Reading Recluse<p>📗 "The Translator" by Daoud Hari</p><p>A memoir about war and genocide in Sudan (Darfur). After a variety of jobs abroad and some time in various jails, the author returns to his home village in bad times. The violence has displaced many people and part of his family has been killed. There is a lot of murder, cruelty and human rights violations described -readers beware.</p><p>Hari becomes a translator operating between Sudan and Chad, helping journalists and others do their job. Honestly, that title sells him short. He translates, interprets, arranges interviews, arranges transportation, checks the safety of areas and much more. He becomes kind of an all-round fixer.</p><p>What makes this memoir so strong for me, besides being very interesting, is the author's personality that shines through. He talks with wisdom. He appears very kind and empathetic. You never know what's in the gap between how someone presents himself and how he actually behaves, but Hari comes across as such a likable person. He mentions himself that he has learned to make friends everywhere to survive, and it makes you wonder if he used that skill on the audience to be more willing to listen about the tragedies.</p><p>There is a certain elegance in the way the author informs his reader about his suffering. He doesn't mention it overly often, nor does he complain. But it becomes very clear that this work, this life, has completely ravaged something inside. He seems to consider himself passed away already in some way, so every act of kindness he can still perform on this earth is an extra win -no need to consider the risk or danger of the act. It is what it is already.</p><p>This memoir made me think about a lot of things. Recently I read a book in which there was someone who had to translate for the Nuremberg trials. Hearing about all that happened -it obviously messed them up. For my MSc, I had to learn the various ways perpetrators produce CSAM. Despite never seeing the material itself, and not living it myself, hearing all of it definitely left its mark on me and it's hard having it there in my mind forever. In this book, Daoud Hari shows how he has to absorb horrific tales too, over and over and over. And through that, you as the reader absorb some as well and it's not easy. But I can only hope that bearing witness in some way will help a person prevent to become an average, complicit, complaisant monster some day too. Feel the pain of it and use it to acknowledge and resist.</p><p>One aspect of the book was a little strange. The author obviously has a good grasp on the ongoing impact of colonialism in the region and the role of current geopolitics. He shows it in little glimpses, but he seems to silence himself too. There is no overt critique. Is it because this book is for a Western audience, and he doesn't want to give them reason to reject his story? Is it because he was saved once by the US and emigrated, so better not to anger? Was it the role of the publisher? I'm not sure. It's a question that lingers.</p><p>I tried to look up where/how the author is now, but there's not much to find out. There's an article from 2017 about his sister's murder and his grief about the ongoing violence and lack of coverage of it. He sounds more angry and hopeless than he did before in his book. I can't find anything from or about him since then. I hope he is well, but it feels like an empty wish in this world.</p><p>I'd recommend The Translator if you can bear it. If you're not familiar with any of the conflicts -don't worry, there's a short appendix that you can read first that'll catch you up enough to understand all that happens in the book.</p><p><a href="https://c.im/tags/AmReading" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmReading</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/memoir" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>memoir</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/NonFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NonFiction</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/translation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>translation</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/darfur" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>darfur</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/sudan" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>sudan</span></a></p>