Francis Bok facts for kids

Francis Piol Bol Bok was born in February 1979 in Sudan. He is a member of the Dinka people, a large group in South Sudan. When he was seven years old, Francis was captured and forced into slavery. He was a slave for ten years. After he escaped, he became an abolitionist, which means he works to end slavery. He is also an author and lives in the United States.

Francis Bok's Story

On May 15, 1986, when Francis was just seven, he was captured. This happened during a raid by an Arab militia on his village, Nyamlell, in southern Sudan. This was during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Francis was held as a slave for ten years. He finally escaped from where he was held in Kurdufan, Sudan. He then traveled a long way to the United States, going through Cairo, Egypt.

How Francis Found Freedom

Many different people helped Francis on his journey to freedom. A Muslim family in northern Sudan believed slavery was wrong. They gave him a bus ticket to Khartoum, the capital city. In Khartoum, other Dinka people and members of the Fur people helped him. His trip to the United States was paid for by members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. When he first arrived in the U.S., a refugee from Somalia helped him settle in Fargo, North Dakota.

Francis has shared his story with important leaders. He spoke to the United States Senate and met with President George W. Bush. He also met with other leaders like Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice. He has been honored by the United States Olympic Committee and the Boston Celtics. Many colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada have also honored him. Today, Francis lives in Kansas. He works for the American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG) and Sudan Sunrise. This group works for peace in Sudan. Francis wrote a book about his life called Escape from Slavery: The True Story of My Ten Years in Captivity and My Journey to Freedom in America. It tells about his childhood, his time as a slave, and his work to end slavery.

Childhood and Capture

Francis Bok grew up in a large Catholic family. They were cattle herders in the Dinka village of Gurion in Southern Sudan. His father, Bol Buk Dol, took care of many cattle, sheep, and goats. When Francis was captured at age seven, he could not count past ten. He knew very little about the world outside his village.

The Day He Was Captured

On May 15, 1986, Francis's mother, Adut Al Akok, sent him to the village of Nyamlell. He went with older brothers and sisters and neighbors. They were going to sell eggs and peanuts at the market. This was Francis's first time going to the market without his mother. It was also the first time he was allowed to sell some of his family's goods.

Nyamlell is in North Bahr al Ghazal

At the market, Francis heard adults talking about smoke from nearby villages. They also heard gunshots in the distance. People started running away from the market. Francis then saw horsemen with machine guns. These gunmen surrounded the market and shot the men in Nyamlell. These attackers were part of an Islamic militia from northern Sudan. They often raided villages of their Dinka neighbors. The Dinka people were mostly Christians or animists of Sub-Saharan African descent.

Life as a Slave

Seven-year-old Francis was captured by a man named Giemma. Giemma was part of the slave hunting militia. Francis was forced to join a group of slaves and stolen goods. These were things the militia had taken from the Dinka village. When the militia members split up, Giemma took Francis with him. When they arrived at Giemma's home, Giemma's children beat Francis with sticks. They called him abeed, which means 'slave' and was used to insult people of African descent. Francis was made to live in a small hut near Giemma's animals.

Daily Life in Captivity

Francis spent ten years as a slave for Giemma and his son, Hamid. He had to take care of their animals, like cattle, horses, and camels. He took them to pastures and watering holes. There, he saw other Dinka boys who were also forced to herd animals. He started to realize his life had changed forever. He thought his father would not be able to save him. He tried to talk to the other Dinka boys, but they spoke Arabic, which he did not understand. They also seemed scared to talk to him.

As Francis grew older, Giemma and Hamid trusted him more with the animals. Francis was able to spend more time alone with the animals. Before, Hamid or Giemma watched him closely. Giemma also forced Francis to change his religion to Islam. He made Francis take the Arabic name Abdul Rahman, meaning 'servant of the compassionate one'. In his book, Francis says that even though he was forced to convert, he never stopped praying to God for strength.

Attempts to Escape

Francis tried to run away twice when he was 14. The first time, he ran down a road for several miles. But one of Giemma's friends caught him. This friend brought Francis back to Giemma's home, where he was beaten with a bullwhip. Francis tried to escape again just two days later. He ran in the opposite direction, staying in the forest. He stopped for water at a stream. Giemma happened to be there and saw him. Giemma forced Francis back home and threatened to kill him. Francis was beaten again. But Giemma decided not to kill him because Francis had become too valuable as a slave.

Escape to Freedom

Francis waited three more years, until 1996, before trying to escape again. During those years, he continued to care for the animals and slowly regained Giemma's trust. Giemma often praised Francis's work, but still kept him as a slave.

The Journey Begins

Francis finally escaped from Giemma when he was 17. He walked through the forest to a nearby market town called Mutari. He went to the local police for help. He asked them to help him find his family. Instead of helping, the police made him their slave for two months. Francis escaped from the police by taking their donkeys to the well. He tied the donkeys and then walked into the busy marketplace.

Francis asked a man with a truck for a ride out of Mutari. The man, a Muslim named Abdah, agreed to help him. Abdah believed slavery was wrong. He took Francis to the town of Ed-Da'Ein in the back of his truck, hidden among grain and onions. Francis stayed with Abdah, his wife, and their two sons for two months. Abdah tried to find a way to take Francis to Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan. When he couldn't find a friend to help, Abdah bought Francis a bus ticket to Khartoum. Francis arrived in Khartoum with no money and nowhere to go. A stranger eventually helped him find other Dinka people in the Jabarona settlement in Khartoum.

Journey to the United States

Jabarona was full of Dinka refugees. They had fled the fighting in southern Sudan and lived in very difficult conditions. Francis settled among people from the Aweil area of North Bahr al Ghazal. He started using his Christian name, Francis, again. Soon, the Sudanese police arrested Francis. He had told his friends and neighbors that he was a slave. The government in Khartoum largely denied that slavery existed in Sudan. Anyone who spoke about it could be arrested or even killed. Francis was questioned many times while in prison. Each time, he denied being a slave. He was finally released after seven months. Once free, Francis decided he had to leave Sudan. With help from some Dinka tribesmen, he got a Sudanese passport on the black market. He also got a ticket to travel to Cairo.

Reaching Cairo and Beyond

When Francis arrived in Cairo in April 1999, he was told to go to Sacred Heart Catholic Church. This church was known among the Dinka in Khartoum as a safe place in Cairo. While staying at Sacred Heart, Francis began to learn some English. He also made important friends among the Dinka people in Cairo. He could practice his Christian faith without fear. He eventually moved out of the church and into an apartment with other Dinka. They were all trying to get UN refugee status. This would allow them to leave Africa for countries like the United States, Great Britain, or Australia.

Francis applied for and received UN refugee status on September 15, 1999. After several months of waiting, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service allowed Francis to move to the U.S. He flew from Cairo to New York City on August 13, 1999. From there, he flew to Fargo, North Dakota. His journey was supported by Lutheran Social Services and a United Methodist Church. They worked together to give him an apartment in Fargo and helped him find a job. Francis worked several jobs, making things like wooden pallets and plastic knobs for car gearshifts. He heard about many Dinka people living in Ames, Iowa. After a few months in Fargo, he moved to Ames. While living in Ames, he was contacted by Charles Jacobs. Charles Jacobs founded the American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG) in Boston, Massachusetts.

Working to End Slavery

Jesse Sage, who worked with the American Anti-Slavery Group, and Charles Jacobs convinced Francis to move to Boston. They wanted him to work with the AASG. At first, Francis didn't want to leave his new friends in Ames. But, as Francis says, the people at AASG kept asking. He arrived in Boston on May 14, 2000. The AASG helped him find an apartment. A week after moving to Boston, he was asked to speak at a Baptist church in Roxbury. He was also interviewed by Charles A. Radin from The Boston Globe newspaper. Two days after his speech, Francis was asked to meet with AASG supporters. This meeting was on the steps of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C..

Speaking Out for Freedom

Francis returned to Washington on September 28, 2000. He became the first escaped slave to speak before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Francis was invited to Washington again in 2002 for the signing of the Sudan Peace Act. He met with President George W. Bush during this trip to the White House. Francis became the first former slave to meet with a U.S. President since the 1800s.

Francis has spoken at churches and universities across the United States and Canada. He helped launch the American Anti-Slavery Group's website, iAbolish.org. This happened at a Jane's Addiction concert in front of 40,000 people on April 28, 2001. Perry Farrell, a musician, was an important early supporter of the iAbolish movement. Francis has also been honored by the Boston Celtics basketball team. He was chosen to carry the Olympic Torch past Plymouth Rock before the 2002 Winter Olympics. His book, Escape from Slavery: The True Story of My Ten Years in Captivity and My Journey to Freedom in America, was published in 2003.

Today, Francis lives in Kansas with his wife, Atak, and their two young children, Buk and Dhai. He works at the AASG's first office in Kansas. He also works with Sudan Sunrise, an organization based in Lenexa, Kansas. This group works for peace and unity in Sudan.

See also

In Spanish: Francis Bok para niños

• Mende Nazer
• Lost Boys of Sudan
• Slavery in Sudan
• List of slaves