Dr. John Garang: The National Father Who Lived And Died Honorably
By Samuel Reech Mayen
July 29, 2015 (SSB) — In the mid 40s, a baby boy was born to a pastoral family in the village at the east of the White Nile in the south of Sudan. At his tender age, the boy showed traits of a promising leader that attracted attention of his entire village. As the boy was orphaned at the early age, his relatives took the responsibility of enabling him to realize his dreams.
Through the support of the uncle, the lad packed his metallic materials and crossed the Nile to the West to look for a blacksmith to forge and sharpen his raw metals into good spears, shield and club. He did this in preparation to return a gold that had been stolen by the traders from Middle East.
A decade later, the demanding processes of getting proper weapons to face the enemy were too slow, simply because the enemy controlled blacksmith’s industry. There was a pressure to change the style of blacksmithing in the region. This coerced the boy to cross a border after a border to look for a just and honest blacksmith that would not question the reason of such super weapons in the hand of a mere youth from rural background.
Having travelled in pursuit of his dreams, a boy who had developed into a very brilliant and a genius youth found one who forged his tools in a desired manner. This inspired the promising gentleman even more to look for the much better blacksmith that could forge his material to facilitate him in achieving his dream.
On this basis, he crossed masses of waters. At the end, he got the kind of blacksmithing he wanted. Meanwhile, his distant uncle at the extreme south of the territory was fed up with the foe and had already started engaging the enemy in fierce boxing. The tale of this ring boxing had reached and attracted the mind of the young man who returned to take part in the game deliberately to learn the tactics of the enemy.
When the boxing between the enemy’s chief and his annoyed uncle was brought to a halt, the young man stayed closer with the chief of the foe. This was to enable him to smell and watch his breath closely so as to calculate when to jump on him and slice his throat. The foes’ principal who had hided the gold at his armpit kept playing the tricks that were very apparent for the young man’s mind to comprehend.
With his sharp weapons and enough expertise, the gentleman returned back to his homeland where he joined fellows of the like minds and struck. He defeated three chiefs of the foe. But the bitter and the most inhumane one took the ground. This fourth one invented a new tactic of fighting the courageous man – he incited his fellows against him.
However, he refused to be wavered from his mission. He turned deaf hears to his colleagues who continuously stabbed him at the back. He fought till he won a legally, globally witnessed-promise that the stolen gold would be handed back to the owners. He happily promised his people that he had tied the hands of the foes and people would be able to pick the gold even if he does not exist.
Less than a month after shackling enemy’s wrists with heavy and unbreakable chain, he fearlessly flew into death praising God for helping him in completing the task that he grew up for. He died vocalizing this statement:
“I and those who joined me in the bush and fought for more than twenty years have brought to you CPA in a golden plate. Our mission is accomplished. It is now your turn especially those who did not have a chance to experience bush life when time comes to vote at referendum. It is your golden choice to determine your fate. Would you like to be second class citizen in your own country? It is absolutely your choice”.
He breathed his last breath wishing his people full Independence, Peace and Prosperity. His dream to return a stolen gold was later achieved as he wished. However, a decade after his death, his territory descended into bloodshed and civil population continuously streamed back to the previous refugees’ camps. Citizens miss him even more.
The author lives in Kampala and can be reached at: mayenreech@gmail.com or 0772 727 857.
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