Appreciating the gifted Bor Unionists of our time: John Garang, Bishop Garang Anyieth, and Ustaz Panchol Deng Ajang
Appreciating the gifted Bor Unionists of our time: John Garang, Bishop Nathaniel Garang Anyieth Jangdit, Mary Aluel-Noongdit, Ustaz Panchol Deng Ajang (Agut-Madul) and Ajak Deng Chiengkou
By Dr. Sunday de John, Nairobi, Kenya
Thursday, April 9, 2020 (PW) — While most people are on self-quarantine, I included, it is my prayer that may God bless the world abundantly and may the tragedy that has befallen the world vanish in the name of the Living God. I am writing this piece in appreciation of few individuals within Bor community for their immense and positive contribution towards the people of South Sudan with an unerasable marks on the lives of people, individuals or so.
This piece of appreciation is likely going to serve as a significant note in my mine that I have acknowledged the great contribution of others. These people I am acknowledging have contributed enormously in different ways for the good of other people in the interest of serving the human kind and not upon any significant rewards. On top of my list is Dr. John Garang de Mabior, the ever irreplaceable African Revolutionary leader with unbreakable records of championing the cause of his people for a period longer than two decades and whose leadership kept intact societies of diverse backgrounds with only words of his mouth as bread of life.
While managing the diverse societies of the current South Sudan, Garang was not in charge of oil money or any other wealth, he was rather sourcing everything from local communities and the international community and with the merger and scarce resources, he championed the liberation cause to a triumph for a period longer than the period predating the pre-independence time of the South Sudan following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and of note is that, societies weren’t polarized or divided.
While his invisible powers of uniting people into one compact society would be whisked away by perception that unity of the then marginalized Sudanese was by the factor of a common enemy, it remains that Dr. John Garang de Mabior has a power that attracts Unity. He was even doing that beyond the borders of Sudan. He didn’t desire to call himself a son of Dinka Bor parents, he wasn’t acting as a Twii from Awulian of Patem/Pateem subsection. He was an upright statesman. A towering nationalist of Africa whose presence was felt by the entire globe.
He actually didn’t allow any man or woman from his sub-clan to compose a song against fellow South Sudanese in his praise and he was so shrewd that his subjects couldn’t degenerate to clansmen/women that insult each other in parables and songs. He didn’t talk about his academic prowess yet he was an unquestionable giant in the academia with unblemished achievement, a PhD not by distance education and whose sequence of achievement was from successive ladders of education, not the mutated type that is good at the top.
He wasn’t an academic guinea fowl that is bad at the rear and good at the head. In other words, Dr. John Garang’s academic documents were systematically achieved, from Elementary/Primary to secondary and to tertiary stages without any interventions of art work men or women that promote the non-achievers. However, he had not used this despite being a standard leverage to maim his people, therefore I must acknowledge his humility. My fallen leader!
The other big factor in the liberation struggle is the Archbishop Nathaniel Garang Anyieth, the elderly clergyman whose spiritual guidance had devouringly swallowed all the South Sudanese and shaped them to a God fearing society that eventually led to the distribution of bibles that were with our forces in the trenches/bunkers and hence giving them the wisdom and courage to fight the just war. Archbishop Nathaniel wasn’t divisive in character. He united the Church and the flocks and he wasn’t confined to being Bishop of Bor although that was the designated assignment, he wasn’t thinking of Gok or Makuach Payam or even the Deer subsection, he rather went beyond that with rectitude and wisdom. He was a champion on several fronts, a statesman that didn’t cause conflict in any church and whose guidance until today is indubitable! What is it that that could have happened if the likes of Archbishop Nathaniel Garang weren’t available to guide the South Sudanese spiritually? I think we could have strayed! God is good, that is why he provided the selfless shepherds!
Without thinking twice, another brainy character, a female champion must be spotted and appreciated for her devotion to the service of the lord, she translated the Bible into a local language with much of it coming in very interesting form, in form of sweet songs, songs that actually called spirits and angels to work. Mary Aluel Garang Aka Aluel-Noongdit is the character in question, she was an evangelist whose will-power and call to God have been of discreet value with no stains and whose messages are well packaged to the satisfaction of believers and non-believers who sang the songs she composed in worshiping the Lord for fun. Aluel is worthy of my praise. She is a heroine. Unsung type and I am not committing any crime by mentioning her here.
She had and has never discriminated against any section. She didn’t partitioned South Sudan into Bor, Twii, Pakeer and down to Anook her lineage, she has been a messenger of God and her art and spiritual gift of singing have not melted to the commercial type, she didn’t compose a song as a means of hurling insults to her enemies, I believe she has few people that differed with her but she couldn’t use her singing ability to maim them, I salute her. She is my heroine!
On my list is him, the very Panchol Deng Ajang Luk, the man whose songs, most of them I understand and recite with ease. He didn’t only sing for Duk or Bor Community. He was extensive and pervasive in that he shunned the enemy and praised the heroes and heroines. His songs communicate messages of peace and bravery. He Inspires the warriors, demeans the turncoats and despises the backbiters. Agut-Madul can invoke stamina and courage. He can wreck havoc and paralyze the enemy. He can construct and raise hope and happiness where they have withered. Despite this diversity of abilities, he has never deconstructed Bor. He made Buor proud, he made South Sudanese proud. He is a hero in his own right and thus must be praised.
While we are keeping in mind the fastidious characters of the aforementioned people, let me acknowledge Mr. Ajak Deng Chiengkou, a media personality with Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), a presenter with varied abilities. A man with the lion’s heart in that he has courage of even questioning elephants in their comfort zones and ensures that they respond to the satisfaction of the public on matters of public concern. This man has Eagle eyes in that he can capably trace members of the society that need special consideration, those that are extremely afflicted, the neglected and the downtrodden and brings them to the limelight for possible intervention.
He is a public eye and more so, the eye of those who have become invisible for reasons beyond the scope of this piece. However, he too has a soft golden heart so much indiscriminate in that he doesn’t act only in the interest of Adol subsection of Kolnyang Payam but beyond the several continents. Ajak Deng Chiengkou is a man of the people, his mother has a reason to be proud in this world or beyond. My observation of Ajak is that, he can raise hopes of those that have despaired. What is it that is required for somebody to be called a hero? I call him a hero and I don’t care about your feelings.
With this background, Mr. Chiengkou has never desired to stir the community against itself. In conclusion, I can attest that the five characters that have featured in this piece have touched positively on the lives of others. They have not exhibited tribal inclination. They didn’t find joy in seeing their communities at odds! They are unionists!
Till then yours truly, Mr. Teetotaler!
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