A Long Walk to Water

Southern Sudan, 2008

After drinking from the muddy water, Nya fills her jar, uses a donut-shaped object to steady it on her head, and starts home knowing the return trip will take longer.

Southern Sudan, 1985

When Salva leaves the barn, he happens upon the house of a woman with ritual scarring from his tribe, the Dinka. He is relieved to no longer be alone, but he still fears the stranger. She offers him raw peanuts to eat, and he tells her about how he is running from the gunfire. He thinks of the long war over land and water between the Dinka and the Nuer. For several days, the old woman allows him to fetch firewood and water from the pond, but the water source is quickly drying up. They can hear the artillery in the distance, and Salva hopes that his family is safe.

After the fourth day, the old woman tells him she must leave. She is going to another village that has water and is safer during winter. She says he can no longer stay. His being with her will endanger her life further. She advises him to leave but to always walk away from the sound of gunfire.