A South Sudanese writer and columnist has called on fellow citizens to properly document the country’s history through books to encourage the culture of reading and for the coming generation.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj at the sidelines of the launch of his book titled “Kodual”, Atem Simon said the book which comprised of his analyses and personal opinion on the political, economic, and social situation in South Sudan for nearly 20 years tries to look at the future opportunities for the country.
Simon, who had been writing for Al Maseer and Al Maouqif Arabic daily newspapers said the book will serve as an archive for a series of incidents, visions, and future expectations for the country to help connect the coming generation with the development of the country.
“I opted that these articles should not just end in newspapers only but be put in proper context in the form of a written book. I also wanted to give a picture of how the media was able to capture the different political, economic and social developments in the country during the past time,” Atem said.
Simon said the book summarizes the features of the overall national crisis in the country which need to be followed through history and by the upcoming generation.
Sarah Deng who attended the book launch at Juba University late last week said South Sudan’s complex challenges are well documented in books that are available to a wide population and will help in finding a durable solution to the crises.
“Atem Simon has tried to summarize the aspirations of the youth of today who love their country and reflect whatever bad things that are happening,” Sarah Deng said. “If leaders can listen to these voices, they should work in changing the situation for the better.”
Guil Rom Guil, who works as an advocate in Juba, said more books will increase the knowledge of the people and encouraged South Sudanese to adopt the culture of reading and acquiring knowledge about their country.
“This country has a lot of revolutions that need to be utilized appropriately through the culture of reading and writing,” Rom said. “Writing is not an easy task and it is a process that might take long to adopt.”