When we first entered the building that Monday morning, I had no real idea of what to expect. I knew the name of the person who we were going to interview yet there was still a sense of mystery. I was definitely nervous because I have never done a formal interview before. Jessica, Emily and I opened the door to Suite 603 and we came across what seemed to be an empty office. However, as we made our way into the room, Majur Malou was waiting for us in his office. We all greeted him, felt the grip of his firm handshake and took in his image. He nearly towered over me standing at about 6 feet tall, his skin a radiant blue-black and there was a tint of yellow in his eyes. After introductions were made, we all began to know the man who sat in front of us.
Majur Malou came to the United States on June 21, 1995 after spending years in a refugee camp on the border between Kenya and Somalia. His experiences in the camp were unpleasant to say the least. “It’s like sitting in a prison” he claimed. Majur went into the camp in his adolescence and he joined due to the civil war in Sudan and the horrific events that accompanied it. Prior to the civil war, Majur and his family led a satisfying and happy life. They didn’t have much and Majur was the only member of his family to receive an education. Growing up, education was of the utmost importance to him and it was his first priority in life. He knew that one day he would be someone important and that his education would take him where he needed to be. Another one of his driving forces was his admiration for Nelson Mandela. He proved to be a role model for him and Majur wished that others would imitate Nelson Mandela and his advocacy for peace.
After learning about some of the general things about Majur and his childhood, the questions that I asked led into a much deeper conversation about his personal life, experiences and his insight on different subjects was enlightening. He struck me as a very intelligent and intuitive man, because he spoke with such confidence and exuberance. Many of the things that he said evoked so much emotion from me that at one point I almost broke into tears. When asked about his feelings towards the Sudanese government, Majur’s immediate reaction was negative. “The role of the government is to protect its citizens not to kill or torture…” he said sternly. When he showed us the scars on his arms, I didn’t know what to say. All I felt was a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. What made me feel even worse was that I knew that those scars would never go away. The scars that the Sudanese government inflicted on Majur would always be there as a reminder of their brutal treatment, not only to him but to his beloved country and countrymen. He lightly started to cry after showing us his scars and I couldn’t help but follow suit. I could only imagine the hardship that he went through and I will never truly know or fully understand what it was like for him. At this point it was almost hard for me to continue on with the interview because it seemed only polite to wait to ask any more questions.
Meeting Majur was definitely a very enlightening experience. All of the statements he said had an interesting twist and perspective. He is very aware of the mechanisms of society and one of the many wise things that he said was, “Life is not money alone. Sometimes it is better to have little… The less you have the happier you are”. Although this statement may seem simple at first, I had to contemplate long and hard about it. To me, what he said is true. From what I’ve seen and heard the driving force for much of the conflict of the world is greed. Our want to keep wanting more. Majur explained it to be like when people have a new car, they are then compelled to buy the next best model car. That people just keep wanting the best new thing out there and will go through any means possible to gain them.
The knowledge I gained from Majur Malou can’t be found anywhere else or from anyone else. Through his eyes I gained a deeper understanding of the ways of mankind and a history of a people. There is a huge gap between learning about an event through words in an article and then hearing them from someone who lived through it. Before this interview I considered myself to be someone who was well educated on global issues and had a wide perspective on them. However this interview shaped my perspective to be even broader. From this experience I take with me a new outlook on the world and an urge to take more action and provide my services to a cause. I too want to do my part as an individual. As Majur said, “I do my part as an individual. But an individual part is limited”.
“It will take all of us to make a change…”
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