Challenges Facing South Sudanese Youth (Generation Y) in the West

By Gabriel Pageer Ajang

South Sudanese generation Y are group of youth that were born in the midst of two Sudans war. There were born in 1980s and grew up in wars. Disproportionate number of these young persons were born and raised in diaspora knowing little or almost nothing about their cultures, and traditions. And social and behavioral patterns of Millennial and are trying to devise, and decrease intergenerational estrangement, and increase relationships of reciprocal understanding between older parents and Millennial, while at the same time making Millennial more comfortable.

This is clear in renown’s Jean Piaget’s cognitive development theory in which he conceded that in the later stages of development of children’s social environment could influence the developmental process. Well in in the midst 1960s, James Marcia chimed in with his identity status theory. Perhaps more importantly, these theories could assist South Sudanese children to recognize the inter-related aspects of development while providing a platform from which to measure and investigate the various dimensions of adolescent development in western countries. Lives of south Sudanese in diaspora are illustrated in Erikson’s theory that clearly enunciates that the entire lifecycle as a developmental process, to be an ongoing, life-long process. According

to Erikson’s theory, people must pass through sequential developmental stages known as “crises”, during which they either develop the necessary skills to become successful, happy members of society; or, they will fail to successfully navigate the crisis and remain “stuck” at that developmental stage.

The above theories could potentially guarded child development in most of South Sudanese families in the diaspora. However, the struggle to educate a child is real because there are other factors that impede bringing of children in the west. In this month of September 2014, youth from United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia launched several videos in social networks in an attempt to revive core cultural values. This was done partially because some of south Sudanese youth are caught between adapting their cultural traditions and western values. Disproportionate of number of youth long for assimilation; they want to fully embrace western values, i.e. life styles, values, norms, and compromised their traditions and cultural norms. However, the majority of South Sudanese families seek integration into the western main stream culture while retaining South Sudanese core essential cultural values.

Significant percentage of South Sudanese youth are in predicament and caught in serious dilemma. These youth know little about their culture but at the same time, brawl in process of integrating into western culture. Hence, the prevailing struggle of preservation of fundamental African values could not be underestimated. There are several existing theories suggest that child brought up in a family with rich cultural values is most likely to succeed in all his/her endeavors. Bringing up healthy children require healthy and loving family’s environment.

However, the odds are real, and challenges facing many families are existential, and these demands develop cohesive responds to resolve unrelenting national crisis. I am not by any mean in any position of blaming affected families; this was simply bound to happen. South Sudanese choses to fight for independence with Khartoum government, and as consequences, thousands of families were displaced. The challenges facing Generation Y are components of the postwar issues that South Sudan government never comments on or maybe, this was never brought to her attentions.

Besides, thousands of precious lives claimed and immense destructions of properties in two wars in the two Sudans, however, the generation who was born in these two wars remains at risk. Good number of Generation Y are neither going to school nor working. This makes them highly susceptible to crimes. To some extent, they are susceptible crimes and failures in life because they were not encouraged to deeply comprehend dignity of work, important of education, the important of culture, and individual responsibility in family.

They were also not encouraged to dream bigger, and given reasons to succeed. They were not taught to transcend challenges and barriers. The classical of example of factual story of success in the whole African continent: is the story of lost boys of Sudan’ education. This is true success story because it is rare for children without parental supports to attain such magnificent educational achievements.

The journey of lost boys’ education that landed them in tops finest universities in the West started in unpenetrated remote regions of Great Upper Nile, Bhar el Ghazel, and Equatoria of South Sudan. As kids, lost boys were mold by their parents to prioritize their careers. They were told numerous advices times, and times, again and again about the significance and imperative of becoming medical doctor, lawyers, engineers, leaders of tomorrow. While in Ethiopia and Kenya these advices were reinforced by South Sudanese leaders who made the lost boys’ education a mission, and successful one. Today, most of the lost boys have realized their educational dreams,

Although impacts of wars are immense on this younger generation, the story of lost boys affirmed that even in the midst of unbearable difficulties, one can thrive and succeed. Some of South Sudanese in generation Y have lost their cultural norms and values that usually build lasting self-esteems in children (child developmental theorists suggested). These youth have lost very essence of their culture that sustains vital values in human beings.

So what is culture? This seems to be simple question but it is fundamentally important in comprehending significance cultural values that are lost by South Sudanese Generation Y so that the stakeholders can charter new recourse for Generation Y. There is may be diverse definitions of culture but culture is defined as cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the community or tribes, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.

However, I still want to define culture in context of challenges that are facing South Sudanese Generation Y (youth). And in this context, culture is defined as coherent sets of answers that confront us in the passage of our lives. We can be able to seek for coherent answers in order to address issues that confront Generation Y.

What are these challenges that warrant coherent answers? Here are some samples:

Cultural dilemma, this is situation in diaspora where South Sudanese youth do not fit in the western cultural main stream, and had no culture to fall back on.

Lack of effective communication in the family, this is a graving situation where some children born in diaspora speak English and their parent do not speak English. In these particular families parents do not effective communicate with their loved ones. In such case, children go outside social channel to find loves and cares.

The loss of rich endearing norms and traditional values take huge toll on children, and immensely affect parents.

NB: I witnessed several case studies while working for the Nebraska Office of Juvenile Services (OJS). A disproportionate number of minority children were in the juvenile system because of cultural dilemma or parents do not speak English, and children do not speak in dialects spoken by their parents. I personally visited homes of these juveniles to confirm this information. I witnessed it in the first two families where children played videos, and watch TVs constantly because of lack of communications with their parents. It is a sad reality. However, the news was the South Sudanese community, Lincoln and Omaha public school liaisons join their hands in the process of integrating children in the juvenile’s systems into their communities. By the time I left this Office of Juvenile Services, we had cut the number of minority juveniles into half. However, I believed that more is needed to be done in this area to ensure mutual benefit between South Sudanese and America communities. It is important to point out the Nebraska hosted the largest South Sudan Population in the United States. According the census conducted by Mary Willis, professor of anthropology, and Ethnic studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, almost 10, 000 South Sudanese resided in the state of Nebraska.

Issues facing south Sudanese youth in diaspora are not new but they were triggered by ice bucket challenges. The ice bucket challenge was initiated to raise funds, and created awareness to combat chronic disease, e.g. ALS but South Sudanese challenges were meant to create cultural awareness. Several of my close friends launched their videos, and premiered their auditions in the Facebook that illustrates their integral held values and talents in one own culture or different cultures. I was challenged but I opted out, and deferred my challenge to others, and choses to write this article to ensure challenges that were made to reach larger public.

In conclusion, we have learnt immeasurably at contemporaneous times that the core cultural values of one community remains as underpinning resources upon which one can use to climb ladders of success. For instance, prides in many songs sung, cited various idioms and tongue twisters in videos that were made, encouragement of hardworking, pride in dignity of wok, humility in treatment of each other, joy and love of one family, empathy and sympathy express to people that are not related to you, willingness to put yourself into situation of those who are suffering, maintenance kinship net workings, abiding faith in development of healthy children to be seeds of tomorrow, these and more are what make our communities unique, and allow them to thrive for thousands of years long the River Nile. The chart below outlines performances of those who joined their hands and responded to various challenges.

I am proud of many folks that have made their videos and posted them on social networks. However, I selected these individuals to demonstrate skills of addressing challenges that are facing generation Y. Two were born in diaspora, and two were born in South Sudan, however all of them have validated and proven their ability to sing songs in their mother’s tongue, and others recital tongue twists to indicate that they still embrace and hold their cultural values closer to their hearts.

Dr. James Yai Atem, sung a song that is mostly use in Dinka community to train a child about their traditional dance. Yai also performs tongue twisters to prove that he retains his expertise in his own rich tradition of Dinka.

Esther Kuer Mabior sung two songs, one in Dinka, and other one in Nuer to demonstrate her skills in both tribal dialects. She is attempting to build relationships among Nuer, Dinka, and Lokaiya. She is Dinka, she knows Nuer dialects, and her mother is from Equatoria. Esther is embodiment and threads and needles that bind South Sudanese communities in her songs in sung.

Akur Geu Deng sung two songs that demonstrate pride in gorgeous tradition, and endearing legacy of her own community. She takes prides in communal living that revealed respect and dignity to those who are living side by side

Yarr Achok Deng expresses her humility, and loyalty of her community people in a song. She expresses prides, kindness, and loves of one community in her excellent volumes. The success, and humility is founded in rich tradition, and culture, and songs she sung illustrate it.

This chart illustrates your cultural challenges that you responded to. I selected these individuals that premier their auditions in the social network.

• Gabrial Pager Ajang, Political and History Instructor at Wright Career College He can be reached at ajangassociates@gmail.com