Passing Cattle

Each year in January an anniversary celebration is held in a selected city in honour of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. This year it was held in Yambio. The President, from the north, Omar Al-Bashir, flew in for his first ever visit to Yambio. So too did the Vice-president, who is also the President of the South, Salva Kiir. Al-Bashir made an encouraging speech that the north would accept the results of the 2011 referendum on southern secession. All went well with the 19^th January celebrations which were enhanced with various song and dance performances by many well-practised children.

At 6:00am the next morning, four of us set out to drive from Juba, the capital, to Riimenze near Yambio, just over 400kms away. The route was not well sign-posted but one of our team, Justin, who is Sudanese, was able to converse with people on the way to check we had not deviated from the right route. All except a few kilometres of our journey was on unsealed roads, some parts very good but many sections simply a series of jarring potholes and craters. The journey in our Toyota Land Cruiser took us ten hours. Along the way we passed through five or six road blocks.

We saw many people and countless tukuls along the way. Most of them were probably not more than a few kilometres from their simple homes. This was their whole world, built around personal relationships, food and water, and making full use of natural resources for shelter and commerce. There were many people walking, often carrying water or wood, and many people sitting in groups. Beside the road some were selling charcoal, others, ‘grass’ for the roofs of tukuls and quite a few children were selling palmerah, a yellow fruit from a palm tree. We purchased a 5-litre container of natural honey for SDG 35 (about $13). 

We stayed with our community at Riimenze, about 30kms out of Yambio. In the morning of January 21^st, Fr Joseph and I drove into Yambio. There were more people than usual in town and a very large number of police and soldiers.

On two occasions, I witnessed squads of a hundred or more armed police marching down the street. Several times vehicles drove past with armed police on the back. Yet, all of this was largely ignored by the population at large.

Children played, adults walked and I wondered at how inured people can become to guns, brutality and violence. But me too! I later drove into town on my own. I realised that I now barely notice the guns slung over shoulders and feel confident and not anxious about road blocks and the like. SSS personnel, including me, do not take unnecessary risks. We do not normally go out after dark. We avoid danger where it is obvious, but mostly we simply adapt to living with uncertainty and even the repugnant violence. There is no other choice if we are here.

The many smiles and greetings reassure us that we are welcome in Southern Sudan. Even in the remote areas, a wave and smile is usually responded to by a happy return greeting. The children we met during our return trip lunch stop under a tree certainly appreciated the bread, fresh water and bananas we gave them. To my eyes, the near-by, muddy, green pool in which they had been washing was putrid. To them it was a gift. Our small donations were also gifts to them. Their warm and appreciative smiles – and hesitant trust – were gifts to us.

Now back in Juba, I drove down a recently sealed road. The expression here is that ‘the tarmac has been laid’. ‘What a great road’ I remarked about this very ordinary street. When dust and ditches are the norm, even tarmac becomes an item for genuine appreciation. Small things take on new significance. I find myself going back to those shop owners who are most friendly and helpful. In almost every shop, I have noted that they insist on carrying bulky goods to my vehicle. It is a matter of service and hospitality.

It is rare to meet a Sudanese who appears older than me. With an average life expectancy of forty-two in Southern Sudan, I guess it is not surprising that there are simply not many elderly people. So many of the young people we meet have lost one or the other parent to war, illness or the like. Divorce is rare but polygamy is common. Family is most important but it is often defined by quite a complicated network of relationships.

Life in Southern Sudan is markedly different from my previous experiences but it is still a precious gift to be cherished. We pray that our efforts may really contribute to an improved quality of life for the people here.

Br Bill