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Ajooh Dhaal Ajooh: An Obituary of a Great Bor Dinka Matriarch

PaanLuel Wël

By Kur Wël Kur, Australia

Rest in Peace, Deng-borou (thunder bolt).

April 11, 2015 (SSB)  —-  Two missed calls on my mobile phone, a death hit. A call from less bothering relative, a call of death ! I woke up with a sore throat. My daughter, Awan with a chesty and constant cough. She baked her vest with her body temperature. My house moved in gloominess.  An angel of death that took the breath of my grandmother, came visiting to inform us.

I visited my cousin, Mameer Deng Jur, at his residence. We chatted on stuffs and warmed ourselves with hot Pura milk. While at Mameer’s, my calmed and intelligent cousin called me twice, but my silent mobile phone, alerted me not. Having finished, we ebbed  out of the house.

I grabbed my phone from the sofa and checked the time, I found two  missed calls.  Then I checked whose calls they were; Oh my cousin, Deng Puka Ngong’s number bore the missed calls. My heart leapt and three short and fast breaths followed.

I informed Mameer that Deng-manyang called. “He doesn’t always call, maybe something happened”, I told him. We drove to the University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes’ campus to print some documents. While parading from central library to uni-cafe, not to eat, but to look for notices board.

My sister, Awan called on my mobile phone. I answered her. She went: “koko ee nyin jaal!” Literally, meaning grandmother’s presence left. I told my sister that I would call her back. I informed Mameer about the bad news. I dropped no tears but the news shook me to the marrow of my bones.

We, then drove to Afghan restaurant in Prospect (a southern suburb of Adelaide) on Mameer’s shout. We ordered delicious and chilly foods. I ate while wallowing in pain of granny’s death. Memories flew into my minds.

Mameer settled the bills and we parted ways. I drove home and informed my wife. She wept heartily. I crawled into the bed at 4 p.m. to rest my psychological wounded brain.

Readers of PaanLuel Wel: South Sudanese Bloggers and of the Facebook, the following is my grandmother’s timeline.

In her life time, my grandmother watched and passed through  many events. She witnessed the scourging policies of Turks. Turks pushed the age mates of my grandmother to hide the seeds in dried humans’ skulls  for the next planting season. She witnessed many other political turmoils in Sudan. The commotion of Anya Anya one that produced the 1972, Addis Ababa Peace Agreement, unfolded in the 46th year of my grandmother. Granny, as a widow, guided her families in famines and wars.

The 1983, SPLM/A, a rebellion that claimed her favourite son, Jokroor Wel Kur. The death of Jokroor, led granny to hate the sound of a gun until last minutes of her life. She survived two Riek’s rebellions, the 1991 and 2013, though she remained in Panpandiar in 2013 while the others crossed River Nile, she survived.

Ajooh Dhaal Ajooh passed away on Easter Monday, (06th) of April, 2015, at 89 years old at  Panpandiar in Kolnyang payam, Bor county. In the comfort of her children, grandchildren and great -grandchildren, she died of old age.

Born to Dhaal Ajooh and Atong Dot around 1926 at Adum-wuor in Makuach payam,  Bor county, Ajoohdit was the first child of their family.  The births, marriages and deaths records reeled around those educated minority so the rests of us wrapped our heads around events and growth stages in order to calculate birthdays, dates of marriages or dates of deaths of our loved ones.

My father is my grandmother’s second child and she gave birth to my father a month after Monychiek Deng Chol was assassinated in July, 1945. If granny had my father when she was 19 years old and father is now 69 years, then my grandmother is approximately 89 years old. She married Wel Kur Jok at Gak (Adol), in Kolnyang payam.  She lived in Adum-wuor, Adeny, Gak and Panpandiar.

After I lived for 20 years away from her, I flew  home from Australia in October, 2010 to see my family especially my grandmother. Regardless of her age, she danced and  sang songs she composed about my name sake (Makwei= a black bull with white forehead ), which bore me my nickname, Deng-borou (thunder bolt). Her presence awakened the memories of her in my mind.

I remembered the times when my mother and step-mothers feared to cook in sweltering summers, granny would cook for us.  I remembered when father, mother and step-mothers refused to give us local beer(ethanol), my grandmother would sneak us a Calabash bowl full of beer.

I remembered when we annoyed her, she would snap a sorghum’s leaves to flog us. I remembered when coffee and sugar  were  accessible to those in towns and adults only, granny would spoil us with coffee and sugar….

Her siblings

Ajooh Dhaal Ajooh is survived by:

Children

Grandchildren

Lith Wel’s children

Kur’s first wife [Ajah Thiong Anuol(deceased) ]’s

Kur’s second (Kech Mach Achol) wife’s

Kur’s third [Ajah Ayath Awuoi (deceased) ] wife’s

Kur’s fourth (Akut Alier Ajak) wife’s

Awan Wel Kur’s children

Jokroor’s children

Great-grandchildren

Great-great-grandchild

Note: four grandchildren haven’t been mentioned because the author could not remember their names.

A letter

Dear Koko-die,

I crouch  here looking into the ocean, the waves ebb out and they drift back into the vastness of the ocean.

My eyes dart in every direction of water, splashes out by the ocean’s power.  

As your body lies in the 1.5 metres deep grave, I need you to know that your true grave is in our hearts, souls and minds.

Your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, dead or alive, love you with their whole lives.

They can’t trade you for any other mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother or treasure in this world. 

We love you.

Rest in Peace, Deng-borou (thunder bolt).

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