More than 5,000 people watched participants from Yirol and Awerial participate in a wrestling competition in Mingkaman, the U.N. Development Program said in a press release.
“This event is important as it brings people from Yirol and Awerial together, to meet and interact in a place that allows understanding. Now when [the spectators and wrestlers] return to their homes, they will remember the people they met here,” said Sibet Jenena, a Yirol wrestling manager. “If, say, a member of this group gets in trouble in an opposing community, it doesn’t need to turn into a bigger problem. They will know each other. They will have understanding,”
The competition had 21 matches that lasted up to three minutes. The first wrestler to force their opponent onto the ground was declared the winner and if neither wrestler submitted after three minutes the match was a draw.
The event was supported by UNDP as part of initiatives to encourage social cohesion in South Sudan.