South Sudan at Heart

Public speaking scared me almost to death By: Abraham Daljang Maker It was in mid June 2006 at exactly 8:00am when my English teacher called me to his office. Mr. Mazu John who was the head of Literature and English class in the school wanted me to be part of the inter-school debate. “Abraham, we have chosen you to take part in tomorrow’s inter-school debate.” He said.   I lowered my head because I had never appeared in public speaking and I had no idea of how to do it. As he gazed at me to hear my answer, I had a debate in me. Can I go? Can I go...?   I eventually looked up and I saw him still looking at me, I folded my lips and I struggle to hold back the tears. “Okay sir, I will go,” I replied.   “Good boy, you will be the second main speaker, so get ready and by lunch time we shall be on our way.” He said. The motion of the debate was ( advance technology has great advantage in today’s world)    I quickly left his office and ran to a nearby b...

Obstetric fistula ruins women’s lives in South Sudan By: Abraham Daljang Maker KAMPALA: Many women in Lakes State are in pain and socially ostracized because of obstetric fistula but treatment is in short supply.  Underage pregnancies or extended birth can cause obstetric fistula, a condition which blights the lives of many women in South Sudan.  “When a woman's pelvis is small or when a caesarian section is done poorly, it damages the woman’s birth canal,” said Peter Mangar Lual, a nurse in Akot primary health care.   Underage pregnancies and marriages are common in the Dinka culture, which increases the risk of the complication, which can cause a woman to leak urine or faeces, meaning she is socially outcast. In South Sudan girls around six percent of women were married when they were under 15. Almost half of all women are married by the time they turn 18, a United Nation report estimates.  Women are more likely to suffer the condition...

The Niles النيلان -Arabic or English? South Sudan’s linguistic dilemma

Where does lakes state belong? By: Abraham Daljang Maker, Kampala Uganda. KAMPALA:   It has been a while without writing any piece because the situation in South Sudan is not favoring us journalists.   However, the dire situation in Lakes state has forced me to break the silent at last so that I can speak up and see if my opinion can make some sense in the minds of the readers, the politicians and policy makers. The question as to where does the lakes state belong can be answered in various ways by different people in walks of life, but to me; lakes state does not only belong to Lakers alone as you may think. It belongs to all the ten states of South Sudan, to you and me; amazingly, it also belongs to Kenyans, Ugandans, Tanzanians and Congolese. Ask why and I can tell you that all those people that I have mentioned reside in that state and anything that affects it also affects all of them as well. As the saying goes, “what affects eyes also affects nose.” That ...

Street children in Rumbek lakes state are expecting bright dawn By: Abraham Daljang maker KAMPALA:   a good number of street children in Rumbek town, the capital of lakes state, is looking at the bright side of their lives as they expect government support and the development of their talents.   Rumbek town has an increasing number of street kids, especially boys 5-17 years of age bracket who leave their homes and come to live on the street of the small town where they live by scavenging for food in gutters and the leftovers in small restaurants.  Finally, they converge at freedom square, where they spend their nights on a dusty and cold football playground.  Due to hardship in getting food, some of these children have resorted to a dangerous game of pick-pocketing and snatching any valuable item they lay their hands on. As a result, they are beaten and seriously injured by the people to whom they take things. These children al...