BY PROF. ALFRED SEBIT LOKUJI
All religions, certainly the ones we know, devotedly remind us of an afterlife. That is a sufficient basis for me to construct the battle of minds among South Sudanese souls who hurriedly migrated to the realms of the afterlife.
Regardless of whether they spend their time celebrating their good deeds in life on this earth, or perhaps moan and groan under that excessive heat in that unforgiving oven specially constructed for those who needed to pay retribution for years of ignoring the good advice of their elders. I am certain that men and women of all those bygone years frequently exchange their views about those days in old, new, and future South Sudan.
On his arrival at his new abode, Tafeng saw Gbatala and was about to passionately shake hands when they saw Pitya Lugor – reviewing his erroneous medical conclusions. Still temperamental as he was in his earthen life, Tafeng scolded him for not going beyond reproaching the British for their dubious bridge on the River Nile. Pitya Lugor countered by pointing out that he had established a medical empire ranging from the Hills of Nyepo to the fertile lands of Nyangwara; while he and his ganja-smoking buddy ran away at the sound of white toys in the sky. Tafeng was about to slap him when Gbatala warned him that this herbal doctor might send them back where the cattlemen up the river from the Bari are now in charge – more ruthless than the Mundukuru or white man. An old man countered that life in the Lado enclave had been worse than what they had seen – not to speak of the days of the slave-hunting Turki long ago.
Oduho, a fresh arrival, saw the threesome in a heated exchange but did not see William Deng among them. As he passed them by in search of his friend, he audibly muttered why they fired guns without plans. Gbatala rudely responded by saying at least they had balls and had little time for any type of script. Oduho silently went on searching for his problem-identification colleague. Rume silently watched from a distance hoping that the boys he left in the hills would accomplish what they never accomplished. When they saw William Deng in light conversation with Benjamin Bol, Buth Diu, and a few others dispatched by John Garang, they became silent – and in fury hurried to challenge them. “Intu ya nasi baggara, sunu fi fi ras takun?” shouted one Sumuni Jada before the civilized group could say anything. “Malu ya Sumuni?” Rume tried to intervene in a soft voice. Sumuni complained that with the better vision he now has, he saw how these cattle people finally let the Mundukuru through and even made it a habit to eat kisara with mula bamya while seated on the floor. Now they pretend to be the big chiefs in Juba and are worse thieves than the slave hunters. They even now drive their emaciated cows to eat our people’s dura. “Shut up ya Sumuni! You are no longer down there. You will never belong to them again!”
“Wallai Garang yau dak, huwa gait barau” whispered Abu John in that familiar humorous voice of his. “Musu huwa yau jibu jama de. Kede, you ask him, Solid Rock! Eliaba Surur, seemed taken by surprise. “Why do you want to ask me about Garang?” he asked as if challenging Abu John to a duel! Reluctantly, Eliaba explained that John Garang was the only leader who had a clear vision – that was why he supported Garang’s fight! “Why do you pick on me? If you want to understand why South Sudan failed you ask Sarafino Wani who recently arrived. He should explain why they failed to use the help of Idi Amin to make a success. On hearing his name, a huge soul of a man rose from the Muslim corner and said: “Understand history very very well. I took your boys for training in Israel. The leaders of Israel liked me. Dayan and even the others are here, you ask them who Idi Amin Dada is. They will tell you I trained many many officers for Joseph Lagu in Israel. I am a ‘soja’, I know what to do. I am not like your lazy administrators who talk too much!” Sarafino Wani nodded in solid agreement; telling Idi Amin it is the cowards of these days who could not correct John Garang – who was supported by anti-Kokora elements in Jiengland.
At this point, William Deng calmly wanted to know from Oduho how they were able to work together, yet the new generation – with more potent capabilities – were unable even to milk a cow together! All burst into a peal of laughter except Garang and Justin Yac who pretended not to have heard the exchange. “Ma de Gereng bitakun de” shouted Abdurhaman Sule before anyone could say anything. “Kalamak sah ya baba” interjected his son Peter. “Sah, sah!” was the rejoinder of Lokurnyang who had remained silent all this time. “Ya jamaa, asuma takun ana!” whispered one Yaba Jumi. He explained that the doctrine of tribal superiority began with Abel Alier whose Dinka Bor had a bigger share of ministerial positions than any other section of people in South Sudan. Yac, the Turalei doctor fully agreed, but did not want to be heard because he felt the Dinka Bor were still bent against his people.
Isaiah Kulang tried to console them by suggesting that these problems were only temporary. South Sudan would win in the end. “Not if you people are still sectionalists!” shouted one Elijah Malok. You people here should see beyond tribal power. “Too bad the Bari still saw me as a tribalist, although I married from them! Can you believe that even my own Dinka were still waiting for me to bring them a Dinka wife?”
“I don’t understand why you people are wasting time talking nonsense” yelled Walter Kunijwok, breaking out in sweat even though he was seated in one of the cooler parts of their celestial abode. Walter charged that they were going nowhere because they all wasted time on rubbish – not intellectual discourse. He narrated that South Sudan’s success lay in building a nation devoid of tribal sentiments. Perhaps after the post-CPA quarrels led by Kiir and Riek, younger Junubin will be more engaged in nation-building rather than in the pursuit of material wealth.
Arrivals from Blue House in Juba, as well as a sizeable number from a secret location in Luri, among them Samuel Dong, swore that there was a nationalist class in the making – many of who were deserters from Garang’s SPLM. One of the new arrivals asserted that it is no longer Garang’s SPLM – they are undeclared followers of the NCP. At that point, Oduho, Tafeng, Sumuni, and Surur all started to vomit as they could not bring themselves to believe what they were hearing. A snag they were told has to do with blaming tribal political elites for the failures of the nation – rather than acknowledging the absence of the Rule of Law. But things were looking up. Many ex-SPLA officers are now in this new nationalist trend and do not wish to be bought with positions.
The entire region of the after-world fell silent when they heard that South Sudanese were now holding meetings or fighting the corrupted SPLM as nationalists, yearning for a new constitution, and a more democratic dispensation.
Professor Alfred Sebit Lokuji served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Juba University, South Sudan. He gained his Ph.D. at the University of Georgia (USA) and has taught at various universities in East Africa.
The views expressed in ‘opinion’ articles published by Radio Tamazuj are solely those of the writer. The veracity of any claims made is the responsibility of the author, not Radio Tamazuj.