Books’ Review: Unto the Nation of South Sudan, a Writer is Born
6 min readBy Deng Vanang, Juba, South Sudan
February 6, 2018 (SSB) — In the middle of 2010 one prolific journalist, author, and political analyst, went underground on a daring mission that took him a grueling 7 years’ period. Who like proverbial hunter returns home with gum Arabic for anxiously waiting for children, failure to secure an antelope from the bush. That is according to Professor Taban Lolyiong in his famous Last word novel.
However, unlike the failed hunter, the inaugural writer eventually surfaced in 2018 with the real mission accomplished, no matter how challenging it turned out to be than previously thought. Thereby diving long and so enduringly below the depth of troubled history of 50 years’ liberation struggle and lifting the lid off dirty ethnic, rudderless and at times bloody politics of the newest independent state on earth.
Such findings have been unearthed and neatly packaged into more thrilling and memorably worthy read two books of history and one on global governance. Capped with a resolute message: reminding those already in the know and informing both present and future generations of leaders to pay utmost attention to the importance of referring back to history whenever making easier and equally difficult decisions.
Before blindly plunging into actions to regret later when it is already irredeemably too late. An error of judgment this writer had made only to regret later, though once an excellent history student during his formative years of secondary education.
Which came forth and furious when he silently turned down the overture from the learned Uncle, friend and none other than one of East African finest history Professors and prolific author of The History of Jikany Nuer before 1820, late Gabriel Giet Jal.
When he politely requested the writer to be in the quietness of his cozy home at Kenyatta University to major in history with a premonition to pass down his wealth of knowledge on to the young man. At the time, the writer in question was joining the Catholic University of East Africa, CUEA in September 1997.
Where he instead, proceeded to study Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political sciences. Not that he regrets studying Philosophy and political sciences, both of which fashioned him into a more positive influence on his country’s current affairs.
But his failure to have understood the meaning and importance of history in human life. Which the good Professor in footstep of an Ancient Greek Philosopher Plato, fondly regarded {history} as the light through which an otherwise dark and unknown future is seen and known for the benefit of an informed mind and productive life worth having.
Since all problems of social, economic, political, medical and whatever nature can be better diagnosed and cured only when a keen and prudent reference to their causes and precedence is dully paid.
Which if ignored, can be at the costly risk of derailing societal social harmony, economic growth and political stability which constitute physical health of state and the individual citizen. While any interested reader, be it, local citizen, foreign academic or researcher can only dismiss this unrivaled fountain of knowledge as yet another junk that will gather dust in the bookshop’s shelves even before heading to the library at his/her own peril of remaining ignorance.
Even still, general prospective readers reading and knowing the information contained therein correctly can help improve and enhance socio-economic relations between the world’s renowned generous people of South Sudan and their sisterly/brotherly countries, particularly those of East African region.
Introduced below are therefore books whose contents not only demystify the compounding historical myths but are equally devoid of deficiency in information and neither a loaded trash; bereft of both fear and favor as prolifically written and cordially presented before you by brother Deng Vanang:
South Sudan the Making of a Nation, a Journey from Ethnic Polities to Self-rule, State and Democracy: Narrates a unique and more chronological architecture of South Sudanese history in both texts and pictures of notable personalities who played the leading roles in first and second liberation from 1820 -2016 respectively.
These heroes and heroines are not only limited to the naked figures who confronted with traditional spears and animal skin shields the single shot rifles wielding colonial Turco and Anglo-Egyptian invaders. But also include those armed with AK- 47 rifles to finally gun down once regional military powerhouse, the Sudanese state.
Not just those with scorched earth firepower alone, remembered as well are individuals who helped puncture the strength of colonial authorities from behind the battle lines with soft power of the pen and tongue, such as the church, media, youth, and women during the dilapidating war of independence.
This is without overlooking the system of governance, people alongside their counties, states, and sources of livelihood that prominently feature in the well-structured book. While the new country’s wonders and internationally known personalities conclude 342-page thriller that has been recommended by many for history textbook adoption.
LEAPED TO FALL: The Triumphs and Tribulations of an African Revolution, SPLM/SPLA:
Reveals in it a flowery history of the troubled inception of what became a world-renowned, successful African liberation movement and eventual independence party. That over the years proves to be a phoenix which keeps dying and rising from its own ashes of deadly external liberation war and internal sibling rivalries.
With its top and still prominent leaders’ carefully hidden personality traits that safely sustain their heads above drowning waters decade after decade of rulership meticulously revealed in a 276-page highly novelized political history.
Worldview: From Common Sense to Reason:
With tongue in cheeks tells readers how the world in a 248 – page title, from Africa to Asia and Americas to Europe, is governed from various human and academic perspectives with all their good and ugly, truths and pretenses.
Coupled, in parts, with some authoritarian kleptocrats grudgingly being smoked out of ivory towers to open grounds and dense parks; where they are regrouping and plotting a vengeful return. And so strong to weave the antagonized NGOs and civil society groups into what one Kenya Daily nation’s popular columnist Charles Onyango-Obbo refers to as allied forces of regime de-legitimization crusade.
A threat, according to the writer in the book, that makes it necessary to dismember an all-powerful – killer presidency in Africa and share its glorious trappings amongst key predators threatening its life and that of state sovereignty. To find out, google Ekitabu online books seller.
The author, Deng Vanang, is a graduate of the Catholic University of East Africa in Kenya with a bachelor degree in Philosophy and political sciences. He got awarded with an undergraduate diploma in public relations and management at Kenya school of exports and imports in Kenya. And in later years secured a post-graduate diploma in print media journalism from the University of Nairobi as well as a post-graduate diploma in peace and development studies at the University of Juba, among several short courses certificates in both information and governance from East African region and Republic of South Africa. He once served in SPLM/A during the war of liberation as political commissar and other political groupings in the post-war period. He became a Director in GoSS’ Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Juba until 2010 as well as a consultant for Mat-media in 2013 while serving as the columnist with various newspapers before and after December 2013 conflict erupted. He can be reached via his email: dvanang@gmail.com
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