The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur

You can also see my review at my blog, www.bostonbibliophile.com.

The Translator : A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur is a light, thin volume on a heavy subject- the ongoing genocide against non-Arabs in the Darfur region of Sudan. The narrator/author, Daoud Hari, worked as a translator for aid agencies, reporters and United Nations officials, after escaping government attacks on his own village and fleeing to neighboring Chad. His story is amazing.

I didn't know much about the specifics of the origins of the war in Sudan when I opened the book but Hari offers a pencil-sketch history which was enough to get me started in an appendix. The book opens in the thick of the action with an anecdote showing Hari and a reporter being stopped by some show more troops and having to do some fast talking- just another day on the job. Then Hari backtracks, talks about his life and some adventures before the war, but before we know it the attacks have started, Hari must flee, and everything has changed. In the refugee camps and elsewhere he is witness to evidence and aftershocks of unbelievable brutality marking him and his companions indelibly. Throughout it all are vivid anecdotes and descriptions of a close, communal culture fractured by corrupt politicians, racism, trauma and greed. In the final chapters Hari details his harrowing capture, along with a reporter and their driver, by the Sudanese military and his eventual evacuation from Africa.

The writing style is all the more powerful for being so simple and direct. His friendly, light tone made me feel comfortable right away- the literary equivalent of the tradition of hospitality to which he refers again and again. It's like he's inviting us into his home, sharing customs and traditions with us over the page. He often breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader directly- what would you do in this situation, how would you react if that happened, etc.- drawing the reader closer and creating empathy. His matter-of-fact style helped bring home the horrors and the absurdity of what he faced, as well as some very humorous and very human moments from time to time. Hari himself comes across as thoughtful and pragmatic, doing what he needs to in order to stay alive and always devoted to helping in any way that he can.

At this point, using his story to attract attention to his cause is the method he chooses. The book's uncomplicated style worked well in chapters where there is a lot of action and activity- after the first few chapters I couldn't put it down it kept me going so. The ending seemed a little rushed though and I wish he had written more about his companions' fate and about his life in America. An extra chapter would serve nicely and would not overwhelm this brief volume. The situation leading to his emigration lasted for several chapters and he lingered over it so that when the ending came, it felt abrupt, almost like something was left on the cutting room floor. That quibble aside, it's a good book and a solid, engaging read for anyone interested in Darfur, Africa or genocide. Hari articulately describes a society on the verge of collapse and shows a range of emotions, from frustration, anger and shock all the way to gratitude and hope. His hope is that people who read the book will act on behalf of the people still suffering in Darfur. Let's hope that he's right. show less

The Translator by Daoud Hari
Daoud Hari is from Darfur and as war came to his village his family encouraged him to fight not with a gun but with his education. With his ability to translate, Daoud worked to help as many journalist and government officials as possible tell the story of what was happening to his people and his country despite the very real threat to his own life. Yet I doubt that any reporter could tell the world the heartbreaking truth of the genocide that has and is occurring in Darfur as eloquently as Daoud Hari does himself in this book.

I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book. I was dreading the horrible stories, the Rwanda-like massacres, the neverending awfulness that would make me want to weep if I wasn't so numb from hearing it all day every day from the CNN loop. At some point the numbers get so large, it's impossible for us to comprehend and we just shut down. I really didn't want to read it. But I'm tremendously glad that I did.

Part war memoir, part genocidal survival guide, part humanitarian challenge, Daoud Hari's slim book is a triumph. I have no idea how one can endure what he has endured and still remain so human, let alone exhibit the tremendous spirit Hari shows here. Along with the horror stories I was dreading so much (ashamed as I am to say that), are show more the testimonies to our individual and collective strength as human beings. Over and over again, Hari challenges us to put ourselves in his shoes, to relate as if it were our town, our home, our sisters, daughters, fathers, cousins. What if it happened to us? Would we be so brave? Would we be destroyed or keep going? Would we do everything we could knowing we could die in the next minute? Would we rage at God or renew our faith?

My favorite chapter is a small one. Nestled in tiny Chapter 10, Hari describes the refugee camps in detail for the first time, a sea of bright colored fabrics from the women and girls, all sweltering amid the temporary shelters made out of canvas and plastic tarps. And there it is. "Canvas and plastic make very hot shelters in a desert, and these were what the world had sent - exactly the wrong thing and not nearly enough of it." I couldn't believe it. It's so obvious! What were we thinking? What had we done? Did we just send scraps of material we didn't need? Was it intentionally ridiculous or just some horribly embarrassing mistake? There's no way of knowing, but it again drove home the point that it is always paying attention to the details around life's necessities that can make the difference. If just one of the brilliant architects competing to build the next mall in Dubai would instead focus their energy on building practical, portable, sustainable refugee housing that could be deployed at a moment's notice anywhere from Darfur to Palestine, we could start to alleviate the suffering of millions of the displaced. Just a thought...wouldn't want to ruin your latte or anything.

For those that have suffered so much, the least we can do is shine a spotlight on their stories. I'm ashamed for delaying my reading; I'm trying to make up for it by telling everyone I can about Hari's book and, by engaging in meaningful dialogue about the crisis in Darfur, determining if there's maybe one more thing I might do to help. show less

That most striking aspect of this book was simply that it brought a vague picture into focus. I knew that there was a serious war going on in Darfur. However, was it a religious war between Muslims and non-Muslims?...a racially- or tribally-motivated genocide?...something else? I didn't know. I didn't even have an idea of the scope since I had seen reports that hundreds of thousands had died, but I had also seen reports an order of magnitude smaller.

Daoud Hari's account clarifies the situation. Having escaped from Darfur, he returned several times as a translator for agents of various news organizations in an attempt to get the stories of the mass exterminations, the pervasive starvation, and the institutionalized rapes out before the show more world’s eyes.

Yet, for all the grimness, there is also a bit of hope. Hari's actions, themselves, provide some of that—his constant willingness to return to danger in order to help someone else. So, too, do the actions of reporters who endure torture and imprisonment to get stories, and aid workers who are often targeted by terror squads, yet keep working.

Hari tells his story with a wry sense of humor wherever humor is possible. He also, when referring to first world nations, takes pains to distinguish between people as individuals who "as they always do, helped a lot" and governments which "determined that, yes,…Sudan was conducting a genocide…but did not do too much else." He also notes how America's behavior at Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib gives license to the al-Bashir government to do the same, and that China's willingness to turn a blind eye as long as it gets oil props up the government forces.

If the book has a flaw, it's in some uneven pacing. I felt the sections on village relocation and the refugee camps went by too quickly, while the section on his torture seemed to drag a bit…the latter, most likely, because there wasn't an adequate explanation of why government commanders would spend so much personal attention on a minor translator. However, these are minor flaws.

There's little deep analysis in this book but, if you're like me and relatively unfamiliar with the situation in Darfur, this is worth the read. show less

The Translator, Daoud, will take you into the hearts and minds of the people of Darfur. He will not only show you the atrocities which have been happening there, but he will show you the culture, traditions and history of the people and the land. This book allows you to travel beside a young man attempting to help his people in the only way he knows, which is to translate their experiences to the world so that the world might step in to help before it is too late.
From the first page, the author jumps in with a very personable voice. He made me laugh at the moment in the story when a gun was pressed against his head! It is a gripping story, which I found very difficult to put down and more than once my heart was in my throat with sorrow show more and the fear of what would come next. What spoke to me the most, however, was the author’s lack of bitterness, his kindness, and his hope for the future. Daoud Hari has a wonderful way of making his people and their experiences come alive for the reader. I expected to find horror and sadness within this book, but I found more. I found the author’s profound faith and hope in mankind. This is a story which speaks of love, brotherhood and hope. One which shows it is possible to love your enemies, even if you don’t like them.
I do hope and wish that the SaveDarfur.org website will be more prominent in the final edition of the book. Also, in my edition, the site name was spelled incorrectly, so impossible to go to. It is my fervent prayer that people will wake up and stop this insanity. Until then, I hope and pray that those who need help and sustenance will find it. show less

What can one person do? Hari ends with this question which he himself answers through this powerful memoir. Taking unimaginable risks, he leads journalists and UN genocide investigators into Darfur so that the world can hear the story and be moved to action. "For it has no meaning to take risks for news stories unless the people who read them will act" (epilogue). His calm demeanor, dry sense of humor, and love for his people shed light on the spirit that allows him to undertake such risks with composure and hope. Rather than beg and plead with the reader to act, he lets the horrors speak for themselves. He tells of attacks on villages, the conditions of the refugee camps, and of his ordeal after being captured. How someone can witness show more these atrocities and still be sane is a miracle. He has and is, and it is also a miracle that he made it out alive. show less

Daoud Hari is a Zaghawa tribesman born in a village in Darfur, who, at an early age, showed an aptitude for languages. As an adult he lived abroad for a while, but was remanded to Sudan after violating a visa requirement. Shortly after he returns to his village, it is attacked and destroyed by one of the militia groups that terrorized the Darfur regions throughout much of the last decade. Members of Hari’s family are killed and others are separated. Hari decides to join the line of displaced persons heading for a refugee camp in Chad and walks with the others to the border. Once in Chad, his facility with languages soon lands him jobs as a translator for reporters eager to enter Darfur and report on the atrocities being committed. show more Hari was exceptional at safely leading reporters through the most dangerous parts of Darfur, giving them a firsthand look at the horrors destroying his country. His knowledge of languages, his charming personality, and his daring helped reporters from organizations like The New York Times, the BBC, and the United Nations acquire the evidence needed to declare the conflict in Darfur genocide.

Although a bit dated due to recent political developments, I still think The Translator has relevance. Hari’s experiences as a translator bring to mind stories coming out of Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places where the U.S. is relying on native translators, drivers, and facilitators of meetings and interviews. This memoir captivated me because of the edge-of-your-seat stories and Hari’s open, friendly style of writing. Despite the tragedies he describes, he is optimistic about the fate of his country and trusting that people are basically good. I have read some books about Sudan and Darfur that left me emotional exhausted and depressed, but this one left me hopeful. For that reason alone, I’m glad I picked it up. show less