Noit Hyde

Freedom Walk Noit Hyde

Freedom Walk is Noit's story as she grew up in Cambodia. At age eleven her life dramatically changed as the communist Khmer Rouge overthrew Cambodia. Their communist ideology centered on purging the residents of cities, who were the educated urban elite, in favor of the agrarian class of mostly uneducated rural farmers. They purposefully destroyed the entire nation, hoping to build a perfect "utopia" from the rubble. The result was one of the worst genocides of the 20th century in which the beautiful country of Cambodia became known simply as the "Killing Fields". Noit was enslaved, along with her entire family, and forced to work to build someone's dream of an agrarian utopia which only resembled a nightmare. Her life was constantly in danger as nearly everyone around her succumbed to torture, overwork and starvation. Nearly everyone in her family and millions of Cambodians perished at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. The journey of Noit's freedom was more than just escaping the encampment where she was enslaved and finding her way back to her home, but involved granting forgiveness to the very people who tried to destroy her life. Through her freedom walk, Noit is now truly free.