The Making of Jiengs Out of the Equatorian Community (Part 3)
THE EQUATORIAN PEOPLE
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs (KJV)
By Thiik Mou Giir, Melbourne, Australia
November 8, 2016 (SSB) — Equatorians are peace-loving people. As you are all aware, Jieng is a tribe; Equatoria is not a tribe. Equatorian is a term coined to denote a person who is a member of any tribe that traditionally populated Equatoria Region. The behaviour of Equatorians varies, ranging from a Jieng-like tribe to a more peaceful tribe. South Sudanese memorable history indicates that Mundari people, a Jieng-like people, have similar features as Jiengs. They had, from time to time, killed a few Bari people as a result of disputes over grazing pasture. Bari people never retaliated violently because they are peaceful people. Furthermore, it is never heard of that Kakwa people waged war against Kuku people. Both of them are peaceful peoples. Most Equatorian tribes are generally peaceful people.
For quite a long time, the Arab Muslims became a common enemy to all South Sudanese. When time came for South Sudanese to take action to liberate themselves from the grip of their common enemy, each South Sudanese tribe saw the contribution of the other tribes to the war efforts through their own tribal lenses. In my previous article, I quoted the information that I had received from SPLA war veteran. It showed that Jiengs’ (the violent people) contribution was the highest whereas the Equatorians’ (the peaceful people) contribution was the lowest. For people who are violent, Jieng for example, it seems there is no other way for them to interpret the low turnout of Equatorians, but as a contribution coming from Equatorian tribes who are nothing but a bunch of cowards.
On the other hand, for people who are peaceful, the Equatorians, it seems there is no other way for them to interpret the aggressive behaviour and attitudes exhibited by so many Jiengs, but as a normal thing expected from people who are raas’hoom begger, and a people who are difficult to live with. It is as great a tragic misunderstanding as it could ever have been. Many Jiengs resented the Equatorians just as many Equatorians resented Jiengs. This is a friction that has been fanned by social media, politicians and everybody else who do not have South Sudan at heart. It is one of the factors that are contributing to the killing our people.
Equatorians are peaceful people. The word peaceful is not synonymous with cowardice as many people may think. Peaceful is just that – peaceful. To understand the reason why Equatorians are peace-loving people, we have to look at their environment. Most of them depend on agriculture. They utilize their land to produce agricultural products. Unlike cattle, vegetables and fruits cannot be driven away by raiders; farms cannot be stolen; vegetables and fruits do not need to be protected from lions, hyenas and fellow human beings, Murahaleen, for example. So, there is hardly any reason for people of Equatoria to become violent. The Equatorian people and nature are always in harmony and peaceful.
This fact does not set Equatorians aside as special people. They are like any other people in matters such as envy, jealousy, strife, rivalry, anger and so on. However, they have chosen to deal with these matters ‘peacefully’! For example, some tribes, more than others, in Equatoria, have been practicing witchcraft as well as poisoning in order to harm or even to kill their enemies. They deal with their enemies remotely. After a deed is done, there are no clues left; no suspect to be sure of, and consequently, no need for relatives to engage in feud upon a mere suspicion or lack of suspicion. Crime is thus limited to a single person and the larger society remains peaceful.
Some farmers display their farm products for marketing alongside roads and thieves cannot snatch a thing or two even though there is no one watching over the goods. They know better. People believe that many sellers have witchcraft powers that will follow and harm thieves. Potential buyers know what to do if they want to buy items on sale. They check the price tags, place the right amount of money on the designated place, take the items they are buying and then leave the area. Transactions are in this way carried out peacefully.
To say that the Equatorians’ numbers in armed struggle was low does not automatically mean that Equatorians did not fight as fiercely as others did, for the liberation of all South Sudanese. Their low numbers in SPLA/M show that the challenge for them to join the armed struggle was completely going against their peaceful nature. The majority of them, therefore, saw other options of resistance or other options of being. They went to schools and to churches and they struggled there along with others. Fiercely.
Christian Faith has been gradually replacing witchcraft and poisoning practices. They have embraced Christianity. Their membership in Churches is the largest in South Sudan. When war had made life in South Sudan unendurable thousands South Sudanese took refuge in Northern Sudan. This was like a God-sent opportunity to Islamists. They had planned to convert as many South Sudanese as possible to Islam. Poverty had made Southerners in those days vulnerable and open to accept anything that would get them out of their dire situation. The environment that South Sudanese found themselves in: TV and radio programs, newspapers, school books, and so on and so forth, had one message to the whole population – surrender to Allah.
In the meantime, some churches were being demolished, church properties seized, and clergymen detained by security agencies. As these things were happening, the inner sound within every South Sudanese was saying, ‘Being a Christian was not desirable here; it is dangerous!’…‘To convert to Islam is the solution.’ ‘Allah is the solution’ was written on the walls. The machinery that was meant to brainwash, Islamize and Arabicize all Southerners was in full gear.
It required courage, not cowardice, to go against Islamic current. The Equatorians took the lead in going against the current. Their mission was to uplift every South Sudanese spirit through the gospel that gave hope and peace. They preached it wherever they go. Day and night, they preached it in churches, in the streets, in the markets, in towns and cities, and in slums. When they were evangelizing, they did not differentiate between tribes. They preached to all. Their mission was to win souls for Christ.
As they were evangelising, they pursued every opportunity in order to learn. They flocked universities within Sudan as well as abroad. They studied, hoping that in the end their brothers and sisters who were waging guerilla warfare in the bushes would win the war and their education would be of some use in the future.
Now, suppose the Equatorians, with others, did not preach the gospel to South Sudanese who were taking refuge in the North, what could have happened? Islam could have spread among Southerners faster than ever. Then, Northerners could have sent the converted Southerners back to South Sudan to preach Islam to all South Sudanese population. The converted Southerners could have claimed that, not only were they Muslims, but also Arabs. That could have been strong enough to break the back of SPLA/M.
Dr. John Garang could had been the last person to throw down his gun and said, ‘what’s the point of fighting the Arab dominated regime! Southerners are stupid! Stupid people!’ But Equatorians did not allow this to happen. They did not allow Southerners in the North to disappoint those who were in the SPLA/M, neither did those in the SPLA/M disappoint those who were longing for freedom. They helped Southerners to maintain their identity as distinct people from Arab Muslims.
The triumph of Moo! Moo! In 2011 was also a triumph of Halleluiah! Halleluiah!
My next article, under the same title, The Making of Jiengs out of the Equatorian Community, will be on ‘The Deadly Ingredients’. You can reach me via my email: Thiik Giir <thiik_giir@hotmail.com>
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