Like the single white eyelash that graces her row of dark lashes–seen by her
people as a mark of good fortune–Halima Bashir’s story stands out. Tears of the
Desert is the first memoir ever written by a woman caught up in the war in
Darfur. It is a survivor’s tale of a conflicted country, a resilient people, and
the uncompromising spirit of a young woman who refused to be silenced.
Born into the Zaghawa tribe in the Sudanese desert, Halima was doted on by her
father, a cattle herder, and kept in line by her formidable grandmother. A
politically astute man, Halima’s father saw to it that his daughter received a
good education away from their rural surroundings. Halima excelled in her
studies and exams, surpassing even the privileged Arab girls who looked down
their noses at the black Africans. With her love of learning and her father’s
support, Halima went on to study medicine, and at twenty-four became her
village’s first formal doctor.
Yet not even the symbol of good luck that dotted her eye could protect her from
the encroaching conflict that would consume her land. Janjaweed Arab militias
started savagely assaulting the Zaghawa, often with the backing of the Sudanese
military. Then, in early 2004, the Janjaweed attacked Bashir’s village and
surrounding areas, raping forty-two schoolgirls and their teachers. Bashir, who
treated the traumatized victims, some as young as eight years old, could no
longer remain quiet. But breaking her silence ignited a horrifying turn of
events.
In this harrowing and heartbreaking account, Halima Bashir sheds light on the
hundreds of thousands of innocent lives being eradicated by what is fast
becoming one of the most terrifying genocides of the twenty-first century. Raw
and riveting, Tears of the Desert is more than just a memoir–it is Halima
Bashir’s global call to action.