Facing the shadow of law: the rise and fall of Getwer’s Byre
By Petero Kɔ̈ɔ̈r Bullen, Juba, South Sudan
![Cattle keeper in Jonglei [photo] Jongkuch Jo Jongkuch](https://i0.wp.com/paanluelwel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/cattle-keeper-in-jonglei-photo-jongkuch-jo-jongkuch.jpg?resize=604%2C401&ssl=1)
May 18, 2016 (SSB) — In central Bor, there lives a man called Getwer, he was a cattle keeper who keeps his cattle in the byre rather than the cattle camp, and he has approximately sixty herds in the Byre. He always loves to stay and grace alone hoping that when time come for his herds to multiply, he may gain influence to talk, command and rules in his community. Among the herds is one bull that mounts the cows.
Remember in the lives of Jiɛ̈ɛ̈ŋ, a bull is an asset and it is a symbol of pride if you have one. For that matter, Getwer happen to groom the bull thereby making it acquiescent to him. The bull enjoy all the privileges of grooming, several songs were composed in praise and glorification of the bull. It became human-like in it character of response. By the end of forty eight months, a bullock was born. It grew up under intensive care and adoration like the first bull until it maturation time.
As a result of Getwer shifting attention to the young one, it became apparent that the little one start showing the traits of male hood and assume ownership over the herds. The older one was mature enough to reign in the byre with impunity, a loophole got by the young one to penetrate the authority and start behaving as if he lives by choice not merit.
Since the little one inherit the services from the man, it became virile and easily adapt to the right to hate so as to be the master of feminine in the Byre. The older one was still the master because its experiences and times in the byre made it one. This creates too much terror in the byre as the old one was prohibiting the glory of the young one, thus creating tension immediately.
The young one materialized on the fact that bull are the last to come to the Byre, it change the tactic of entering into the byre first in order to prevent the older one from entering the Byre. Rigidity builds on for a long period of unfriendly stay in the byre but the bigger one tolerated it. Attack is attempted daily by the young aspiring one but the older one is always preoccupied by responsibilities. But little did Getwer know that, one day his byre will be a saying. He was naïve to notice and see the change in behaviors in the Byre. The wife and the children in the family didn’t pay attention to the new development. But because mankind always continue living without noticing his burdens; the wrath and reward of failure to anticipate problem was awaiting.
One day, the young one declares what seem to be states of emergency. While the herds were still a way for a grazing, it came three hours early and enter the byre; Getwer was insides cleaning, when it enter Getwer took it as something normal, he took the dung ash and wipe it on to the body and back of the bull hopeful to scare the parasites out from the claimed prestigious young bull. There was no sign of anger shown by the bull; it exactly stays like David Yaw Yaw at the time he was thrown out of unpredictable Boma state. Had it been known that something will happen in the future, Getwer could have not wait for that big tragedy to trail from its own way to the Byre, he would have find a remedy to it early than that; But since negligence is a function of pride; It happens.
When the cows enter the Byre, the young one came in front of the Byre and station itself at the entrance, after all the cows has enter, the big boys try to enter its horn to come in; the young one approach without fear of being born by the elder. It tweaks the hump of the big one but with good faith. The big one fall back slowly and didn’t response vigorously. May be he has master the art of tolerance. But the new emerging boy was under pressure from the self-absorption. Whether I am threaten by the collapse of heaven, I will deal with this old one who is too weak to manage the family; may be that was the statements because they start transition to a battle.
After another thirty five to forty minutes, the big one tried to come in but the young one becomes another filthy thing at the backyards of the elder’s justice to stay indoors, but Getwer did not want to pay attention to what is happening, he persist to remain silence over the skirmish may be he want the young one to exercise his authority. The dame and heifers move closer to the young one and start leaking the neck; it is believed to be the tradition of female when they want contempt to be brought to rest, they easily tend to take side. Everything becomes the question of sharing and owning authority.
Until it was late, the big one cannot wait because sound of hyena can be heard from far the homesteads. The young one was tethered down and Getwer was insides lighting the dry cows’ dung to smoke up the Byre. When the big one peep insides, the young one pulled hence lacerating the rope and rush to the entrance to prevent the old one from entering, the old one this time sustain serious injury it could not endure, it got fate up and full back. On turning back, it starts an exercise by scattering the fire outside. Then it come back with a declaration of no retreat no surrender, one reaching the entrance, the battle start straight away, the small one was push inside by force.
Getwer was still insides, all the calves, sick cows and the elderly were inside including Getwer. There was no way out. They start to break the pillars that support the Byre, they scatter the fire, after all the pillars were broken down the byre fall; it caught a blast. Getwer find a way now to ran out of the fire, he sustain broken ribs, out of sixty animals inside only the seven strongest jumps out of the fire with unbearable injuries but the rest including the warrior remain in the shadow of death. There was no byre anymore. All cows perish in the fume making the owner to harvest the black part of the law to power.
Dear readers, Getwer knock against bad luck because he intends to accumulate powers in the same byre to show to the society that he is a class apart and may inherited power to lead the community in the future not knowing that he has laid a bomb in his system, what happen was not a greed for the dame, cows and heifers by the bulls in the Byre but it was the power that clash in the Byre and start to corrupt immediately. This bring us to the sense that, when you stay in power for long, it will be apparent that you will tend to groom more powers like what Getwer did, things like giving more rank to civilians as appeasement not to cause chaos, Rewarding those transparently known as criminal with wealth and power and always praise them for returning home without justice being shown to them.
This is one side of the coin but the other part is when they will be in position to co-own the authority that is claimed to be having owner. Thus the two or more powers clash and destroy the system. The homestead was left by Getwer after he lost everything, the place was later own by the community and is still identify as the Getwer cattle camp of Pakeer today. South Sudan is not exceptional for that matter.
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