feet dirty and brings back a product that will get noticed,” Deeb says. “By getting it noticed, we hope and pray that individuals, organizations and churches will step up and serve the Sudanese.”
By visiting NadusFilms.com, one can learn how to partner with the organization in aiding with medical care, schooling, church growth and providing clean water in an effort to rebuild southern Sudan.
