A choir of Sudanese from Storm Lake sings an invocation during Saturday’s independence celebration. Photo submitted

On Saturday morning the Sudanese in Denison celebrated with dancing, singing, a parade and food the formation of a sovereign nation: the Republic of South Sudan.

The Sudanese have come to the United States by invitation of the U.S. government due to their status as refugees. A refugee is someone whose life is in danger if they return to their homeland.

The events began with an autocade displaying the new flag of South Sudan along with the American flag and escorted by the Denison Police Department.

In the early afternoon a general meeting took place at the Denison Baptist Church that was attended by more than 130 Sudanese, Hispanics and Anglos from Denison, Sioux City, Omaha, Storm Lake, Des Moines and South Sudan. Several dignitaries were in attendance including:

– Deputy Director for Investor Services of the Ministry of Investment of the Government of South Sudan Dual Bijiek Gony

– Deputy Chairperson from the SPLM (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement) Chapter in Des Moines Simon Puok Dalc

Visiting pastors John Lazarus from the Nazarene Sudanese Church in Omaha, Abuok Abuok from the Sudanese Church in Omaha, Paul Chuol from the St. John Lutheran Church in Storm Lake, and Glenn Rankin From the Denison Episcopal Church
The event began with a group from Storm Lake that sang several songs in the Nuer language as an invocation.

Nuer and Dinka are the two largest language groups of South Sudanese living in Denison; English is used as the principal language when people from other language groups are present, with an exception for special music.

Denison Baptist Church Pastor Marc Wallace hosted the event and opened the meeting with a sermon from the Word of God and spoke on “The Four Biblical Principals of a Healthy and Growing Community.”

Wallace shared that he “felt very humbled when he began walking toward the podium to speak (and) a group of women from Storm Lake stood up and began to sing in Nuer. Then without hesitation, everyone present followed suit, stood and began singing, welcoming (me) and the preaching of the Word of God. Pastor Rankin…was honored in a very similar way when he walked to the podium to give a greeting to the Sudanese community.”

Gony has been living in Omaha, Nebraska, but due to his new appointment in the new government of South Sudan, he and his family will be moving to Juba, Sudan, the Capital of South Sudan.

Gony spoke, sharing about the changes that have occurred in South Sudan and the rebuilding process. He invited the community to wait until they finished with their education in the United States before returning to South Sudan to help rebuild, train and equip people.

South Sudan has designed a flag for their new country and Gony took some time to address questions about the flag from the group gathered at the church. The colors of the flag are black, which stands for the people; red, which represents the blood shed by martyrs for their country; white is for peace; green is for the country, itself, which is rich in agriculture and minerals; and blue is for the waters of the River Nile, which gives life.

Gony emphasized that the single gold star in the middle of the triangle represents the Star of Bethlehem as South Sudan is a Christian nation. Additionally, the symbol represents the unity of the states as one people, he said.

Michael Lindi, who has received a master’s degree and has been teaching at the university level in the United States, shared about the history of Sudan.

A final speaker told the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan who became orphaned during the war. The northern military raided villages and killed the villagers. The young boys in Sudan traditionally cared for livestock so when the raids occurred, they were out with their animals so were left orphaned. Some of the young men died wandering in the desert, others were captured by militant forces that taught them to fight, and others found safe haven in refugee camps.

Many of the Sudanese have experienced a very traumatic life prior to coming to the United States. It was not uncommon for them to spend years in a refugee camp in crowded conditions. With so many people living in such crowded conditions, many adults were left without any active employment. Children were unable to attend schools unless a teacher was available and a makeshift school could be set up. Food and personal supplies were supplied by relief agencies. Life and sustenance was dependent upon the kindness and generosity of many countries, not-for-profit agencies, and volunteers.

Majok Kel Gawech, president of the Denison Sudanese community, invited all in attendance to partake in a meal prepared by the local Sudanese at the conclusion of the meeting.

Wallace described the food as “a delectable delight of various meat and corn dishes, which are traditional for the Sudanese community.”

Information, article and photos courtesy of Denison Baptist Church Pastor Mark Wallace

A brief history of South Sudan

For a number of years the Muslims living in Northern Sudan have oppressed and persecuted the Christians in South Sudan. The oppression and persecution ranged from not providing basic services such as education and health care, to the aggressive action of genocide. A long and bloody war between the North and South, which lasted from 1983 to 2005, ended when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed.

The people of South Sudan voted overwhelmingly for succession from Sudan and on July 9, 2011, the Republic of South Sudan was born as an independent nation. On July 13 the United Nations’ Security Council voted unanimously to recognize South Sudan as an independent and sovereign nation and on July 14, the UN General Assembly admitted the Republic of South Sudan as the 193rd member country and raised the country’s flag at the UN headquarters for the first time in New York. For more information about the development and emergence of the Republic of South Sudan see the country’s government’s website at www.goss.org.

Tucsonans will fete South Sudan independence Saturday