Death Will Always Be Our Inevitable Partner; Unless We Break The Long Silence
By: Tut Kuany Kok
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children” — Nelson Mandela.
The death of the three adorable children [from the same parents] whose throats were cut by unknown person in Rock City residential area in Juba has been a devastating and shocking bulletin to all South Sudanese and beyond. But their death happened because, it’s the kind of injustices, lawlessness, insecurity and hatred that were brought by war in the land.
However, there is nothing good in the country where there’s no respect for children’s right to live. In fact, children are the most precious possessions on earth, of which it’s the greatest sin when one took their lives unjustly. Whether those children were murdered by close relative or not, it is due to the fact that there’s no justice or law that forbid the killing, since the killing of both unborn and infants was spearheaded by Salva Kiir himself in 2013 pogrom. So as a person who lost my siblings in the same way, I wouldn’t talk much but I’m sending my sincere condolences to the family of the dead souls. And may their Profound Souls Rest In Peace Until Justice Is Served.
To all South Sudanese, let us know that our throats will never part with knives and machetes for there are those whose duty in the country has been to hack us, lynch us, chop us, bisect-disect our bodies into two equal parts, clobbering us and pulverize our skulls like the dead cows in the butchery. It’s however, an inexplicable to understand where we’re heading to with all these kind of madness as the country of 11 million peoples. It’s at the same time incomprehensible, as to where our destination would be since killing, maiming, eviction of one from his house forcefully and the death from starvation has been an unavoidable scenario in that ragging land.
Therefore, all these things are happening because of our silence and the fear of self expression. This silence has embedded in us something that will cause the extinction of the whole generation of South Sudan. And It is the kind of silence that blinded us beyond seeing what is bad for us.
What shall we ever gain from our perpetual and unceasing silence that fooled us for years, while thinking that things would change and hitherto nothing have changed? What is so difficult for us to understand for once that it’s “WE” the peoples of South Sudan who will surely bring back the lost freedom, pluralism and national interactions amongst ourselves that we dearly missed? We have suffered enough to the highest limit, and, still we’re suffering and we shall continues to suffer for unknown time. Until we realize that the collective articulation of our grievances is much needed to rescue our country from total extinction. Also when we identify our potential responsibility as the citizens of one country, then we would be likely to fix our problems by ourselves.
But the most significant question is: Is Salva Kiir who has been sitting on that national seat so important than the lives of 11 million people whom he is trying to destroy? I think not. Then what are we going to gain by standing partly in the name of “this is my tribe, father, uncle and etc instead of fighting this battle together..? Should we for once transform our silence into something that will end this madness, into something that will rebuild our lives, into something that will stop killing among ourselves, into something that will stop destruction of properties and into something that will eliminate tribalism, clanism, cronyism, schism and nepotism?
Let’s all take it into account that, our ineptitude, grudging and unwillingness to solve our own problems, that we long instigated ourselves has reached to the point where our image in the other part of the world has been spoiled. And we need to work for peace so that we retrieve our respect back from our neighbors.
Now, it’s in this moments where we should understand wisely that, we shall perish one after another unless we realize that, one leader who rules the country with iron fist or through regional and international influence isn’t important than all of us. It’s in such moments as these that are of need for us to understand that South Sudan belongs to all of us. It doesn’t belong to the Dinka who keep saying that “they’re born to rule,” it doesn’t belong to the Nuer who think that they have natural ability and strength to subjugate their enemy in whatever way possible. And it doesn’t belong to Equatorians who think that the amount of intelligence they possess would lead them to rule the country.
Therefore, South Sudan belongs to all of us, and everyone of us deserves to rule.
So in conclusion, let’s all come together and worship at the altar of reconciliation, forgiveness, unity, love and harmony for the entire benefits of the upcoming generation up to posterity.
May God Bless South Sudan and its beautiful peoples.
(Tut Kuany Kok is a political activist whose opinions have been read widely across the political world of South Sudan. The views expressed in this article are his and do not reflect Ramciel Broadcasting’s nor partake in. He can be reached via his Facebook social media account: Tut Kuany Kok)