THE HARE'S VISION
August 12, 2008, Victoria, BC, Canada - If you are one of those South Sudanese or a Sudanese in general, who is tired of not seeing one of our own on the world stage for good reasons, then you have a catch this summer. I personally wouldn’t have had any particular reason to watch the Olympics closely save for entertainment. But seeing Lopez Lomong, a South Sudanese American, carry the US Flag to the Beijing Olympics, I couldn’t conceal my excitement and pride. I found myself shouting to my roommate, “Hey see a South Sudanese?” in a matter-of-fact fashion as if that meant anything to the poor guy! Although the Americans chose him to carry their flag for political reasons, this was a perfect opportunity for him to bring attention to South Sudan. And he did.
There is something very interesting about patriotism and living abroad. From our own experiences, most of you will agree with me that those of us living outside Sudan are more patriotic than our counterparts back home. This is so because humans tend to protect that part of their being that is threatened – the Sudanese in each of us that our friends do not recognise. I laughed my lungs out a few weeks ago when I read a confessing article by a Kenyan lady living in the US. She had nothing to appreciate about Kenya until she came to the States. Now she falls head to toe for everything Kenyan – from music to food to clothes bearing “Kenyan” on them. What a metamorphosis! This perhaps explains my pestering my roommate with my nothingness about a South Sudanese appearing on television. But hey, ask the Kenyan lady and you may not need a better preacher on patriotism.
Our friend, Lopez, is competing in the Olympics after just 7 years of being in the US. Before then, he had only known running as a way of escaping from danger, a story all of us identify with.
A buddy of mine in Vancouver once told me he thinks Canadians are crazy. They ask him to go for a hike with them and he was like, “Man, I have been hiking for thousands of miles my entire life in South Sudan. Now, all I want to do now is play catch up to video games, television and everything academic!” I mean, who would blame this buddy. So for Lopepe to rise to the Olympics can only mean talent. And talent South Sudanese have in leaps; talent on everything. We have the greatest potential to take the world by storm in these games if only we have a country to call our own, a peaceful and welcoming environment that is.
When we rise to international status like Lopepe has done, South Sudan the way it is cannot pass for a home for practical reasons:
1. Lack of social amenities. Believe me, small things such as running on a treadmill in the Winter or biking on a nicely paved bike lane in the Summer, can be so addicting. No matter how patriotic you think you are, life in South Sudan is not going to be bearable without these things.
2. Fear of authority. South Sudan was military country the other day. I remember throwing my pen away 10 years ago because the military zone through which I was passing was allergic to the pen. I was back working in South Sudan 4 years ago. Although there was more civility, there were always questions of why I left Sudan if I were not a coward. If these things happened to me who left Sudan on an SPLM scholarship and who knows all the military stuff, what becomes of those of us who were born outside Sudan?
3. Democracy versus our traditional social strata. The concept of African Socialism bodes well for our young nation. But we have this amazing ability to take democracy at face value and live in our past. Democracy and African Socialism are two radical systems that cannot go hand in hand. The South has to choose one and fully embody it in all her institutions. It’s common in South Sudan to find a Department or a Commission staffed by relatives and clan’s men. That is traditions. It’s also common to find suppressed free speech. That is half democracy. Men like Lopez, once they come to South Sudan, will find these things wanting.
4. Fear of young talent by leaders. This is rather a world wide phenomenon. But if the South wants to develop fast, it should not only recognize talent from her young members whether at home or abroad but must also strive to build it. Our genius in things cannot materialize without requisite training and commission of resources to nurture ability.
I have just mentioned a few things that may keep South Sudan, like other African countries, loosing the best brains. There is no magic to this neither is it a question of patriotism. One thinks better if personal well being is taken care of. Therefore, I say to South Sudan leaders: If you want your Diaspora back, just make conditions a little more favourable at home. We speak and we hope someone is listening. We throw out big ideas for your digestion but we are still small children. There is, therefore, no competition for your positions. You only do us proud if we know something is being done in the place we all love to call home – South Sudan.
