Aweilian unity is paramount for all Mading Aweil Panda
By Marol Ariech Mawien, Kampala, Uganda
October 27, 2016 (SSB) —- Foremost and for all Mading Aweil Panda, we are all proud of her as sons and daughters of Mading Aweil and that is why we called ourselves Aweilians, so as to show the love for our homeland, where our grand’s and our great grand fathers and great grandmothers and we as the generations were been born there.
Furthermore Aweil if it was an eatable item, we would have been comparing it with honey, Sugar, Apple and if it was a animal, Aweil would be a crest crane of course it was already a symbol, Giraffe and several others beautiful animals, birds and so pose, Aweil is being adore by all South Sudanese started from those who had stayed in Aweil and those who haven’t but just heard about it, do revealed their interest to visited Aweil in order to empirically learned of what was been said about Mading Aweil. Iam proud to be Aweilian.
Aweil politically before British, it was administering by the spiritual leaders that use to controlled clans and sections based on the area and the overall spiritual leader of Aweil was by then prophet Ariath Makueidit which was in charge of Aweil from East to West and South to North until the entry of the British in Aweil, this is whereby they establishing Aweil as administrative area.
For that matter Ariath Makueidit has launch confrontation against British, nevertheless he was not having enough armies which were well equip to wage war against British, therefore Ariath was defeated and later arrested. In that context Aweil was divided into twenty four chiefdom ship that preside over taxes collection for the British administration that was basing in Aweil as administrative headquarter.
The chiefs were Kuac Kuac (Kuacyiel) of Cimel, Mawien Diing Akol of Ajuet,Chief Akot Awutiek of Gomjuier, Chief Riiny Lual of Ajat, chief Achien Achien Yor (Maluec) of Korok, Chief Reec Diing of Atokthou,Chief Bol Deng of Duluit , Chief Teem Kuac Ngor of Duluit, Chief Malong Yor Lual of Joungdit, Chief Aguer Geng Atem of Lou Aguer, Chief Kuol Makuac of Apoth, Chief Dut Jok of kongdeer, Chief Wek Ateny of Ajak and Chief Geng Ariath of Boncuai I will mention but a few, all were given chiefdom ship jurisdiction to help British in control of people and compilation of taxes that were later deliver to Wau which was the general headquarter of Bar El Ghazal by then.
Aweil was later promoted from being a county to the status of State in 1994 where it has instituted with five counties under its jurisdiction which were carrying the same name of Aweil from all five counties that is Aweil South ,East, West , North and Aweil centre which make us all feel proud about the names given, the motive behind was to bring all of us together to recognize ourselves as sons and daughters of the area who had the same obligations and rights in the area, where all of us tenant and to permitted us in the mainstreams.
Aweil in 2015 on 22nd of October was been divided into three States that is Lol, Aweil and Aweil east State, anyway we can give credit to the government of the republic of South Sudan specially general Salva Kiir Mayardit for the resolution that he had made to granted us three States, as it was part of their vision in the SPLM to take town to the people rather than people to the town, nevertheless, we as sons and daughters of Mading Aweil have not taken it as an endowment to divided ourselves socially because we are one community who encompass the same traits, hence administratively yes we are divided but socially we should stay as one community in the three administrative areas.
Economically , Aweil people are well known for being a farmers which cultivate Sorghum, millets, simsim , groundnut, beans , watermelon and hibiscus , mostly our rain began in June to October every year also we are cattle’s keepers which is the most important to the people of Aweil since, life without cows is miserable, because cows boast great momentous in the life of Mounyjang ,therefore at this contemporary occasion, cows are sold to pay children school fees , they are also used for milking , matrimony and other essential issues that are affecting people in their daily life.
People of Aweil are also enrich of rivers that is river Lol and Kiir, during November onward, we do resort to fishing activities by using nets to caught fishes which we used for our daily consumptions and some are sold out to bring income, we also used to feed on the wild fruits such as Lulu (Rak) Laloka (Thoou) Tamrit (Cuei) Lahang and many other wild fruits that we use to collect in array to built up our economic.
Culturally, Aweil people socially and culturally have the same persona started from their way of dressing and their ways of dancing are all marching, we have many types of dancing styles such as lor Ayakdit which is well known for Aweilians in wherever they are plus many others more traditional dancing such as Dier Agar, Gon, mabok, Malual, on the side of girls and women they have what is called clapping (Dany) and so on.
We are rich of cultures in Aweil which we use to scheduled in accordance to the seasonal that has came like in the spring to autumn and from winter to the spring, where different activities base on cultural are being performed. The inhabitants’ communities of Aweil were only Mounyjang community called by Jurcol (Ujanga) and Jurcol community these two communities have long lasting peaceful settlement since centuries up to date.
In Aweil the language spoken by the communities is base on the litheness of each community of which, we all accepting each other through learning languages that is Thoungjang and ThoungJurcol are all spoken languages in Aweil. Intermarriages among the two communities is essentially playing its roles as part of the peace building in Aweil from the two communities.
Why our unity is paramount?
we were been divided into three States by the government of the republic of South Sudan yes, but we need not to make it as a way of dissection among ourselves as sons and daughters of Mading Aweil ,there are so many ways we will need each other in the politics of South Sudan and anywhere because being together is helping assortment as human beings, why I have to explore three areas above from political ,economic and social is to bring into our attention that we are one community which do not have differences in all what we are doing ,as a result it is right time for us to keep maintaining our unity like before.
A lot of things were been said about Aweil as the only area in South Sudan if non native came and settle in Aweil, nobody should mind about him, unlike other places in South Sudan where you are asked of where you came from, but in Aweil so long you are known ,robotically you are considered as their brother and son of Mading Aweil period , Aweil is part of Paradise here on earth because if you opt to stay in Aweil ,nobody will cares so long you are peace loving person like them.
Consequently I resembling it with Paradise because there is no division in paradise people are just residing with happiness by praising God only, thus Aweil on earth is second to paradise in heaven where each an everybody is treating equally . For that matter we need not to tarnish our beautiful image in the eyes of South Sudanese (Junubin) for being divided in three States, however according to my indulgent, this phenomenon division is a test to all of us on whether we will manage to maintained what was been known for us.
Aweil if awards were supposed to be given for a peace loving states I think we would have been the winners always in the whole of South Sudan, nobody can meet head-on us in winning the bronze. Therefore as Aweilian, I personally urge all of us to have one voice, than many voices that wouldn’t enable us to fight for our rights as one body wherever we need what we want and we can accomplishing it simply with one voice than more.
All in all I urge our politicians from great home Mading Aweil to united us for the reason that if they allow division to engulfing us now, that would be automatically coming out from their side as they may have fail to agreed on themselves, I know any problem is started from political elites and later went down to the innocent people who have no problem with each other, we need our politicians to identify what is supposed to be done by the people of Aweil.
We need to think for the future instead of looking for today and how to plan for future is to bring up the young intellectuals by helping them to develop educationally, and many others such that if our area has strong people now who are doing something to the nation, that integrity, we should still to maintaining it by considering the young people in the different arenas that will keep our area even stronger tomorrow.
Our people are ignorance that is why many youth from Aweil are dying specially in frontlines instead of going to schools like other people who have quit frontlines and went for education, how long should we be kept on shielding people’s positions which we are not beneficiaries when the seats are divided, our politicians must be cautioning in this matter.
The author, Marol Ariech Mawien, is currently Aweil Community general secretary in Uganda and student from Cavendish University in Uganda pursuing Bachelor of Arts in social work and social administration. To be reached at maroljohn94@gmail.com
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