Construction of our New Identity is in progress in Melbourne, Australia
By Thiik Mou Giir, Melbourne, Australia
June 26, 2016 (SSB) — The community leaders in Melbourne have recently embarked on a long-awaited journey of bringing our divided community along tribal line together. The efforts of the writer of this article have yielded fruits as claimed by some well-informed people. The vision – Constructing Our New Identity – has been articulated through a word of mouth, through symposiums, and through a number of articles. Many local community members have sufficiently understood it. Its call was responded to, when in June 18, 16, South Sudanese Community Association in Victoria Inc (SSCAV) and the Federation of South Sudanese Association in Victoria inc (FSSAV) Chairpersons, Mr. Kot Manoah and Mr Kenyatta De Wal, came with about thirty community leaders, intellectuals, and members of community taskforce to meet, first time, in my Garage.
The journey of creating a more cohesive South Sudanese Community started with two symposiums that were inspired by the above-mentioned vision last year. The venues of the two symposium events were carefully chosen. Members of SSCAV easily accessed the venue in Footscary area, whereas members of FSSAV easily accessed the venue in Dandenong area. Just as SSCAV was formed to represent all South Sudanese in Melbourne, FSSAV was also formed to represent all South Sudanese. Jieng members outnumber any other tribal groups in SSCAV Inc. and Nuer members outnumber any other group in FSSAV Inc. SSCAV and FSSAV were simultaneously formed in the same month. It is to be noted, though, that FSSAV formation came about as a way out from the grievances its members had had in regard to the way SSCAV was formed. Animosity has always been in existence in the community since the outbreak of violence in December 2013 in South Sudan. Relationships between friends broke down and South Sudanese small business owners suffered.
It is in this atmosphere that the vision was born. Two problems were facing me. First, how could I make the message of creating our new identity clear to everyone? Secondly, how could I gain the trust of everyone, especially those who are members of tribes other than my own, the Jieng? With the former, it has been easy – to repeat the message again and again until people get it. With the latter, it was not as easy. It was a daunting task as the very fabric of our social cohesion was detrimentally tainted. Luckily, when I, a Jieng, tried to establish positive and working relationships with all community leaders, I came across Mr Kenyatta De Wal, a very capable chairman of FSSAV and a Nuer. We disagreed on many issues and in the process the tension escalated into an online war and we both started to throw some online punches at each other (he is very good at doing that). After a few days of online attacks, it dawn on us, I guessed, that we were in fact fighting an unwinnable battle. The best way out of that learning experience was to turn to the central point of the vision. That was, and it will always be, the ability of seeing oneself in the other. Few days later, I bumped into him at Dandenong Plaza weeks later. Like brothers, with no speck of animosity in either of us, we hugged and parted ways.
About a month, prior to June 18, 16 meeting, I sent an email to FSSAV, SSCAV, Equatoria Community, Jieng Community and Nuer Community Chairpersons. In the email, I stated that I was willing to help organized a third symposium and that I want them, not only to participate as speakers, but also as contributors of the necessary funds to assist in setting up the event that may attract so many members of the community. Furthermore, I told them that if any one of them would decline, there would be no symposium. The reason was simple. The theme of the symposiums was “Fostering Inter-communal Harmony and Peace”. Without the participation of one major community organizations, the event would be pointless. The first person to express his willingness to participate, as expected, was the Chairman of SSCAV, Monoah. I had to make phone calls to find out what the other leaders’ responses were.
The Chairman of FSSAV, Mr De Wal, was the first person in my calling list. His response surprised me. He went for a short cut! I had so far wanted to bring these two peak community organizations together. The purpose of the symposiums was, as I told the June 18, 16 attendees, was to prepare the floor for these two organizations to meet. During the symposium events, I thought I was to be perceived as a person who held up two pictures: one picture to give the audience an opportunity to see where we were and the other picture to give the audience to see where we could be if, and only if, we were to be inspired by the vision of constructing our new identity. If things go according to plan, I thought, a meeting of the representatives of these two organizations would convene, some day, some time in the future.
However, De Wal went for the short cut. He told me on a phone that the organization he represents was ready to meet with the organization Monoah represents. He requested me to go ahead and organize the event of bringing these two organizations together. He also told me that I was the right person to chair the meeting. Considering the animosity in the community, I told him that I did not have the guts to chair a meeting between these two organizations just by myself. “I need two or three people to be with me and together we would form a mediating body”, I said. He would not have any of my suggestion. “You have worked so hard and for so long for this,” he said, “you are capable of chairing it just by yourself”. The decision that the venue for the event should be my garage also came from De Wal and later on was approved by Monoah. The thought of it brought a tear or two in my eyes. It was a surprising honour bestowed upon me by FSSAV and SSCAV.
In June 18, 16, they came and entered my garage in order to spend hours talking about establishing ways of amalgamating the two organizations or establishing ways of working collaboratively as they would continue to maintain their separate entities. SSCAV argued for the amalgamation of the two organizations whereas the FSSSAV argued that the two organizations would continue to operate separately. However, the two organizations agreed that they would collaborate in serving South Sudanese people in Melbourne. That was their affirmed shared interest. “Unity”, said De Wal, “would come naturally”. The intention to work towards this goal was agreed upon by the two organizations. At the end of the meeting, it became obvious that the channels of communication were finally opened. The attendees exchanged their phone and email details and had their photos taken.
The event was a success. The people, who attended: leaders, intellectuals and members of taskforce, contributed their ideas with the good of the community in heart. My wife, Stella Lado, who cooked delicious food, John Gabriel who provided chairs, Catherine Dudu who provided the heater that heated the Garage, all of them contributed in making the event possible and enjoyable. Last but not the least, Mrs Ding Mabor Makuei, the wife of SSCAV chairman, drove for hours in order to pick up her tonsil suffering husband, Kot Monoah, whose presence, though sick, animated the meeting tremendously.
Days after the meeting I had been experiencing a stressful time and the source of this stress was from my place of work. I was not able to think properly, I was not able to concentrate, and I had no much energy to do anything. I was in a miserable state. When I came home, on Thursday 23/6/16, from work, I turned on my mobile. I saw that I had missed two phone calls. But there was a saved message, a message from FSSAV chairman, De Wal. The chairman’s message was, “Write to us; write about the event”. When you receive a call and a call is asking you to offer something, with which you can serve the people you love, your own community, it gives you energy; it lifts your spirits up, it let you focus. Without a call from De Wal, I would not have written this article to you now, maybe later, but not now. I have written to you this article wherever you maybe. Please make use of it. I love you; we love you.
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