Remembering Manute Bol

By Francis Mading Deng

June 29, 2010 — On this sad occasion for remembering our son and brother, Manute Bol, I deeply regret that I cannot be with you to honor his memory. More than mourning his death, we should also celebrate his life and the contributions he made to our people, our country, and the wider world.

In our people’s belief system, death is an inevitable tragedy which is only mitigated by the continued identity and influence of the dead among the living. It is said that a person who leaves behind a family and has touched many people during his or her life should not be mourned, for he or she continues to live in the memory of the living and in various spiritual ways continues to participate in their worldly affairs.

Although Manute died at the young age of forty seven, he came from a large prominent family, has left behind his own immediate family of ten children and their two mothers, and influenced a vast circle of people, nationally and internationally. This has indeed been affirmed by the reaction of the international media to his death.

By the same token, Manute symbolized the remarkable potential of the individual to shape his or her own destiny. From a Dinka young man in the village, caring for his family herds of cattle, he rose to become an internationally renowned professional basketball player. But he never lost connection with his background. In his New York Times article of June 19, 2010 on Manute Bol, Patrick Mc Geehan wrote “Bol returned to the Sudan regularly during his playing days and once he retired he became more politically active.” He also brought to his village services and development projects. Mc Geehan notes that he went home late last year to oversee progress in the construction of a school he sponsored.

Manute was deeply concerned with the devastating war in the country and the humanitarian suffering it inflicted on his people. He was a very effective advocate for his people in US Congress, among policy makers in general and in the wider humanitarian constituencies in the concerned world.

Manute once told me in a matter-of-fact manner that he was the richest Dinka in the world. He was not bragging, just stating a fact, for he was indeed the richest Dinka. But that did not isolate him from his people. Not only did he remain closely connected to the Sudanese communities wherever he lived, but he generously shared his wealth with his needy people at home and abroad. Manute was also aware of his international fame, but he did not allow that to swell his head. He remained graciously modest and once even indicated to me that he realized there was a downside to fame.

Manute’s exceptional height of six feet seven inches raised his profile above his NBA colleagues, and drew crowds of fans and curious on-lookers to him, but he was never self conscious or sensitive about his height. Of course, it was not possible to avoid commenting on his height, but he did not mind and even saw humor in it. I once said to him that he made it difficult for people to embrace him in greeting, to which he responded with a charming and winning smile. The first time he came to our Washington house, which had a relatively high ceiling of nine feet, I said to him that my sons were wondering whether the ceiling would be high enough for him. He turned his eyes upward to the ceiling and said casually, “It’s high enough.”

Manute always reminded me of the tallest man among the Ngok Dinka of Abyei who was paradoxically known as Deng-Chek, Deng-The Short. Every Ngok Dinka, man, woman and child, knew of Deng-Chek. And although long dead, songs are still composed honoring his memory. There is hardly anyone in his Dinka community, in the Sudan, and indeed in the wider world of African politics and humanitarian concerns who did not know of Manute Bol. Even more than Deng-Chek, his fame is certain to endure.

Manute will of course be very much missed, but he will be remembered with great fondness by people throughout the world and, in particular, the people of the Sudan. It is noteworthy that his humanitarian partner, Tom Prichard, is quoted in the New York Times article as saying “He really felt that his country needed him. He really died for his country.”

May God console his family and friends and grant him eternal rest among his ancestors.

Francis Mading Deng is the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, since 2007. Also he had served as Sudanese Ambassador to the Nordic Countries, Canada, and the United States, as well as the country’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.