9th Anniversary of July 9th: Rakuba Intellectual’s Pledge of Freedom to the Revolutionary People of South Sudan
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By Mike Mabor, Juba, South Sudan
Thursday, July 09, 2020 (PW) — In July 1820, the 25 year old Ismail Kamil Pasha, Muhammad Ali’s third son invaded Sudan with an army of 10,000 men. The aim of his expedition was to procure negroes of non-Muslim origin to be enslaved in the Muhammad Ali dynasty. Given the fact that these negroes were our ancestors, the most important objective for us today is the restoration of our lost dignity, dignity which will make us noble again in our own eyes and in the eyes of the world. As a Nation, we need a National Identity that is sparked with enthusiasm and fueled by integrity, a National Identity that inspires Patriotism to sprout from the hearts and minds of our people. A well defined National Identity, coupled with a clear Vision of our destiny and an unyielding desire to prosper will steer South Sudan away from the self-defeating path of wanton violence, and ostracize disunity which remains the root cause of our Nation’s perils. Rakuba Intellectuals hopes that the following pledge stimulates in the heart of every South Sudanese citizen, a strong desire for the establishment of a Glorious National Identity that is anchored on Unity in Diversity.
I AM A SOUTH SUDANESE
I am a South Sudanese – I am born of the peoples of the Republic of South Sudan, a people tall and smooth-skinned, a Nation mighty and conquering, a people feared far and wide. I am the offspring of Taharka, the Mighty Kushite Pharaoh of Egypt, who Conquered the Biblical land of Judah with an army of one million men. I sprung from the genealogy of Nimrod son of Kush, the Mighty Conqueror of the Universe. Royalty blossoms within me, for I originate from the divine bloodline of the Sun God Osiris and Queen Isis, the begetters of the Falcon God Horus, the ancestor of the Great Anyuak people. My Country is the homeland of the 7,000 year old Uduk people of Napata, the courteous and hardworking pioneers of iron smelting in Africa. It is the motherland of Ramesis II and Thutmose III, the cradle of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun, the mighty Pharaohs of the great Egyptian Civilization. The immortal gene I carry within me is divine, it is the same gene that drove our Paramount Chiefs to revolt against the Colonial oppressor in 1947.
In my veins courses the blood that compelled Father Saturnino Lohure, General Emilio Tafeng and Commander Ali Gbattala to rise up against Arab imperialism in Torit in 1955. My bones surge with the energy of the Anyanya veterans that Joseph Lago led in revolt, against the extremist Arab-Islamic regimes of the Sudan. I am the apprentice of William Deng Nhial and Joseph Haworu Oduho, the protege of Counsel Abel Alier Kwai and Prof. Moses Machar Kachuol, the adjutant of Arok Thon Arok and Commander Kerbino Kuanyin Bol, Compatriots who endured great trials and tribulations in pursuit of liberty. I am the offspring of the revolutionaries that Dr. John Garang De Mabior and Commander Salva Kiir Mayardit trained never to dishonor the cause of Freedom, the Commissar of Commander William Nyuon Bany and Commander Ngachigak Ngachiluk, the grandchild of Commander Ageer Gum and her Battalion of Girls, most commonly known as Katiba Banat. Gallant Martyrs whose blood cemented the foundation of our Nation, making their legacies deathless forever.
I am a South Sudanese – I am the heir of the cradle of Melanin, a black Nation of superhuman courage and ambition, an African Nation rich in linguistic, cultural and religious diversity, a Sub-Saharan Nation woven from many languages which are a relic of my rich heritage, a people engulfed in many cultures which are the epitome of my social fabric, a land undergirded by many religions which are the bedrock of my Piety. My identity is encapsulated by the beautiful traditions of the Acholi and the hospitality of the Jie, the pride of the Murle and the fidelity of the Toposa, the rapport of the Luo and the humility of the Fertit all of whom are a part of me. I am a replica of the Avukaya and the Azande, the Balanda and the Bari, the Bongo, Boya, Chollo, Didinga, Dinka, Dongotona, Kachipo, Kreish, Lotuko, Maban, Ndogo and the Nuer. This great Nation is the resting place of the Messianic Piety of Prophet Ngundeng and the boundless courage of King Gbudwe. A Nation that is the sanctuary of the infinite wisdom of Nyikang, revered monarchs who are the founding fathers of this great Nation.
I am the heir of the fertile alluvial soils of the Boma Plateau which promise a plentiful living, the inheritor of the awe-inspiring Waterfalls at Fula which are a potential tourist attraction, the cultivator of a portion of the Garden of Eden that is irrigated by the soil coloured waters of the Nile. I am the recipient of a land expectant with corn, groundnuts and sesame, a Nation blooming with sorghum, millet and wheat, a Nation overflowing with rice, milk and honey, a Nation blessed with livestock, vegetables and fruits, the nutritious ingredients of many delicious, largely untapped and unexplored tropical cuisines. I am the custodian of the dense Teak forests of Lainya, woodlands which give sanctuary to a mosaic of rich plant life harvested as premium quality hardwood. My beautiful Country is blessed with the emerald-green wilderness of New Kush, home of the sweet fragrances of mother nature, the environs of abundant flora and fauna which have supplied pollution-free herbs like Abrus Precatrious, Artemisia, Aloevera, Ginger, Moringa, Salix Capensis, Solanum Incanum and Tamarind to our people for many generations, herbs which have been indispensable medical substitutes to the highly unaffordable Pharmaceutical Drugs since time immemorial.
I am a South Sudanese – I am the guardian of the towering Imatong mountains whose bowels are swollen with Diamonds, Gold and Silver – the custordian of a land pregnant with Bauxite, Chromium and Cobalt, a wartorn Nation endowed with Copper, Crude-Oil and Iron-Ore, a Nation rich in Limestone, Mercury and Mica, a Nation bulging with Natural Gas, Nickel and Tin, a Nation blessed with Tungsten, Uranium and Zinc. I am the envoy of a land gifted with the great Pibor Desert, characterized by moving mountains of sand, the beneficiary of the swampy Sudd ennobled by the invaluable white Rhino, the Curator of the vast Savannah Grasslands endowed with inexhaustible wealth in wildlife. My motherland rejoices in the beauty of Boma National Park, home of the majestic Lion and the gigantic Elephant, the habitat of the muscular Buffalo and the lofty Giraffe, the residence of the cunning Hyena and the graceful Zebra. I take pride in the richness of Badingilo National Park, the home of the elegant Gazelle and the delightful Ostrich, the habitat of the iron-jawed Crocodile and the enormous Hippopotamus, the vicinity of the lazy Python and the venomous Cobra. South Sudan is a Nation of great potential, a Nation blessed with abundant mineral resources which are a treasure for profitable trade, a Nation rich in wildlife which is a fortune for Tourism, a Nation blessed with fertile soil which has great potential to be the breadbasket of Sub-Saharan Africa.
I am the heir of a Nation of great potential but limited prospects, a bleeding and hurting Nation of farmers and pastoralists, a bewildered and heartbroken Nation of orphans and widows, a battleweary Nation that was rescued from oppression by our forefathers, only to be apprehended by corruption, tribalism and war. I am the caretaker of a Nation which is being strangled by the Neo-Colonialist Crusade of exploitation and expropriation, masterminded by the domestic and foreign enemies of our motherland. In spite of this self-inflicted tragedy, this magnificent Nation is our heritage, it is the birthplace of our ancestors and the cradle land of our people. In spite of the shortcomings of the past and the present, we the patriotic citizens of this nascent Republic from all walks of life, must unite and commit to the development of our beloved motherland, collaborating with each other to the utmost of our capacity. There is no shortcut to prosperity. Inspite of the support of our many friends and wellwishers, the South Sudan we desire will not be handed to us on a silver platter by foreigners. If we want a better South Sudan, we the loyal citizens of this Country, must collectively partake in the difficult decisions and momentous choices, that are the pillars upon which the destiny of our motherland hinges. Only through the work of our hands and the innovations of our minds can South Sudan prosper, beyond the power of any individual, Nation or institution to obstruct or destroy.
Oh God Bless South Sudan
Happy Independence to all our Citizens
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