Korea Herald 20080424

18

COMMUNITY

THURSDAY APRIL 24, 2008

The Sudanese elephant in the room “What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng” By Dave Eggers Vintage Press 538 pages By Bart Schaneman

Expat living is a page dedicated to the issues that affect expats' daily lives. It is your page, where you can share stories about your life in Korea. Send story ideas to Matthew Lamers at [email protected]

Protests, patriotism fan Olympic flame By Bobby McGill

As Chinese tempers continue to flare, along with the flags of Western countries, we are witnessing patriotic fanaticism of the likes unseen seen since 2005 when the Japanese released watered down history textbooks. At that time the Chinese had good reason to gripe at their onetime colonial aggressor. This time the barrage of vitriol and violent protests is not quite so easily justified. If at all. More interestingly, this latest display also highlights the fervor with which the Chinese masses will defend the actions of the very government that continues to keep a parent-like manacle firmly strapped to their intellectual ankles. The escalating drama in recent weeks reads like this: Tibet stole China’s Olympic spotlight with an independence protestturned-riot. The Chinese government, unlike Western countries, generally skips straight through negotiation and tear gas, right into bashing heads with the masses while jailing or killing the primary ideologues. No doubt more than a few Western leaders would enjoy such domestic leeway were it permitted. In response to the criticism of their treatment of Tibet, the Western world’s avowed love child, the Chinese first suggested that the ongoing dispute is akin to the American state of Texas seceding from the union. While on its face an absurd premise due to vastly different cultural and belief systems between the millennia-old rivals, the Chinese do have somewhat of a case. Albeit a bit shoddy. Over recent years the Chinese have raised the economic standards of what they consider to be the “primitive” Tibetans. China largely subsidizes the country’s otherwise meager GDP which averages around $1.8 billion a year. China additionally exempts Tibetans from all taxation as well as footing the bill for 90 percent of government expenditures. While tourism and modest farming in the largely nonarable region generates the bulk of Tibetan income, the Chinese are, to a great extent, holding the country of 2.6 million people together. If only it were so simple. The divisions between the two adversaries run deep and they run long. Since 670 A.D. various “Chinese” leaders have vied for control of the “rooftop of the world.” From the Tang Dynasty to the Mongols to Ming. From Ming back to the Mongols to the Manchu. And a scant few times back to the Tibetans. You get the picture. Even the British and the Americans have staked a claim. At times jailing people in the hundreds of thousands to keep the peace while weathering a large scale transfer of arms from the CIA to the Tibetan rebels from the 50s to the early 70s. Recent years have seen public admonishment from a burgeoning number of celebrity groupies of the Dalai Lama who, though the Chinese differ, claims to want a peaceful coexistence with the Chinese overlords. And who of us in the West didn’t take part in the dissent on college campuses at some point in the past twenty years? Either out of sincerity to the movement or just to get a date to the rally? The current problem lay in demographics and the distribution of wealth. According to the last census Tibetans make up 92.8 percent of the population while

the Han Chinese make up a little over 6 percent. As in many Asian countries along China’s borders, the Chinese carry the bulk of the overall wealth. More worrisome to the Tibetans is the construction of a railway from China proper in 2006 that will ferry even more Han into Tibet. Adding additional fuel to a fire already ablaze with controversy is last year’s discovery of an estimated $128 billion in mineral deposits on the Tibetan plateau. There is no propriety on the notion that timing is everything. The Tibetan leaders know that. The world spotlight is on China’s booming economy, increased world presence and of course, the huge stake of national pride in hosting the Olympic Games. Seemed the perfect time to take a shot at daddy. The Western response to the Chinese crackdown on Tibet was to disrupt the path of the torch, wave a few banners, get their message out and then head back home to see what was on the tube. Which, as is the norm, were the major networks trotting out sometimes obnoxious pundits who batter the topic, as well as the Chinese government around for a few days. That should have been the end of the story. Let the Western masses slink back to their beloved news of polygamist sects or who Simon is dissing on American Idol. From there it would have simply gone onto, “Let the games begin,” and “wasn’t there something going on in that Tibet place?” as the ordeal faded from the Western world’s short term memory. The Chinese government never could have imagined what came next. Though they should have. Considering the patriotism China literally breeds into the people in their homes, schools and through the state controlled media, the masses predictably erupted at the West’s criticism of their beloved leaders. Anti-CNN websites were started, profanity laced Chinese-Tibetan history videos highlighting Western colonialism hit YouTube, calls for boycotts of French grocery chains and, of course, massive demonstrations spilling into the streets. The story that would have quietly died grew wings and like a giant moth flew right smack into that spotlight. So here we are. The great irony weaved within this continuing tale is that the Western people protesting the Chinese government felt they were doing so in the name of the Chinese people themselves; long oppressed, mostly poor and shuttered from the world by the very government they now exuberantly defend. Even more ironic is that much of this anger stemmed from the Chinese masses’ perception that the protests were somehow a western attempt to tarnish the Olympics. Now, at the hopeful tail-end of this mess begat by mess we find that it is the Chinese people’s belligerence towards mostly peaceful western protest that has given the issue longer life. Thus brightening the political glow of the Olympic torch, offering us a well lit look at the faces of those who will carry it into Beijing. Bobby McGill is a former San Francisco journalist for various publications including the San Francisco Chronicle. Currently he is teaching high school in Busan. He can be reached at [email protected] — Ed.

When he was a young boy, armed Arab horsemen raided Valentino Achak Deng’s village in southern Sudan. They burned homes and slaughtered the villagers. He ran for his life and got away from the murahaleen. But escaping did not ensure his safety. Many dangers waited for him out in the African wilderness. Without any knowledge of his family’s safety, he ran until he found others. Hundreds of walking boys banded together, shuffling across the barren plains of southern Sudan. They had little

water and less food. These walking boys would later be called the Lost Boys of Sudan. If the sun and heat and lack of water didn’t kill the Lost Boys, then there were the lions that stalked them in the grass at night. Allow a necessary comment on the title: “What is the What” comes from an old Sudanese proverb that said when God made Sudan, he gave the people a choice — they could have the cow, or they could have the What. They were smart enough to choose the cow, but they still wonder about the What. There is a timeliness to “What is the What.” In the book’s introduction, Deng states that between May 16, 1983 and Jan. 9, 2005, over 2.5 million people died of war and war-related causes in Sudan. More than 4 million people were internally displaced in southern Sudan

and nearly 2 million southern Sudanese took refuge in foreign countries — atrocities that have occurred while we have been alive. This is the story of a boy who suffered these atrocities, as told to Dave Eggers, who then formed it into a novel. Eggers deserves the reverence he is held in by literate youth. The memoir “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” is the kind of book that people rarely speak badly of, and in the rare instances they do, they are sharply rebuffed by its defenders. His collection of short stories, “How We Are Hungry,” is the kind of book people send across oceans to surprise their friends with as a gift. “What is the What” is the kind of book that made a friend of mine start thinking about becoming an aid worker in Africa. Together, Eggers and Deng

traveled to Sudan and spent many days talking about Deng’s life. The novel is written from Deng’s point of view, but the narrative is crafted with Eggers’ attention to detail and instinct for drama. The resulting novel speaks of a refugee’s life in Sudan in clear, imaginable language. It is not merely a boy talking about his life; it is a man telling the story of a horrific childhood to an accomplished, gifted writer. You can hear the lions roar in the night, feel the ache of thirst in the boys’ throats, and sense the fear of crossing a river full of crocodiles while being shot at and unable to swim. If Deng had written the story himself, it would have been good material. If Eggers had constructed a similar story from his imagination, it would have been written well. But bringing together a great

writer and a story so rich in substance makes it superior. If you have a conscience, you will read Deng’s story with guilt and sadness. But it is not the intention of the author or the subject to invoke pity. The story is not a heartbreaking work of tragedy. The story is not a heartbreaking work of staggering beauty. The story is not a heartbreaking work of the forces of good winning out over the forces of evil. There is no great moral or resolution. It is simply the story of a life that was not simple at all. If you’re interested in the continuing story of Deng, visit valentinoachakdeng.org ([email protected]) “What is the What” can be purchased at whatthebook.com in Itaewon — Ed.

What The Book’s English bestsellers Fiction Bestsellers 1. A Thousand Splendid Suns (1) Khaled Hosseini Hard cover $25.95 2. The Kite Runner (2) Khaled Hosseini Trade paper $15.00 3. The Gathering (N/R) Anne Enright Trade paper $14.00 4. The Other Boleyn Girl (4) Philippa Gregory Trade paper $16.00 5. The Road (5) Cormac McCarthy Trade paper $14.95 6. Remember Me? (10) Sophie Kinsella Hard cover $25.00 7. The Friday Night Knitting Club (6) Kate Jacobs Trade paper $14.00 8. Water for Elephants (3) Sara Gruen Trade paper $13.95 9. No Country for Old Men (8) Cormac McCarthy Intl paperback ed. $7.99

Nonfiction Bestsellers

PHOTO CHALLENGE — Cherry blossoms — A mother and child enjoy themselves at a park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, over the weekSimon Bond (369photography.com) end.

In focus: The art of photography Following is the final installment in a series on the art of photography. — Ed. By David Smeaton

Repetition In photography, repetition is the use of a repeated shape or image within a shot. It’s an echo of a shape that creates an instant composition. When done well, repetition is an amazing technique and can inspire the wow factor, thanks to its simple, but striking image style. Repetition within an image is visually strong. I confess that when the challenge started, I thought that it wouldn’t be well received. However, I was honestly amazed by the number of entries. The quality has been outstanding and my job of picking a winner has become an extremely unenviable task. Choosing your best photo has always been the biggest issue within photography — objectivity. The simple answer is that there’s no true objectivity. People’s tastes and opinions are completely subjective. Opinions about what makes a good composition differ from person to person. Photography, though, like all other art, relies on its subjectivity. Ask two museum curators which is the “better artist,” Picasso or Matisse,

and they’ll debate for days. Ansel Adams, a famous landscape photographer, would certainly pick a different image than any renowned still-life photographer would choose. Is his opinion any more valid than any one else’s? No. Probably not. This is the beauty of photography; everyone’s taste and opinions are equally valid. That’s why I love websites like flickr.com, and photographic communities like trekearth.com and dpchallenge.com. It doesn’t matter how good your photos are, or how much you know about photography, people appreciate your work and help you learn more about how to make your photographs better. In the era of blogs, photoblogs, web forums, and social networking, everyone can upload and share their photos with friends, family and complete strangers. Entire industries are devoted to image editing (Photoshop and Gimp) while other industries are dedicating themselves to digital equipment, online storage, and photographic communities. Photography has changed a lot since I first started taking photos with my Pentax K1000. Now I own a Nikon D200. But I still own a film camera, a Leica, because I think that the old ways are worth remembering. I’ll still shoot film for fun, but the majori-

ty of my photographs will be digital. I love editing in Photoshop then uploading photos to my gallery, or my blog, or tending to my flickr group. I also love talking about photography in forums and message boards. Photography has grown up and is embracing the digital age. So despite the demise of film, photography is definitely moving in the right direction. Film will no longer be an easily accessible medium, but those who are fanatical about photography can learn it and love it. In fact, when I buy a house later in life, I’ll probably build a darkroom in the basement. For everyone else, digital is the way of the future. One thing’s for sure, there’s no point trying to fight progress. I guess I’ll just have to buy my grandmother a digital photo frame. I’ll glue it to the front of the fridge and teach her how to upload images via USB. It’ll never be the same as her wonderful Polaroids, but I’m sure she’ll learn to love it. Send David a message at [email protected] or visit his website at davidsmeaton.com. If you want to be a part of the weekly Photo Challenge, join the “Seoul Photo Club” group at flickr (flickr.com/groups/seoulphotoclub). — Ed.

SeoulSteves.com’s

If you’ve never been to an EUCCK Network Club event, then you don’t know what you’re missing. This month’s event is at Bobby London’s in the basement of the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong and hosted by Diageo, who will be providing Smirnoff and Guinness. RSVP by contacting Eun-Jin Choi at 725-9880 or e-mail [email protected] Friday The Aussie Grab N’ Grub is hosting a day of events for ANZAC Day, a day commemorating Australian and New Zealand war veterans. See aussiegrubngrog.com for all the details. Saturday The Franciscan school in Hannam-dong is having

a Flea Market and bake sale. If you’re interested, contact [email protected]

christopherlawrence.com have more information. Sunday

The Royal Asiatic Society is leading a group to Gyerong Mt. near Daejeon today. E-mail [email protected] to make a reservation. The Brazil-Korea Foundation is having its monthly film screening at 3 p.m. at the Korea Foundation. This month the feature is the historical comedy “Caramuru, Brazil Reinvented.” See kf.or.kr for more information.

2. Eat, Pray, Love (2) Elizabeth Gilbert Trade paper $15.00 3. Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace (3) Greg Mortenson Trade paper $15.00 4. New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (4) Eckhart Tolle Trade paper $14.00 5. The God Delusion (5) Richard Dawkins Trade paper $15.95 6. Bringing Down the House (N/R) Ben Mezrich Trade paper $15.00 7. Into the Wild (6) Jon Krakauer Trade paper $13.95 8. Guns, Germs and Steel (7) Jared Diamond Trade paper $16.95 9. The Reluctant Communist (8) Charles Robert Jenkins $24.95 10. The World is Flat (10) Thomas L. Friedman Trade paper $16.00 What The Book ships anywhere in Korea. See its website at www.whatthebook.com

Letter to the editor

Top Events for this week Thursday

1. Brother One Cell: An American Coming of Age in South Korea’s Prisons (1) Cullen Thomas Trade paper $15.00

Democrats Abroad ROK is holding a meeting today. E-mail [email protected] for more information. Wednesday

Tonight at 7 p.m. James Blunt goes on stage in Seoul. Tickets start at 66,000 won and are available through Interpark, (02) 3444-9969.

Seoul is having a town meeting for foreign residents from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., for those of you without jobs or family obligations. Submit your questions and concerns in advance to be addressed in the “free discussion,” by visiting the Seoul Global Center’s website global.seoul.go.kr

DJ Magazine’s 2006 No. 4 DJ in the world, Christopher Lawrence, is playing Gayagum Hall at Sheraton Grande Walker Hill Hotel. Riskei.co.kr and

To submit your events for publication on SeoulSteves.com and possibly be featured in The Korea Herald, visit SeoulSteves.com/submit —Ed.

RE: ‘Seoul bites the dust’ on April 16 Thanks for writing the article about Seoul’s smoggy air. Actually, it’s dirty in the summer, fall and winter as well. I’m not sure what your point was. If you were touting people going to Oriental Medicine clinics then that’s one thing, but the only way we are going to ever be healthy is when our leaders start passing strict rules curtailing automobile use and enacting fines for industries that pollute. Unfortunately, that is not a priority, and we continue to breathe bad air and get asthma. — Rick Ruffin, Gangneung City, Gangwon Province