Tribute To Nyankol Mathiang
By Regina Akok
I was having a telephone conversation with a friend on Saturday 22, September 2012 around noon according to Regina, Saskatchewan which was around 9 pm in South Sudan time zone. Prior to the phone call, I was thinking about her and her work, and I’m not talking about my friend. As a freelance journalist and writer, I have always wanted to have a deep one on one heart to heart exchange so I could get a glimpse of the drive and energy behind her insights and maybe understand her as a strong human being, mother, sister, aunt, wife and a grandmother. I wanted to know, who she is, what she is and where she is. I wanted to share that aspect of her life with the rest of the public. I wanted to have a conversation with her and see the unveiled human behind this legendary voice. I wanted her fans and generations to come to learn about her experiences and struggles, and importantly, to have her historic contributions recorded to on list of these ‘tall’ women who make a difference in people’s lives which is revealed through her constant innovation, creativity and meanings.
I know for sure she already fascinated her fans’ minds and allured their hearts with her marvelous voice, energetic spirit, and her finest words which represent nothing but ultimate courage and brilliance. It had appeared to be an out of the blue question when I suddenly asked my friend on the phone “where is she these days?” I wanted to know if she was here in Winnipeg, where she resided in Canada or South Sudan. I, as a human being with a lot of limitations failed to see how our lifespan is so brief and how easy we can get trapped in our business, assuming mistakenly that we have ultimate control over our time. I thought it was a matter of a phone call to book an appointment that would work for both of us before I started getting back to my usual busy schedule: my family, work and my research, only to find out a few hours later that the veteran artist, the woman, the embodiment of resilience, gallantry, wisdom, and love, Mrs. Teresa Nyankol Mathiang Dut has gone so soon.
I grew up listening to her songs, admiring her voice, loving her lyrics, words of inspiration and hope. Her voice and music stood out to me as a candid and straightforward form of art. Good art supposed to uplift us and that is exactly how I feel every time I play the CD and listen to Kadaan cook luel oak Anok, Kadan cook luel oak mathdi –although not a passive listener, I definitely could not, cannot, and would not sit there without singing, clapping or dancing to this terrific music. How could I not dance or sing and get involved anyway? I can only say about the song – no matter how I translate the words from Thongjieng to English or Arabic and even how competent I might be in all these languages, I will never give the song its fullest justice, it will remain a subjective interpretation –it is a magnificent poem about friendship. I just love the eloquence and richness of the language that captures the spirit of true friendship and love. My dear friends, good art does not emerge from vagueness because it supposed to inspire us and that is exactly what Mrs Nyankol, the woman, did when she sang this phrase: Abeyien don Athong ka Abeyienda. It is an ultimate expression of our long yearning to connect as South Sudanese friends, communities and diverse tribes. Who can transfer nations’ dilemmas into a beautiful narrative that speaks to every individual’s heart than a true legend? It’s an honest moment for an intelligent artist to remind us that it is possible to have that connection and recreate sense of unity if we have doubted for a moment. It is not far away we already have our beautiful fabric of tribes, languages, names, and traditions and all these assets we can count on. That we are in reality bound to each other’s’ destiny, we are a one body, in which each part matters. Maybe it is just a matter of learning about each other and corrects the misconceptions that have grown out of unawareness about who we are as a nation or nations.
Abyei is used allegorically which also literally an Abyei tree to connect all of us in its refuge. A shadow of a tree has served different purposes in our lives, both private and political. What a beautiful song sister! Yes, good art does not tear us apart, and cause us pain but empowers us and gives us hope especially when we feel rusty and can’t do it anymore. It keeps us going despite the difficulties and helps us believe in ourselves and that’s exactly what Riel Puou Raan Col gave me when I first heard it. It is another powerful song about our resilience as black people of South Sudan and other black nations who endured sufferings like us. I see that as an indirect reference to historical experiences of oppression, slavery and colonization. The artist wants us to draw on those moments in our history. When things seemed totally out of control and totally gloomy, we were able to find the resistant spirit in us and rose quickly and recreated hope instead of despair. Again good art supposed to punch us and reprimand us when we forget our alphabets and I hear that in the powerful song of Dong Abyei wei Kada, she wonders as an artist how did we miss Abyei in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement? How did that happen? As an artist, she courageously engages everybody in unfinished conversations about peace, recovery and reconciliation. It is an honest dialogue with our leadership. The few songs I selected here were taken from a long list of several inspiring and refreshing songs. The rememory is an important element in these few poems to revisit our painful history and not to dwell in the past, but she wants the past to be a way forward, a source for our strengths.
Yes, her songs are truthfully entertaining, powerfully engaging our mind, spirit in conversations such about friendship, family, love, children, justice, unity, struggle, and humility, Abyei and the whole South Sudan and Black Africa. I was inspired, engaged and moved. I cried, laughed, longed, desired, and happily danced to her songs, confidently smiled because I knew justice would triumph and hopefully looking forward to better morrows.
I am experiencing mixed feelings right now. My heart is so heavy with vague and gloom, and so sadden but, yet I can still count on your true voice. It was a pleasure to have known you Mrs Nyankol as an artist and that was just a little part of your short journey and what a life worth living! I’m glad you lived to see our independence as a nation. I promise we will not forget your insights for a better South Sudan. I know for sure that the world is a better place because you left your footprints on its soil. It is a great story to tell our children and generations to come. I’m definitely proud to spell my name a WOMAN of South Sudan because you were not afraid to give your best. Nothing could stop you – being a wife did not stop you; motherhood did not stop you; being a grandmother did not stop you. In fact, all these roles had shaped your music and the fighter and strong woman you were. You were clear and quick to spread the message of love. Nyankol the woman, your legacy is alive for generations to come! I love you and rest in peace Austaza Nyankol Mathiang Dut, a daughter of Abyei region but a true daughter of South Sudan, the queen of words.
The author is Freelance journalist (graduate of Journalism School at the University of Regina)
Currently a graduate student in Women’s and Gender Studies
Research women’s stories about war in South Sudan/Sudan
University of Regina
Saskatchewan, Canada
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