The Martyrs’ Talk from the Graves: What are they saying?

July 9th 2011 is only six months away, and it is when South Sudan will raise it yellowish flag as it becomes youngest nation on the continent of Africa. What began sixty one years ago has become promising to South Sudanese who are witnessing history unfolding in their eyes. To many, it still seems like an exciting dream in the middle of the night which ends every moment one opens their eyes. To others, this is a day that they never thought would happen in their livestime.So I wonder, what our brothers and sisters, the generation Deng Nhial, Ajang Duot, Leek Deng Malual, Ngundeng, and many others are saying in their graves. What is Deng Nhial saying? Is he saying my premature death was not in vain? Is he saying good job my children and grandchildren; you will never die by proxy? Surely, there must be some kind of celebration or debate going on in the afterlife. How can we hear Deng Nhial Message? How about prophet Ngundeng? What is he saying? What is a Deng Nhial generation telling the new arrivals of Nyuon Beny, Kuanyin Bol, Nyanchingak, Majier Gai, Arok Thon Arok, and the top general Dr. Garang De Mabior? How will we ever know what these people are telling us?Hypothetically, this sounds like a fairy tale right? No, I don’t think so…. The answer is with us. When Deng Nhial went to the bush, he was tired of exclusion. He did not want to be a second class citizen. When Ngundeng prophesized one hundred years ago, he foresaw what to come and he believed that one day his people will be freed from the bondage of humiliation. So what is the message that these forefathers are telling us?

Perhaps, they are saying, “we started the journey and you finished it. We have shown you the road and you traveled it. We lid the fire, and you kept it alive. We started with Anya Nya I and Anya Nya II finished the job.” It sounds to me that the narrative is it was a joint effort of the dead and the livings.

To this I say, yes, indeed it was a joint effort and thanks you for starting it. Thank you for showing us the road to travel. Thank you Anya Nya I for starting and Thank you SPLM/A for finishing the job.
With these words, I say, the hard work begins. The work to build a sustainable South Sudan has begun and it will require children, women, and men, young and old to transcend individual averageness. It will require our excellence, steadfastness, hospitality, resilience, creativity, endurance, and strong leadership. We all know our aspiration and hopes are so high. To achieve them, we each needs to chip in whatever each of us thinks to build us up and not tearing us apart. It’s a better tomorrow that killed a Deng Nhial generation, and it is unquestionably what took the lives of our two millions beloved citizens including Dr. Garang De Mabior.

So wherever you might this February 7th 2011 when the referendum results were announced, you heard the call of Deng Nhial, you heard the Nyanchingak call from the top of mountain Boma, you heard Nyuon Beny summon to action, you heard the Kuanyin Bol call to action, you heard Majier Gai intellect calling young men and women to educate themselves, you heard Ngundeng prophesying the future, you heard Arok Thon wit call to invigorate our creativity, you heard Ajang Duot and Leek Deng Malual leadership-ability summoning us to transcend tribalism and clanism, and you definitely heard Dr. Garang visionary call to look into the future of South Sudan.