Shading the Talent in the Republic of South Sudan

By Zack Mayul, Aweil, South Sudan

Thursday, September 19, 2019 (PW) — South Sudan, for example, is a free country. By free, we mean really free, not “free”. Don’t get it twisted dear readers. I did not switch off my sanity, yet. So, without mixing things, there are two words that exists; at least here in our case of today: the free and the “free”.  “Free”, for example, is when you say things or do things voluntarily, expecting something in return. I don’t know but Francis Fukyama might categorize it under clientelism.

With “free”, for example, I would be writing on my blog anything that to impress, everything – everyday about STA that’s happening soon in December so that I get nominates as the best blogger or social media enthusiast of the year when they do their selection. On top of that, I have to gang up with the management to shut down any criticism that is directed to them because I know what I will get in return.

This is the “free” I meant. In leadership, if I’m not wrong, this is called affiliate power. This is mostly apply by the people who want themselves associated with certain people of a given standard or class in a society. In the other case of free, you do things from your utmost heart. You expect nothing in return nor should you ever ask for favors. Critical thinking and assertiveness are highly involves when judgments are made in this case: be it in politics, in religion, or business.

South Sudanese youth, and I say, people between the age of 18-40 years of age, have the least style of handling situations. Zack Mayul and his buddies inclusive.

Our adjectives never go beyond slow thinking, naivety, sheer pride, and unjustified maturity among many. First, we recycle ideas, second, some of us lack critical analysis, and third we feign and sugarcoat everything. And by the way, we’re okay with it. Don’t ask me how?

So what is beauty? How is beauty tag to talent? What is pageant? I had a chat with the recent crowned queen of the University of Juba.

Her name (she doesn’t have any stage name, at least she didn’t tell me), Monica Adut, a model: the current Miss University of Juba. She is the same lady that was racially abused by her fellow country mate including schoolmates.  

“How long have you been in the modeling industry?” I asked.

She joined the industry two years ago. And this year, she took part in the race that made her emerges the winner of the first ever school beauty contest ever organizes by the university, if I’m not wrong.

Talent is an invisible asset that requires a lot of hard work and time before perfection. Adut seems like she used no speed governor to reach that level, at least in my own opinion because most people have struggled like that before they reach where they’re today. But in a sailing ship of doubts, flying jets of ignorance, and thorny highway of hates. But have made it after a very short time.

What setbacks have you ever encountered before?

“In the modeling world,” as far has she knows, “we face a lot of challenges: from the racial assertions, (like in my case when I was attacked by my fellow South Sudanese that I look dark) to conflicting ideologies from the organizers and the fans,” she said. “It’s always difficult because you’re never sure whether you’re making the wrong or the right decision in every step of the way.” Pause.

I would be a dumb ass if I had asked her if she was trying to crop the statement, but again, I was there. I was in Juba and I saw how her story flooded the social media streets. I was there when the blogging fraternity spiced it to gain traffic on their sites. But how was I supposed to scrap off these dark shades of criticisms channeled to her yet I have never, in my life, ever written any better story about myself leave alone an innocent young lady I barely know?

How was I to tell the public that talent and beauty are as partly as Blue House in South Sudan and Kober that hosts Bashir in Sudan?

“Anyway, their words were never meant to hurt me. I just want them to construct me and to let me keep going farther.”

I swallowed the bitter portion of saliva. If it wasn’t an Indian Coffee Shop, I would have spat under the table, blow my nose and then wiped my eyes with the back of my left hand. Don’t dare imagine. I’m also an African who has never gone beyond Kenya and Uganda before settling permanently in Juba.

If I’m the only one, thy will be on earth as it’s it in heaven.  The reason why this has to come up this time is because next time, another innocent girl or boy don’t have to suffer the same way.

So many times I have always feel like the higher learning institutions should offer short courses like Advance Certificate In Minding Your Own Business, How To Use or Ways To Avoid Trouble, Found Studies in Empathy, etc, etc.

I’m not trying to be a saint here, though. I do go wrong too. But, come to think of it, isn’t it the same bible that teaches you and I, “Do others what should be done to you”?  In 2017, there was another girl that was abused for being crowned as a bleached queen. The entire company was label corrupt because, “how did they let that thing happen”?

I don’t know how job descriptions are done in that industry but first of all, why would you care that she won when she is a bleacher and you did not inform the company earlier that this was wrong? The cheering squad that criticizes these girls, most of them, dates men or women with no any other talent apart from taking 59 photos and post only one on Facebook.

Most of theses critics were, too, spat by the same people that pronounce it beauty pigen, pashion chow. Finally, do these girls bleach their brains? If not, leave certain things to certain people. You’re not a virus. You can’t run community associations and then gamble with something else.

You cannot be a pastor and gamble in a casino. This doesn’t just ends with modeling. Bloggers, musicians, sports men and women, anyone of any profession should learn how to walk on their right lanes.

What is beauty? Do you believe in beauty?

She tells me, “I believe in beauty because beauty doesn’t just come out of the appearance, it comes within; it comes inside of your heart. What we mean by beauty is how kind you’re, how humble you’re, how gentle you’re.”

Did your read that? A good computer is not the one that has light-buttoned keyboards. The capacity and the speed are among the best things that would let an IT student buy that computer. How does she become the results of attack because of her skin color or the set of her smile? Dear readers, does that even make sense to you? It doesn’t make sense to either.

“We are a young nation,” they always say and they quickly forget that only a quarter of this country’s population was born after independence. In the entertainment industry in general, modeling to be specific – sports, filming, as just the by the ways; there are a lot to be done.

Starting from our local produced products: models like Monica Adut to be embraced, our songs like Guondo Sakit to be played in every radio station; our sports by loving local leagues and teams: Amarat FC, Gudele, Atlabara, Melekia among others; our radio stations, and local radio presenters: Stella Loki, Sukuma, Jam, Kinky, etc.

I asked Adut what she would change in the industry if given one chance. “Our industry is still down and needs few adjustments. Textile for example is one challenge that will never help us produce our own local products. Even when you have little money, it becomes quite expensive for you to import the materials from other countries.”

But we also import foreign musicians to come and launch our products anyway. But whose business is it? Like I said, mind your business ya sabi.

Modeling, music, filming, soccer, and any other activity that brings people together are among the reasons why other institutions stand in the government sector. Do not take it now, and you will see your owns entertaining other countries in the West, in other parts of the continent. 

While you criticize them, never pay any less attention to them, Victor Lugala and Taban Lo Lylong’s books will be inspiring some ready kids in the neighboring countries, two or three more Pionte Sisto and Mabil Awer will be playing in Denmark and Australia and sing the national anthem of those countries with the president’s copyright, you will be reading on the blogs other two girls like Adut Akech and Akan William doing better in other foreign countries, you will always wait for the Ramsey Nouah Junior of Nigeria to come while never pay attention to Sam Lukudu.

Ali said in his writing, “Africa consumes what it does not produce and produce what it does not consume.” Shade your few talented youths. The game is still on.

Zack Mayul went to Ndejje University, Kampala, Uganda. He studied Bacher of Science in Marketing. He runs a small digital marketing firm in Juba, South Sudan. He does social media management. You can reach him via email: zackmayul54@gmail.com or Instagram, Twitter and Facebook as Zack Mayul.

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