I work with people in two of Donald Trump’s so-called “shithole countries.” Here’s what you should know.
In May of 2016, I came to a rough and bumpy landing in an aging Soviet-era aircraft on a dirt strip in Yida Refugee Camp, South Sudan. Yida is nestled right on the border of Sudan and South Sudan, two countries that are mired in seemingly never-ending and deadly conflicts.
Yida itself is a fascinating place. Virtually all of the people living here are from the Nuba Mountains on the Sudan side of the border, where Sudan’s dictatorship has oppressed and violently attacked ordinary people for decades. Outsiders like myself are banned from going across the border into the mountains by the kleptocratic and murderous regime, a fact our organization and others repeatedly ignore to reach people in need.
Our organization sponsors one of the few schools in Yida and we were there to shoot another documentary film. Within an hour of landing, I was sitting with several of the Nuba leaders in Yida. Like many people in the refugee camp, they had little as far as worldy possessions. I was given tea and coffee, warmly welcomed, and offered their assistance to move freely around the camp. Being given unfettered access in Yida is a privelage. There are literally tens of thousands of films that could be made telling the story of each person living here.
This wasn’t my first time in Yida, so I knew to expect the outgoing kindness of the people here in the coming days. It’s not unusual for children to run up and shake your hand, mothers to smile at you, and grandfathers to wave hello from a shaded spot. There are also the endless invitations to come have tea, coffee, or a meal from the people there.
The rest of our team had never been in Yida before, and throughout our time there I heard again and again from them that they were blown away with the creativity, kindness, and hard-working nature of the Sudanese. Seeing so much laughter and community is amazing. It is hard to put into words what seeing that experience is like.
The people in Yida are incredibly kind despite what they have been through and what they are up against. It is hard to find someone in Yida who hasn’t had a loved one killed, been seperated from family, or watched their community get targeted by a government warplane. Some of the people here will most likely never be able to return to their homes. Many of their homes have been destroyed and their land is now under illegal government occupation.
But these are also the people who have made a decision to not leave their homeland and come to Europe or America. They have every right to want to come here and seek a better life: one that is far away from war, oppression, and insecurity. Instead, they have decided to stay and do their small part in their country’s struggle for equality and a better future for the next generation of Sudanese.
These are the people the supposed leader of the free world recently said live in a “shithole” and questioned why they should be allowed to come here.
Here’s a segment from a Washington Post article to provide some more context:
President Trump grew frustrated with lawmakers Thursday in the Oval Office when they discussed protecting immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as part of a bipartisan immigration deal, according to several people briefed on the meeting.
“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Trump said, according to these people, referring to countries mentioned by the lawmakers.
Trump then suggested that the United States should instead bring more people from countries such as Norway, whose prime minister he met with Wednesday. The president, according to a White House official, also suggested he would be open to more immigrants from Asian countries because he felt that they help the United States economically.
Oh where does one begin when the layers of hate, falsehoods, and lack of general knowledge about the world are this astounding?
There are a lot of issues with calling other countries “shitholes.” There is the immediate problem of making it much harder for our country’s diplomats, military personnel, and other individuals charged with doing the official business of the country to do their jobs. Another issue is that when the President of the United States says horrible things like this, it signals to potential immigrants who would be a boon to our society and economy that they are not welcomed here. When people say diversity is our country’s greatest strength, this is what they are referring to. Without immigration and over time, we all get hurt.
These are big enough problems on their own for sure. But there is the much larger, severe, and important issue Trump’s “shithole” comment creates, one that Trump has pushed long before he even ran for President: the attempted wholesale destruction of truth in our society, and the desire to see the truth replaced with a racist fantasy of a powerful, wealthy, and vastly majority white America.
Let me explain.
The real problem is not Trump calling other countries “shitholes”. It’s that he is suggesting the people from these countries that are not predominantly white are bad and should not be allowed to come here. At the same time he makes it clear, with the Norway reference, that he believes people from predominantly white countries are good.
The issue isn’t the language Trump used, although the vulgarity certainly does not befit the Office of the President. The issue is that Trump is a racist and has zero understanding of how the world works and, more importantly, how it could work better. He is uniquely unfit and unqualified to be President.
And, of course, Trump’s “shithole countries” comments are just the latest in his decades-long history of racism.
Sudan is a country mired in government-orchestrated war and corruption, but it is not a “shithole” as Trump says it and other non-white countries are. And the people living there are certainly not bad. A given country’s lack of a democratic government does not mean the people are poison. Where a person is born does not automatically determine who they are or who they will become.
I know this truth because I have been in this truth, be it in Yida and elsewhere. I have experienced it. Donald Trump has not. I get up every day and do what I do because I know Sudan is not the “shithole” country Trump believes it to be. There are good people there doing good things in education, healthcare, and countless other fields, often times in areas of the country that are most oppressed. I count myself lucky to be friends with some of these amazing people.
Sudan is a country that is extraordinarily nuanced and complex, two things Donald Trump has zero experience with or appreciation for. The Sudanese face very real and immediate problems for sure, but that does not mean their country and other countries facing similar issues are a “shithole.” On the contrary, Sudan is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been to, largely because of the kindness and resilience of the people there, as well as their desire to see their country made whole again in the face of such destruction.
If there are Sudanese who wish to come here and build a new life because they cannot return home, we should embrace them with open arms. The United States has long been a safehaven for the oppressed and hurting in our world. We have benefited greatly from welcoming such people in. Not only is it good policy to continue doing so, it is also simply the right thing to do.
Here is what you should know.
Every day millions of Sudanese are faced with the choice of sitting idly by and letting terrible things happen, or standing up to the adversity, racism, and hate they face from their own government. Virtually every day they choose the latter. Why? Because they know their country can be fixed. They know their rich history, cultures, and diversity are not the “shithole” Trump says it is. If anything, it is where the beginning of solutions can be found.
If Donald Trump ever actually had the courage to go to Sudan with an open mind and open eyes, he would quickly learn that he has little in common with the wonderful people living there. What Trump would notice is that he has more in common with the handful of elite, racist, and terrible regime officials that are trying to destroy truth and black lives in Sudan’s society just as he is in America.
And that is what you should know about Donald Trump’s so-called “shithole countries.” Not only does Donald Trump have no idea what he is talking about, he has completely bought into a racist fantasy that has stark similiarites to that of a genocidal dictatorship’s fantasy.
It is terrifying to think about.
Trump’s “shithole countries” remarks are racist, stand in stark contrast to American values, and are dangerous to our own security, plain and simple.
Those who try to justify the President’s remarks and views, even after Trump’s own staff have made it clear it plays well to “the base”, are defending his racism. This includes the political party he is currently the head of. They are encouraging violence and hate within our own communities. They are the problem, not the refugee or the immigrant. In this year of midterms elections, we should tell these truths more frequently and louder to more of our fellow citizens.
Like so many of you, I am weary of pointing to some of the most obvious of truths over and over again.
But we must remind ourselves daily that there are people much worse off than us, both here in our own country and abroad, who are relying on us to speak the truth alongside of them. They matter. Their voices matter. They know where the solutions begin.
When we follow the leadership and guidance of the oppressed, the silenced, and those who suffer underneath the policy-related comments and decisions of others, we all rediscover the renewing truth our world needs. It is one of the finest ways to resist racism and hatred in this new year.
I explore faith and American church culture from Memphis, TN. Never miss an article by signing up for my free newsletter or becoming a member. You can also subscribe to my podcast.
