Are Southern Sudanese saturated with Northern culture!

By Roba Gibia

July 23, 2010 – As all of us might have known culture is playing a great role in our daily lives and in any society or community or nation affairs. Thus, in this world every nation or community is trying to preserve its cultural norms and cultural heritage, and there is no culture superior to another and every nation or ethnic group or race is proud of its culture because there is no nation or race in this world without culture. Culture is the principal factor differentiating one’s way of life, living and behavior and that is why culture is being acquired and there is national culture, sub-culture and international culture which is shared universally like the culture of murdering, as there is no country or nation in this world which advocates and encourages culture of torture, killing, inequality, theft and infidelity etc. But despite all this there is religion culture which tends to differentiate world into various religious regions, and there are some people which sees their faith superior to others faith and tends to impose their religious culture on others especially in poor third world countries. And that is evident in Sudan where those claimed to be Arabs see themselves and their Islamic culture superior to African tribes in Sudan, and tends to Islamize and impose their Arab culture on Africans for the past half century in all fields and even in school curriculum regardless of Sudan’s ethnic and cultural diversity. Thus, almost entire South Sudanese people if not all have acquired undoubtedly whether being indirectly or directly Arab and Islamic culture in their lives, and it has become part of their daily life which has been regarded as one of the most civilized and superior cultures rather than their African culture, and that is the case today in South Sudan despite their propensity for independent South Sudan but are saturated with Arab and Islamic culture, if I am not mistaken.

Therefore, to be realistic if you look at our South Sudanese people today in terms of behavior, dancing and greetings, it is outrageous to say that it has been absolutely overcome by Arab and Islamic culture, and it never reflects our true black African norms and culture? I am scared but there are tangible facts that south Sudanese are greatly affected by Arabism and Islamic culture, and are behaving like Jalaba/Mudukorat or Muslims and have forgotten their African and Christian ethics. This Arab behavior and culture that south Sudanese have adopted, is a slow and indirect process which nobody pays attention to as this date, and that is what the advocates of southern Sudanese Arabization and Islamization are driving to, and that in my humble view is a long term strategy to tighten the screw on the indigenous southern Sudanese black Africans to accept Islam and Arabism as reality in their life which is obvious now in all parts of Southern Sudan and even in rural and remote areas. For instance it has become common culture among Southern Sudanese Christian communities while greeting they say “Al Salam Aleikom” without knowing the real meaning of this greeting, which is purely Islamic greetings and not Christian norm of greetings. Most of south Sudanese people perceive it as ideal or civilized method of greeting others but without knowing the real cultural notion behind it. Thus, at this context I would like to call on all African and South Sudanese Christians to abide to our Christian mores and historical backgrounds of greeting our Christian brethren. And that was evident when Lord’s Angle was sent to Virgin Mary, he greeted the Virgin Mary by saying “Salam leky” which means “Greetings or peace be with you”, and not Al Salam Aleikom. And if we follow the footsteps and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, He always greets His disciples and the gathering by saying “Greetings or peace be with you” which means Salam lekom and not Al Salam Aleikom! Therefore, as Christians, we have to follow the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings to preserve our African and Christian identity and culture like the other faiths do. Thus, you will never find a Muslim behaving or greeting like Christian but always tries to impose its Islamic culture and will, then why not us Christians, do we (Christians) see ourselves less cultured or with no Christian backgrounds to abide to, like Muslims!

At this context, while watching South Sudan TV (SSTV) news especially Arabic news and programs, it normally begins and ends with greetings of Aleikom Salam rahamatol Allah wa barakat, and I wonder as whether the TV presenters know exactly what they are uttering, and whether it complies with the norm of our African and Christian ethics! Therefore, according to the teachings of Prophet Mohamed, when you meet your fellow Muslim brother(s), offer him/them Islamic greetings by saying Al Salam Aleikom, and the respond should or must be “Aleikom salam rahamatol Allah wa barakat”, by doing this, you are following the true Islamic ethics. And that is evident while observing Muslim(s) at the conclusion of their prayers whether being in group or individual prayers, one have to turn his/her face to right and say Al Salam Aleikom rahamatol Allah wa barakat, and turn left and say Al Salam Aleikom rahamatol Allah wa barakat and then again to right, which is the basic principal and rule of Islamic religion that is not find in Christianity. But in Christianity and after prayers, we greet each other by saying “Greetings or peace be with you”. Besides that we have variety of greetings in our own Southern Sudan languages but no one tends to abide with. It pains me to death to see South Sudanese Christians greeting their fellow Christians by saying Al Salam Aleikom, and I consider it as ignorance and because Islamic culture has overcome their Christian culture and become like South Sudanese Muslims who always greet everyone intentionally by saying Al Salam Aleikom, whether being in the morning or afternoon or evening or at night, because they (South Sudanese Muslims) believe that they are the most faithful and cultured people, which is ridiculous, simply because when you say good morning to them, they reply Aleikom Salam rahamatol Allah wa barakat! Most South Sudanese people and if not all greet themselves by this Islamic greetings even those who claim to be intellectuals or religious personnel! Therefore, I call upon all South Sudanese people as we approach referendum to decide our fate and total independence from north, let us desist from Arab and Islamic culture and to abide to our unique African and Christian culture to differentiate us from radical Arab and Islamic culture, which I know will take years and years to overcome it in our South Sudan society but have we forgotten our African and Christian cultures! Hence, it is imperative to SSTV and radio stations in South Sudan while presenting programs or news, the presenters have to say good morning or good afternoon or good evening or good night rather than acquired Arab and Islamic culture of Al Salam Aleikom rahamatol Allah wa barakat!

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