The Importance of South Sudanese Cultural Diversity and Identity in Nation Building
BY: Beny Gideon Mabor, South Sudan SEPT. 23/2011, SSN; 1. Introduction There is no country without people, and no people without cultures. This is the constitutional obligation why the governments worldwide do recognize the peaceful coexistence of cultures, norms and ethical values of every society in a given territorial jurisdiction. The questions remain how these cultural diversities and identities in nationhood positively or negatively contribute to the nation building. Do they really divide us or bring us together in a unified diversity for common good? To my perspective, I am of the opinion that unity in diversity is the best tool for resolving inter-tribal conflicts in South Sudan by mandating the indigenous communities to settle their disputes in accordance with their own personal laws and obligations. Without doubt, every community in South Sudan is guided by their own identity markers or characteristics such as language, lineage, accent and customary duties, but above all remain guided by concept of national identity, citizenship and belonging under the new Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011. Politically speaking, the national identity of every country is always the notion upon which the politics and governance of that country is based in the constitutional arrangement. The Republic of South Sudan is a multicultural, religious, multiethnic and other social affiliations defined to be peacefully coexisting under the Transitional Constitution. However, the rationale behind this legal framework is to grant an equal opportunity and consideration of all cultural diversities regardless of size, or cultural heritages. Yet there is no guarantee of these promises under the current laws rather we must built our cultural diversity and identity on solid foundation in the making of permanent constitution to make it a reality in the correct redefinition of nationhood, identity and belonging. As a national agenda with urgency of addressing the matter, any attempt by the government to ignore the accommodative ethno-cultural freedom will automatically sparks cultural relativism or rivalry and may reflect negative impacts and develop into acute range of tribalism, nepotism and other harmful social corruptions to a final threat of political stability and thereby arises symptoms of a fail state. It is due to this ethnocentrism why South Sudanese fail to arrive at common factor to achieve cohesion of national identity. Allow me to give you one example of Bari speaking groups in Central Equatoria State occupying six counties from Morobo in the North to Kajokeji in the far South and from Terkeka in the East to Yei county in the far west, all speak Bari language. They really shared one identity as determined by common language, but when you refer to any of this ethnic group outside Juba County as Bari, the person will deny you and swear that he or she is not Bari but only Bari speaking tribe with different ethnic origin such as Kakwa, Kuku, Mundari, Pajulu and the lists goes on. Consequently, our politics and governance of the day in South Sudan are shaped along these tribal lines and definitely the basis of forming the governments and even determining the allocation of basic services usually with wrong formula of lion share depending on the size and self claimed responsibility of each ethnic group for reasons best known to them. Others are bluntly saying that revolutionary rights are not disputable, but they can use anything including corruption as the least common multiples just to quench their thirst of liberation struggle. The question posed now is what will be our national identity? Of course the national identity of the former united Republic of Sudan was arabization and islamization which culturally disadvantaged the black African south, who were largely Christians and animist to wage war of national identity until we were granted on July 9, 2011 as independent nation. Unfortunately, the freedom fighters in South Sudan right from the Anyanya revolutionary movement and the current Sudan People Liberation Movement and Army SPLM/A could not develop our national identity, to which was the cause of civil conflict. Further, the conflict of national identity has flared up in many countries including Rwanda, Burma, and East Timor and to the former united Republic of Sudan to mention few where citizens experienced cultural hatred and segregation. I pray our government will address this cause with sincere dedication through its national programs and civil society organizational framework of similar agendas to meet mounting challenges of national identity. However, the revival of the “House of Nationalities” or similar cultural forum can be good option to protect the identity of all ethnic communities by encouraging respect for all cultures and languages, but does not means tribalism or discrimination in any form. Our nation is a big family of 62 tribes or originally into Nilotic, Bantu and Sudanic groups with great diversity. Therefore the political acknowledgment of cultural diversity and identity will make a significant contribution to the nation-building through what is called interculturalism, in other word by recognizing all commonalities, reduced anxiety and encourage pattern of social affiliations amongst various cultural groups. The Republic of Botswana in Southern Africa is live example where there established a House of Chiefs, for the purposes of unity and reconciliation together with other mandatory cultural duties binding on their citizens. Creditably, Botswana is a nation in the records of good governance and stability in the whole of Africa and the region. What about the Republic of South Sudan in this record? Amongst the doctrines of good governance is to accept unity in diversity through some acceptable cultural platforms for dialogue and disputes resolution mechanism. In practice I suggest a real commitment to our broad-based cultural development and conduct evaluation after sometimes to ascertain whether the outcome of legitimizing the cultural diversity and identity has negatively or positively affect the nation building in comparable dimensions. 2. Africans National Identity: South Sudanese historical context The South Sudanese people of the old days were generations governed by virtues of natural justice and utmost due respect to all walk of life. The Africans national identity in general and South Sudanese in particular was vested upon elders or any person observed with specialized knowledge. The identity markers were passed inform of oral histories from generation to another until finally when some of this historical legend were written in the present day. The elders explain to children where you came from and what is your Godfather on earth to pay true allegiance inform of worships and procedures to refrain from disgracing the spiritual related item. The children that remain closer and listen to their parents and other elderly during conversation are said to be wiser than others as they acquired wisdom. This was how we remain a very conservative society and cherished our cultural diversity and identity. Today, we lost such legacy and enters into confrontation with ourselves, hence forced us into bad character association and evil thoughts including random killing, laziness, theft and countless commissions and omissions disgraceful before God and the law. 3. Conclusion After careful analysis of the conflict of identity in the Republic of South Sudan, it is a complex situation difficult to recommend clear directions, but nevertheless, any further attempt to bring about relative proposal can be welcome idea and the subject remain open ended for more constructive criticism and gradually gaining momentum to see dream come true. The adoption of national identity shall be Cultural Revolution in the historical making of our new nation one day. I conclude that establishment of national schools across our country and the successive introduction of unified languages not more than three dialects to be adopted in the general and tertiary educational curriculum. Finally, the government should develop the cultural exhibition centers as the overall recreational units for many exercises including dancing, singings, wrestling, spiritual performances, wedding and other cultural diversities in order to educate the opposite groups for similar purpose. It may then convince certain ethnic groups to adopt any observed diversity and assimilated it into their way of life and ongoing creation of one identity may see light of the day in Republic of South Sudan. The author is South Sudanese columnist and any expressions made herein do not represent any level of Government; Beny Gideon Mabor Tel: +249-928879891 +249 928879891 COMMENTS, PLEASE CLICK HERE Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author(s) and do not represent those of the website. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
