South Sudan has changed and is changing-Can we tame

By John A. Akec*

Sunday, December 24, 2006

THEY’VE builded wooden timber tracks,

And a trolly with screaming brakes

Noses into the secret bush,

Into the birdless brooding bush,

And the tall old gums it takes.

And down in the sunny valley,

The snorting saw screams slow;

O bush that nursed my people,

O bush that cursed my people,

That flayed and made my people,

I weep to watch you go

Wrote Frank Wilmot in his poem entitled Progress.
Frank Wilmot was an Australian poet who lived between
1881 and 1942. This poem most probably bemoaned the
disappearance of Australian wilderness in order to
pave way for railroads and motorways – the necessary
evils of modernity that marked 19 and 20 century. And
if you recall the high temperature surrounding issue
of land for development around Juba (South Sudan), you
will identify with Wilmot. Progress and change are
bedfellows. And there is a sense in which we too can
bemoan the disappearance of our cultures and our most
treasured values in our watch!

In the world of change, nothing is more certain than
change itself. Change, and more change wait in the
store for all of us. We must learn to live with it,
adapt to it, and dare I say, enjoy it. However, the
change that concerns me most is how South Sudan has
already been transformed beyond recognition by the two
decades of war and oppression, for better, and for
worst: socially, culturally, politically, and
economically.

Certain type of change is good and must be welcomed.
Others less so, if not down right scary. That it is
now perfectly acceptable in many towns in South Sudan
for a “respectful” housewife to ride a bicycle, and
does her daily shopping. Hearing that news first time
did leave me with my mouth wide open (specially for a
man living in Europe and who still believes girls must
not be taught to ride a bike, let a lone own one!).
But I can safely say I was delightfully shocked by the
news because I quite like cycling as one of most
environmentally friendly means of transport. It also
helps housewives stay fit. I can live with it. What’s
more, to travel to my village during the rainy season
from Wau, these days the capital of Western Bhar El
Ghazal state, you can hire a donkey. Very interesting,
and should I say creative. When I was there, some
twenty odd years ago, a donkey was a rare sight.

More scary though is the invasion of consumerism (and
love of material) that came riding at the back of the
dollar pumped into Southern Sudan partly from Diaspora
and most recently from within – from the autonomous
government of South Sudan. Few people are very rich.
Great majority have nothing. For a woman to work as a
house housemaid so that she can feed her family was
uncommon. No longer. Drinking and alcoholism have
invaded once a virgin countryside. Its victims range
from men to housewives, to young boys and girls. And
as to morality that once governed relationships in a
community, it is in free-fall. The results are seen in
the weakening of the family relations and threat with
its disintegration. This is reflected in the rise of
children running away from home and the rise of
divorce rate.

The news of those who escaped the country for a life
in exile is not rosy either. As seen from the eyes of
those who remained behind, Professor Mosses Machar, a
former vice-president of Sudan and a distinguished
academic once told an astounded audience in London
last summer about what they (back home) hear about
those living in Diaspora:”In a family it is wife
first, then children, then dog, and finally husband.”
You may call it stereotypical, but it is not far from
truth. Divorce and homicide, you name it, have
rocketed amongst the South Sudanese Diaspora in the
West at an alarming rate. Unlike Jews who have
survived centuries of exile since Babylonian captvity,
many South Sudanese communities seem to have lost
everything that kept them surviving over centuries in
just two decades.

To be blunt, as a result of war and forced
displacement of South Sudanese from their homelands,
many once proud and isolated communities currently
face a great crisis of identity. Like the mythical
creature that is portrayed as half-human and
half-fish, South Sudan as a unique Sudanese entity
that was once defined as made up of African tribes
that embraced either Christian religion or traditional
African religions. No more can such a simplistic and
straightforward definition of “Southern-ness” be
sufficient. Millions have been displaced to the North
and some found their way into Egypt and the Middle
East where they have been exposed to intense
acculturation. Others went to East and Southern Africa
are likely to have picked the worst that is in those
communities (corruption, for example). A sizable
number spread in the West and also seems to have not
done any better but also picked the worst of Western
world – individualism.

I can delve into what has become of our communities.
Probably this time is not the right time to be
bombarding us with our deformed mirror image and
telling of bad news. What I have done is simply
scratch the issue at the surface. In ideal world, a
government should be concerned about bringing into
focus the changes that can impact family and community
relationships andwell-being- the building blocks
without which n nnations can exist and to help
citizens make informed choices in the face of
unavoidable social, political, and economic changes.
Here the church and faith leaders can play an
important role. And so do social and economic planners
and scientists.

Change as I noted earlier, is inevitable. Certain type
of change is good and can take care of itself. Yet we
must know and be aware of change that is not so good
in order to avoid being crushed under its mighty feet.

And as we celebrate Christmas, let us remember how God
changed into man in order to redeem the world from
clutch of sin, selfishness, and materialism. We must
ask ourselves whether or not God has another purpose
us. And if so, what purpose is there for you and me?
We need ought to be asking: What can we do in order to
save our community from perils of undesirable social
changes?

I want to leave you with another poem by Delma Luben,
a contemporary American writer and journalist who
presents a kinder (less scary) face to progress, the
bed fellow of change:

PROGRESS

I see people in another country

at the touch of a button,

hear them instantly.

I fly at the speed of sound;

electronic marvels work for me.

I am educated, entertained,

and rebuilt by technology …

Science is flying.

I see the bold power of authority

crushig old truth–and the

new flower of creativity,

individual candle flames doused,

pure energy hamstrung,

and ancient games, called

tradition, twisted into piety …

Humanity is plodding.

– Delma Luben

I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new
year.

* Dr John Akec is a political analyst based in London . He is also the editor of a blog where he posts articles and comments about the Sudan. He can be reached at [email protected]. To view this article and past works by the author, follow the link to author’s blog: http://johnakecsouthsudan.blogspot.com/