Postcard of peace and forgiveness from ‘Small London’
By Rev. Bernard Oliya Suwa
November 5, 2014 – They flew in from the four corners of our vast land to the “Small London” – a humble but buzzing township in Yei River County, in South Sudan. The township sits on both sides of a dusty track road from the South Sudan capital Juba, to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). More than half of South Sudan’s ethnic groups were represented at this mission – an audacious mission to touch and reshape an invisible phenomenon that has been summarily charged, tried, and found guilty of nourishing decades of war, hatred, and death in our motherland.
Like any other South Sudanese, I was weighed down by deep skepticism and anxiety –afraid that it would prove to be a catastrophic mistake to gather people from different tribes who, not too long ago, had been baying for each other’s blood. I was wrong! As only He can do, God rebuked me for my lack of trust and faith His divine ability to bring trust amongst His children whenever it’s threatened, and faith in Him whenever it is wavering.
From the Heavens where our Lord God, the Almighty father watches over us, the magical red rays of the great tropical African sun pieced through the clouds to my West. Its mysterious power and beauty intermittently stole my concentration as I wrote this piece. As I turned to the Eastern side, I could see a diverse group of our participants from different tribes playing volleyball in total peace and freedom – united by the promise of peace, healing, and reconciliation in our beloved motherland. Just by looking at them, I saw distinct features that are common among people from Central Equatoria, Western Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Warrap, Lakes, Unity, Upper Nile, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Western Bahr el Ghazal states and Abyei Area Administration – all ready to search for peace together, learn together, play together, and dine together. Perhaps most touching of all was the fact that one after the other, as brothers and sisters, they shared horrendous personal testimonies from the recent conflict together – and they cried together.
If ever there was evidence of God’s ability to triumph over man-made evil, then this was it! Convinced by this sacred belief, quietly, I prayed to God to bring healing and reconciliation amongst us who had gathered in Yei. I prayed too, that the spirit of sisterhood, of brotherhood, of forgiveness, and of reconciliation that was so powerfully displayed in Yei, be carried by angels and spread across the length and breadth of our traumatized land.
I quietly monitored the body language of our participants over the last four weeks, and it gives me tremendous joy to be able to tell every man, every woman, every girl, and every boy that in the midst of all the pain and suffering visited upon us by the recent conflict, our Lord God has mercifully preserved our capacity to forgive each other. In other words, He has preserved that which makes us human – and that is our humanity!
While in Yei, we had taken a bold step towards peace together. We sat together and listened to each other’s painful stories. We opened dialogue with each other. And we proved to ourselves, and to all our brothers and sisters across South Sudan, that although we are from different tribes, we are in fact one nation – all children of God, made in the image of God. If God loves us all, then why should we hate each other? If God can forgive us for our gross transgressions against Him, then why can’t we forgive each other?
I am convinced too, that without the poisonous ethnic chalice that we are being forced to drink every day and night, all the people of South Sudan would have been ready to listen to each other, and to dialogue with each other in order to find homegrown solutions to the fundamental issues that have brought war and destruction on our blessed land.
Through this article, I present myself before you as a humble and ordinary South Sudanese. My voice is not any louder than yours – but I am using it to call for peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation amongst ourselves. Use your voice. Stand up in the name of God almighty and denounce the forces that want to divide us, and set us against each other. Let peace and freedom reign supreme in our motherland – because you are worth it!
Let me end by thanking PACT South Sudan, Norwegian Church Aid, Catholic Relief Service, and Mission Aviation Fellowship whose generous support has enabled us to embark on this long “journey of listening and dialogue”.
Dr. Bernard Oliya Suwa is the Secretary General of the Committee for National Healing, Peace, and Reconciliation. Email: [email protected]