Tribalism: The 7th killer disease in South Sudan
6 min readBy Gai Stephen Mayen, Kampala, Uganda
May 24, 2016 (SSB) — In the book of world ‘s scientific records, this disease had blinded the scientist and they had ran short of seeing it thus leaving it undocumented amongst the investigated six killer diseases known globally. I think I am their living testimony to say that it exists and it is now epidemic in the world‘s youngest nation. Just like any other burden that comes across my way, I did toss it to the almighty God and in my daily connection with him, I am so much addicted to praising him than seeking for more. He has given me more than I asked for. This is so incredible indeed and it explains the gladness in me. Someone may even think that I bribed him to attain such apotheosis.
Before South Sudan had borrowed wings to fly away from the Khartoum‘s government in seeking for tranquility, I had knelt down before him and asked for freedom due to an annihilation then, he doubled my wish instead and granted us our own nation. Isn’t this marvelous? I then stretched my hands further and asked for a good health, he slapped me back by training me to be a health care provider. He has fulfilled all that I asked for and if I am now allowed to fit into the shoes of King Solomon and given a second chance to ask for anything that I may desire on this planet, I would ask for a glue that I can use to bind the 64 tribes together. I am seeing them falling apart.
As a staunch ambassador of the mighty nation from whom I forced my way out through her womb, a sense of shrinking wells up tears in my eyes when I catches the glimpses of my mirror-images splintering into smaller denominations in the eve of building up the so-called tribalism. This word has really refused to make its way through my ears. Much as it is so ubiquitous, I suppose it is a neologism and thus repulsed by my body. I guess it is because of it gigantic nature. It being a 7-lettered word, it get stuck as it sequesters through my narrowed pinna. God designed it in such a way that makes me think that it was part of his left-over’s of creation. I must admit, God made me in a special way so as not to accept such bad vices of earthly living.
This scenario has reminded me of a story that had enveloped me a year ago when I introduced my little nephew, Gai Jr into the world of alphabetical order with an aim of installing a “kawajja ’s brain” into him. As I was playing with those letters to forge words out of them, can you guess what my sister’s son uttered out?, he told me to refrain from teaching him heavy words ;The likes of elephants, hippopotamus, and crocodiles in favor of simple words like dogs, cats and tea. He further added that they were too hard to enter into him. So does it mean that my ears are still growing to accept the word? It is a big no because my sun is setting and retardation is my next move.
Nevertheless, for those who have received it, it is now part of them, it has sucked them of blood, eaten their flesh and now moving into bones. Should it finish up the bones? I suppose that is going to be the total collapse of the nation. This havoc has soon reached its climax where a person can be referring to those from other tribes as foreigners. Really can I receive such a word on the land where my umbilical cord was buried? , where else does someone want me to pack my life and go to? .If this act is to continue spreading like a wildfire due to it’s constant fattening, then other divisions within the tribe may occur and it will not be surprising for new vocabularies such as “sub tribalism”, “clanism”, “Lineagism” and even “Gaism (I mean me for myself)” emerging in the Juba’s dictionary which is soon to be given birth to.
I am really astonished when seeing great men who have joined the league of intellectuals spearheading it. This seriously pricks my heart and as it leaps to my brain, it makes me to echo out a good number of questions to them .The most of all is, how can these people really differentiate their brains from those of my people down there in Kolmerek who have never flipped any page and thinks of only themselves?. hehehehe,……..perhaps they can score equally .These people are really antagonizing the Mandela’s quotation which says that, “education is the most powerful tool that one can use to change the world” .For those who earned this golden commodity in the hardest way possible, I expects them to have a wider field of view by seeing beyond their noses and preach the spirit of nationalism than being shrunk up in this small thing to which it is just a subset.
My best moments in life are when I interacts with Gatkuoth , Aburi , Ladu and Kiir .It is not because I do not know where Garang, Thon and Lual resides , It is simply because I am a moving nation. I am the definition of South Sudan wherever I am: be it in my motherland or beyond. I am cultured to be multi-tribal. This togetherness made a colleague of mine to blast a question on me sometimes back. He asked me if either life would be a bed of roses if I had suddenly fallen in love with a Kajo-Keji’s babe for the rest of my earthly living or not. I told him to wait a minute; I then paused a bit and smiled heavily (it is right to think that I laughed). I told him that I would be happier because if God happened to place my missing rib on that cradle land then, why wouldn’t I make myself complete with her? Pairing up with Kiden, Nyanut or Nyakway can happen in favor of Yar and Kuei if that is where God has directed my heart to be.
In accordance to all these, It is clearly pictured out that tribalism is nonsensical and does not befit the caliber of our generation (I mean the dot com era).It is just a dragging force that keep us away from achieving our goals in life. It is a tool that is hindering us from stretching our heads beyond today so as not to see our likely future opportunities. All in all, if we accept that this disease is more of a cancer and eating up the whole nation and refrains from it, then we shall see this nation growing at the fastest rate possible to the level of Washington DC.
Gai Stephen Mayen, Makerere University Kampala. The writer can be reached on gstephenmayen@gmail.com
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