Lotta, South Sudan

The village of Lotta, South Sudan is where Samuel was raised and lived with his family until he was 17 years-old. When Samuel was in the United States playing basketball with the national team, guerrillas attacked Lotta killing most of the men and boys, including Samuel’s father. The village was destroyed by fire. Samuel’s mother and younger brother escaped, but his sister was taken by guerrillas they encountered outside the village.

The Church

A widescreen television is set up above the steps of the church in Lotta so that the people of Samuel’s village can watch him and his teammates play basketball. That same night, all of the men and boys of the village were forced by guerrillas to cram into the church. When the church was full, they threw incendiary bombs inside. Ayak escaped being inside the burning church, but he was shot...