Mid July Editorial

The Mid July Editorial

What is the essence of being a black immigrant in a strange land? Should we think of and relate to Harry Belafonte or should Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman No Cry’ suffice? After all, both musicians are people of color; and both sang songs of praise and longing for a land they belong to in their minds. But what is this ideal land supposed to look like? This week, the United Nations recognized Southern Sudan dejure as the world’s newest nation. The official website of the Government of Southern Sudan – www.goss.org – proclaimed that South Sudanese people burst into the streets at the stroke of midnight to celebrate the birth of their new independent state. Shouts of “free at last” filled the air as multitudes of jubilant citizens waved the flag of the new country.

Seminally, we need to take this all into context. Will Southern Sudan become a test case of another failed post independent African state? What contribution will the Sudanese Diaspora consider their own in dealing with their motherland? Until July 2011, Sudan – both Southern and the Khartoum government – was Africa’s biggest nation; officially known as The Sudan. What are we to make of this great nation that has been divided into two? After all, no actual line has been drawn in the dry lands that separate the South from the North; and could basically be a case of dividing the people of present day Kenya and Uganda – separating the Luhya from the Bagisu; the Turkana from the Karimojong.

It is, thus, the opinion of this newspaper that while the independence of Southern Sudan has a great potential for Africa and especially for that central African region, what might actually be more important for geopolitics is how the leaders of the other Great Lakes nations react to the attention this young nation gets from the rest of the world. Southern Sudan has oil; Southern Sudan is now neighbors with Sudan whose leader has an outstanding warrant from the International Criminal Court; Southern Sudan is very close to the al Shabab and the pirates in Somalia; and Southern Sudan is now an ally in the fight against radical Islam.

Secondly, this Southern Sudan independence might be bitter sweet for the region. One only need to look at what is happening to Northern Uganda to see what could potentially happen to this novice of a nation. After more than 25 years of conflict, the Northern Uganda area is seemingly inebriated with non governmental and not for profit organizations seemingly doing all sorts of things to ‘help’ the people. Instead, there seems to be a lack of coordination. Monies are poured into the region and at the same time, corruption and inefficiencies mar each and everything. There is too much money chasing few things, goods and services. In the end, the people do not seem to develop. Of course, this could be a wrong assessment. But we doubt this. Southern Sudan could go the way of the crow.

However, we should not dwell on these things. We should, as a newspaper, be happy for Southern Sudan. We should celebrate in these things and only pray that John Garang, RIP is smiling down from whatever celestial palace he resides. After all, he was right there when the Sudanese civil war begun in 1955.

Dennis Matanda,
Editor