Polataka Face Foundation: Dr. John Garang’s Predictable Seeds for New Sudan (part 5)
6 min readBy David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
May 28, 2016, (SSB) – What makes Polataka to be an important place during the movement was the name given to children that inhabited the area in 1990-1995 until when the Khartoum regime captured the town. In 1990, after Red army arrived in Polataka from expected regions in Southern and northern Sudan, Dr. John Garang de Mabior, Chairman and Commander in chief of the Sudan People Liberation Army and Movement, (SPLA/M) sent Captain Sebit William Garang Dut as camp commander and a leader of the Red army of the Polataka with the brand new name of “Polataka face Foundation”, or in simple Arabic, “Teraps” meaning seeds for the New Sudan. Among the many camps of Red army in Ethiopaia of Panyudu, Itang, Gilo, Dimo, and in the Sudan like Red army displace camps of Moli and Borongoli, Dr. John gave us an opportunity of Polataka Face Foundation a kind of leadership blessings for the real reason he knows.
The name Polataka face Foundation was in mouth of all teachers, it was preached into our ears and the importance of us being the seeds of the New Sudan was dominating our bright future, the New Sudan of peace, unity, freedom, human dignity, human rights, liberty and prosperity. Garang de Mabior blessed us with what we couldn’t expected that it would happen! He blessed us with inner eyes of leadership choice but simply to understand the gift of Dr. John to Red army of Polataka in particular, you can quickly understand especially in an illustration of farming communities, seeds are very important in next season. You cannot plant in next season without new seeds you kept in the past harvests.
We were called seeds or in other word, seeds foundation kept for purposes of the New Sudan for education first and military later. The definition of seeds or seed is a flowering‘s plant unit of reproduction capable of developing into another kind of or the same plant. Secondly, seed is a protective outer covering and the formation of seeds is a reproduction process into another plant. Dr. John Garang is a great thinker or great philosopher, and predictor human being who are very few to get in the world at large.
Some of African Leaders said when he died in the helicopter crashed on the 30th of July 2005, “that it will take hundred years to get a man like Dr. John Garang in Africa or in the world, but contrary to their statement, a leader knows in his spirit who can fit on his/her shoes when he /she is a leader who develop others like what Dr. John Garang did to South Sudanese. For example majority of current leaders in South Sudan were built by Dr. John. In Polataka face foundation where he put his interest in leadership development specially Polataka education for children is also where his spirit bestowed his style of leadership. He is a gift of God to humanity. He is a leader who focuses his attention on others. He does mind for others. He thinks thousands of miles away from what his followers might think. I like what he said about us, and I will share it in other coming parts of this article. He named and called us “Polataka face Foundation”, seeds that will be use for another production, which means among Polataka seeds, some children will replace him, some will replace Salva Kiir, Some will replace Kuol Manyang, James Wani Igga, Daniel Awet Akot etc, and those who stood side by side with him during the bush times.
To continue with the important of the name given and Polataka in particular, it is not a matter of how we got the name of Polataka Face Foundation, but how do we perceived the real meaning of why Garang gave us such a name to the last Red army camp within Southern Sudan? In Dinka poems, they appreciated words of advice or word of encouragement than food, if somebody advise you well, you can’t forget the person because word lasted forever and is remembered throughout life. The word Polataka face Foundation has a sense among children and majority of seed foundation within South Sudan and in diasporas.
Dr. Garang as an academician knows people according their specializations. He sent Sebit William, who specialized in education, and Sebit worked in the Sudan before SPLA/M rebel in 1983, he serves as a director in education in Juba. I hope that was the reason why Garang sent him to us in Polataka. In coming parts 6, and part 7 of this article, I will list the names of our teachers who inspired us while in Polataka. Sebit arrived in Polataka and many children of Red army from Kordufan also arrived in Polataka. We stayed separately for sometimes as groups of pure children from greater Bor, and others as Mundari, and Nuba respectively.
One time, I estimated around June, July, and August in 1990, we heard news of mixing us into new groups that the entire Red army would be mixed into new groups. We reacted against the idea because as I mentioned in part 4, children from Nuba Mountains eat some animals contrary us that we felt to be poisoned by comrades from Nuba since we are going shared plates, and eat together. The members of Red army in groups wrote messages in local languages against the administration with insults that, “why can’t you mixed your wives”, and threw the papers around Polataka public areas. On the next morning, the administration got those messages. They were brainstorming on how they can get those who wrote such messages.
On the following day, teachers tried to deceived children that there is a message sent by Dr. John to all units, and there are no people who can interpreted this messages in local languages, but we need those who are going to assisted us or know how to write and read local languages. Immediately some children understood the statement as true, they volunteered themselves, and they were caught to explain why do they write insulting messages to the administration? They were also arrested and the process of Red army integration into groups was organized.
The methodology of mixture was more than thirty people from old group into new group. I was taken to group five and being made lance corporal again in first platoon of the first line. In group five our staff sergeant was from Nuba, and I heard he was killed in 1994 in Kapoeta. It was very difficult time from the beginning to stay together but some few months later on, we become better comrades than to stay as brothers from one tribe. The real meaning of comradeship was well understood after we were mixed into new groups. The next reading will be activities in Polataka.
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