South Sudan at Heart

I had to plead or else I would get slapped or go to police cell. By: Abraham Daljang Maker It has never crossed my mind that one day I had to beg for mercy for having not stood up when a leader shows up. However, I had to do it for my own safety and thank God that I never went in or got slapped. I was attending one of the important events where a leader of that territory was going to be a chief guest. Being south Sudanese, I always remain very conscious about honouring people and I am always ready do it for my own safety because I know my countrymen/women like to be adored wherever and whenever they passed. It is not a new experience for me to call people “b anydit/Zolkabiir ” meaning Sir or “Big leader” if you want literal explanation. I also greet people with two hands to show them that they are big and I am small, that makes them feel great. The reason for my consciousness is because I am well aware that my people like being revered to make them feel good and feel big f...

When cattle keeping becomes a curse than a blessing By: Abraham Daljang Maker It has never occurred to me that what would be the pride of certain community would turn out to be the curse at some point. May be because I am looking at this at the wrong angle, but without doubt, I am pretty sure that it is getting into my nerves every day. What I am insinuating is that, cattle keeping in some communities has turned out to be a total disaster to themselves.  Cows have all the benefits you can think of and these benefits include but not limited to meat, skin, hooves, dung, milk, horns; mention them…To some communities, it is the source of dowry, some countries have become considerably rich due to cattle keeping. However, to some communities in south Sudan, notably Lakes State, it has turn out to be sources of misery. About 95% of the clan conflicts in Lakes State are circling around cattle keeping, believe it or not, but the truth is, cattle have created more harm beyond th...

GOODBYE UGANDA! After my 12 years of academic pursuance in Uganda, my sojourn in that country has come to an end. i will dearly miss Uganda and its nice people: 1. The Ever Smiling Iteso,  2.The Ever Polite Baganda,  3.The Ever welcoming Lugbara and  4. the Ever Chatty Bakiga.  As Human being, we all have points of weaknesses, If I've ever stepped on your feet; it's now time to ask for your forgiveness.  I've also forgiven whoever might have hurt me knowingly or unknowingly. I will always Love Uganda and its people, see you whenever i come around.  Lots of Love! Abraham Daljang Maker

I am a German by Choice, did you know that? By: Abraham Daljang Maker I have never been to Germany, but some events which happened since I was a boy took me there spiritually, but not physically. It was one Sunday in 1999 when I met German friend, this was during the Bible study. As a boy, I had no idea of who is a German, American, Briton, etc. But all I knew was only “kawaja” a white person, but little did I know that my first white friend was a German. German was the second foreign language which I was able to say a few words such as “Danke, guten Abend, guten Morgen, and guten tak” since 1999. (Not sure if spelling is correct.) In 2000, when I was in primary seven, I got a pen pal from Germany; Bernard was also in Primary school in Germany and is a brother to Christa, my first German friend. Through Christa, I would send hand written letters to my pen pal. It was such an  amazing  moment to receive a letter from a white boy of my age from unknown part of the wor...

Children of South Sudan need better education, but not petty businesses By: Abraham Daljang Maker JUBA:  child labour in South Sudan is reaching its highest peak in the capital Juba for instance, you see children of all age doing any businesses for their survival. When you pay a close attention in the morning during rush hour, you see young boys riding commercial motorcycles carrying people who are going to do their businesses. These boys are too young to be doing that kind of business, but no one seems to notice this or maybe people see it but shrug it off as none of their business. One day as I was on hurry to the city centre, I saw a boy riding a motorcycle, he stopped to ask me if I needed a lift; I asked him how old he was and he told me he is sixteen. He refused to answer many questions about why he chose to be a motorcyclist at that tender age instead of going to school. These children are at risk in many ways: Firstly, they are too young to control the motorc...

Could the culture of violence be rooted in the language we speak? By: Abraham Daljang Maker JUBA: there seems to be a link between the hostility most of us have and the language we speak. I am not good in speaking Arabic but I have something little which I can use to order food and strike small conversation with other people. Sometimes I feel ashamed of myself because everyone in South Sudan speaks it to certain level, but I console myself due to the fact it is not an official language although everyone prefers it informally. To cut this story short, I am just wondering why people sound impolite when speaking Arabic. I have observed this for quite a while, and sometimes I fail to distinguish between quarrels and normal conversation. I am not being bias about this particular language, nor am I naïve about it but there is something peculiar about the way people speak it. When I hearing people speaking, it all turn as heated debate even when it is normal conversation, everyone ...

World press freedom day, what does it mean to south Sudanese journalists? By: Abraham Daljang Maker: JUBA: South Sudanese journalists join the rest to the world to celebrate the world press freedom day. But what lesson do we learn from this crucial day as journalists?  There are many ways of defining what freedom means, but in my own view, I can say that freedom is when you choose to do something without intimidation and torture both physically and emotionally. Therefore I would say press freedom is when journalists execute their daily activities without being harassed by authorities. What then does it mean to have press freedom? Does it mean that journalists should write any crap with believe that there is freedom in press? Do we as journalists have to just speak our minds about what we see is best for us without catering for the interest of the public? Do we have to strive for economic gain without seeking the truth? The answer to all these questions is a big No. ...