Pan-Africanism: The Quest to Know our Place in Human History (Part 3)
6 min readMy response to my critic of my last article (the quest to know our place in human history – part two). This piece of writing is written in jest (humour))
By Thiik Mou Giir, Melbourne, Australia
December 31, 2017 (SSB) — Mr Vigilio M, I like your argument because it may represent the argument of some South Sudanese. You have given me a chance to respond to you and to them. Below is my response to what you wrote.
- You wrote that “Colonials came and left but our cultures remained unchanged and there’s a good reason why colonials have chosen not to interfere with local cultures because it is a red line on the sand”. I have no desire to say anything against or to rebut your assertion. Our African people did the right thing to the invaders. You also asserted that “…the colonials chose not to interfere with local cultures…” In my opinion, the reason they did so is because they did not want to mess up or to destroy the cultures of the people who taught them Philosophy, Religion, Medicines, Chemistry, Architecture and so on. Later on, the foreigners came in and stole works of art from people who help them jump-start their own civilization. They decided to leave African cultures unchanged because they wanted to keep them as reference points.
- You have asked me whether I have borrowed “CONI idea from Turabi/Beshir trial….” The idea is original. It is not a copy of Turabi/Beshir trial. It is not an Englishman or American man’s idea. Believe it or not, it comes from Thiik Mou Giir. Forget about Thiik Mou Giir; forget about the fact that Thiik is a Jieng. Our background often let people throw away positive ideas that could have helped us, all of us, move forward. Therefore, just think of it as an idea from your South Sudanese brother. If in the end, you conclude that this vision is not going to work or you do not like it because of the reasons other than those I have mentioned, they do not accept it. Throw it away and, if you have a better one, let us look at it.
- Your attitude shows clearly when you said, “I don’t think historians ever lie when writing history, can they be biased definitely, but at the end, they do what their employers want them to do….” What you said is not true. Europeans and Arabs have written history books that contain lies. They have lied to their own people and they have lied to the Africans. The difference between European lying to European and European lying to Africans is that the former bears no intention of destroying the mind whereas the latter has the intention of destroying the mind. Your statement shows the degree of how much damage has been done to your brain. You have been brainwashed to the extent that you read and as you read, you are unable to see Europeans’ lies in their history books about Africans. Should I blame you? No. Why should I blame someone whose brain has been destroyed just as mine has been destroyed? However, my consciousness has been awakened and that is enough for me to alert my South Sudanese brainwashed brothers and sisters. We all need to find the liberating truth.
In Melbourne, I have spoken on numerous occasions, about CONI vision. It is now a well-known vision. This is one instance that demonstrates how people are trying to apply it in their own social context. My wife, a Bari, and I have attended one of the season parties, organized by a couple who are members of Equatoria Community. We had a wonderful time. We ate, drank and danced. When it was time for my wife and me to leave, I went over to my acquaintance who is a Bari to say goodbye.
He was dancing to an African song. Without saying a word, he raised his left hand up, in a curved shape. When I saw that, I raised my right hand up, also in a curved shape. Imagine what that makes. A Jieng-bull-horns dance. We danced for a while like that as we saw smiles on the faces of people who were watching us. Remember, both of us were under the influence of alcohol. My wife and I then walked out of the Party Hall.
Because I did not want to break an Australian law that prohibits people from driving under the influence of alcohol, I gave my wife the car keys. She was driving as I was reflecting on what had just happened. I thought I had missed a chance to promote my friend’s dance initiative.
Both of us could have raised our two hands to dance Jieng’s dance for thirty seconds and then we could have switched to Bari dance for thirty seconds. We could have moved around as we danced. We gave the audience a thrill when we danced without moving around much; imagine how much more had we danced around, in both Jieng’s and Bari style? We could have stolen the show.
Furthermore, If South Sudanese Artists were to collaborate in the spirit of CONI, what could have become of South Sudanese Artistic and cultural atmosphere?
As I said, both of us were under the influence of alcohol. Perhaps, we did what we did because we were both under the influence of alcohol. All was done in love and with that, people saw creativity and variety in the aspects of shared cultures.
Perhaps, there is something to be gained from people who are acting under the influence of alcohol. Considering the wrongs that Jiengs did to the Equatorians and Equatorians did to Jiengs; the wrongs Jiengs did to Nuers and Nuers did to Jiengs, the wrongs that one community members did to the other community members, it may be a good thing for people to be under some influence of something in order for people to act normally, to act as normal human beings. It could help in bringing the notion that we should forgive one another to the fore.
Equatorians are the best compared to Jiengs and Nuers. Jiengs do not drink as much as Equatorians do. Nuers, on the other hand, are even worse. They do not drink at all. This is why Jiengs and Nuers are always grumpy. They are always serious. They look like they want a fight – now. We all need to drink a bit for the above-mentioned reasons to relax our nerves and to stimulate our brain and then positive, constructive, and creative ideas will flow.
Love acts just as good as alcohol does. The influence of love is stronger than the influence of alcohol. Let us be under the influence of love in 2018. We will then be able to overcome many obstacles along the way. I love South Sudanese.
Thiik Mou Giir, Bachelor Degree in Education from the University of Alexandria, Egypt; Post Graduate Diploma, from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. He can be reached via his email contact: thiik_giir@hotmail.com
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