The University of Nevada, Reno is partnering with the Northern Nevada International Center (NNIC) to bring an exhibit, film and discussion about Sudan to the Joe Crowley Student Union on Sept. 10 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Part of the traveling Smithsonian exhibit of photos, "Sudan: The Land and the People," will be presented in the campus' Joe Crowley Student Union Ballroom during a reception from 6 to 7 p.m. Following the photo exhibition, the Emmy-nominated documentary The Lost Boys of Sudan will show in the Joe Crowley Student Union Theatre. Daniel Mabior, a "lost boy" who walked 90 days to safety in Kenya in the mid-1980s to avoid the conflict in Sudan, will lead a presentation and be available for questions after the film.

"Sudan is on students' minds," said Carina Black, director of the Reno-based center and a global studies instructor at the University. "We've had student groups on campus trying to raise awareness about Darfur."

The genocide in Darfur, in which more than 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.5 million displaced, is the most common topic of conversation associated with Sudan. According to Black, there are many other aspects of the country that we should know about in addition to the conflict in Darfur. 
"All you can think of when you hear 'Sudan' is tent cities with refugees," Black said. "This show will demonstrate different perspectives about the conflict and about the country."

The vibrant photographs in the exhibit show a world that seems to be far away from war and conflict. In one, women work atop a bright white mountain of cotton underneath a clear blue sky. And in another, young boys sit in front of hand-written parchment, studying the Koran.

"This night of the exhibition, film and discussion will give a human face to something that seems unfathomable," Black said. "It will make Sudan real, and you can see that it's a really beautiful place through the images of the exhibition."

Mabior, now a student at UNLV, and Black will be touring local middle and high schools on Sept. 9-10. The exhibit is available for public viewing at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village though Sept. 14.

Light refreshments will be served at the Sept. 10 reception.