By Kur Wel Kur, Australia
April 6, 2015 (SSB) —- Builders take ages to build homes, villages, towns, cities, countries and lives; however, demolishers dismantle them in nicks of times. Countries without foundations, collapse with a swirl of land breeze. And so do lives without helping hands and minds of women.
Mary Padar articulated, ” This is country I was born in, grew upon, and got old in…During the war I was moving with the SPLA here and there. I was not in the army, but I was helping them preparing food”
Anyieth D’Awol is laying unshakable foundations for South Sudan. She is empowering women through what they do best. Awakening their talents, Anyieth built a centre for women to do their traditional arts and crafts.
Backgrounds: her country of origin, her residence, her academic and her work.
Anyieth is our own daughter who resides in Mozambique with her young family (husband and daughter). She graduated with LLB (bachelor of law) at Sheffield Hallam university in United Kingdom (England). She then completed her master of law in human rights from Leicester university in United Kingdom. She has worked for three years with (UNMISS) United Nations Mission in South Sudan as human rights officer.
Her achievements: her activities in health, development and for peace
- Anyieth conducted independent research to record cases of HIV/AIDS among women after civil war of South-North Sudan.
- She wrote a book: Chapter on sexual violence in hope, pain and patience: Women of South Sudan.
- She wrote a number of articles, which covered a range of issues, from child abuse, violence against women to justice and accountability for victims and survivors of South Sudan war. Paanluel Wel: South Sudanese bloggers, published three of her articles: ‘Women, violence and the AU Commission of Inquiry Report: The Truth about the Lies’, ‘ IGAD Mediators: The South Sudanese People have the right to know’, ‘Naming the Ones We Lost-South Sudan Conflict: 15 December 2013 to the Present day’
- She founded the Roots Project and established a Centre for women to do arts and crafts.
- The Civil Society including Anyieth, formed Citizens for Peace and Justice (CPJ)
Securing the human mind(positively), clears the way for peace and development.
The Roots project as Anyieth directs it, helps women to express their feelings, use their imaginations and pour their creativities in the craft. Gaining confidence in working as a team, women feel free to express resentment towards tribalism and war. Here is what they had to say:
Elizabeth Juang said, ” When God gave us our country, we came and killed ourselves like fish.Why don’t we remember this? When we went to the bush, we didn’t go because of tribalism. We went because we’re suffering injustice”
Mit Dai said, ” If tribalism is not left behind, the country will not go ahead, it will not develop. This is our main problem. .. If we could think the way we did in the referendum vote, people united together, we went there with one heart, we voted together”
She has anywhere from 61 to more women crafting in the centre. This number of women can spread peace through their children because most hostility originates from prejudices of the parents. So the generations arrive shunning one another. The Roots project creates a conducive atmosphere for women to discuss issues affecting them.
It encouraging and empowering women to exchange knowledge of different tribes. Not only does Roots give women opportunities to make money through their arts and crafts but it also provides essential services such as literacy and numeracy classes, childcare for Roots women’s children, healthy meals for women and their children,transportation and legal support (aid).
Anyieth had this to say:
“We have about 40 women from 13 different tribes and 16 at UNMISS camp. We just got funding for recruiting displaced women from Bor, Malakal and elsewhere”.
Her intentions cultural identity and reduce over dependence
Examining it, Many of us might not have an idea about what this amazing daughter or sister has created/done; but Anyieth is paving the ways for South Sudanese’s contribution to African art and craft. Craft or art is about feelings and instincts. These thoughts vary from people of one location to the next location of others. Therefore, art and craft establishes cultural identities. Soon our exotic and original craft will bear the four golden words: “Made in South Sudan.”
I know some nations rocketed to the moon and they are exploring ways of landing on Mars; however, they achieved this sky-high development by embracing in a humble way, what’s their, as little as creating a distinctive accent.
On her website (www.rootsofsouthsudan.org), Anyieth had this to say:
“The cycles of violence, poverty and insecurity can be broken by the empowerment of women who will provide the right conditions for children and their future. “
Definitely true on this side of the coin, and even truer, if you flip the other side of the coin, Anyieth curbs over dependence of Africans on Westerners’ expensive items such as gold necklaces, bungles, bracelets, rings(in diamond or in gold) or tiara. Though, our craft items are flimsy, they carry with them historical information of our great long gone generations.
To finish it off, I would like to invite you to the Roots Project centre in Juba to witness by yourself what these amazing women and lovely daughter are doing if you reside in Juba; or you can visit them online at www.rootsofsouthsudan.org, if you live elsewhere.
Our government and us must support this project for it to grow into an institute of South Sudanese art and craft.
God blesses South Sudan, Anyieth, women of South Sudan and you.
NOTE (ACKNOWLEGEMENTS): I extracted all quotes in this article from the Roots Project’s site except the one with number of the women crafting in the Centre.