SUDAN- "INDIA" OF AFRICA!

Sudan- The India of Africa…

The first time I went through Sudan was in 1983.There wasa lull in the already oldest civil war in Africa and during this brief moment of peace it was possible to go through the entire length and breadth of this largest country in Africa.

I had heard so many different thing about the Sudan and didn’t know quite what to expect. After waiting for 2 weeks in Kenya for my visa - I finally managed to travel to the border of South Sudan and Uganda by truck. My journey into the “ India” of Africa was amazing. It was here that I discovered the true soul of Africa. It was here that I uncovered the true spirit of Africa and it was here that I became … “ an African” .

Ancient words for the Sudan have been “ Nubia” - some reckon it to be part of the biblical Cush. Certainly the ethnography of the Sudanese people lend it to the origin of the African race.

Initially I crossed the border just south of Juba- a place I call the asshole of Africa” - Ill get to that in a minute. My driver was haggling with the border guards for 3 days to get to the right price - finally, they agreed and we crossed the border. Soon we were in Juba. Ive never seen to this day in all my travels such a disgusting city. Hot .dusty , dirty and smelly. The toilet were pits in the ground with maggot infested faeces overflowing the latrines… the image still stays with me very clearly to this day.

I found a cheap international hostel and spent a few days in the place- meeting up with some interesting types of people. One a Greek guy who had been living in Juba for over 40 years. I asked him how he stands it…
He replied: Ive never had malaria - Iv never had any disease here.- I said : whats your secret: he replied… I drink a bottle of whisky a day… !

Since I would be in Juba for some time I wandered the streets hookingup with some international travellers and looking for something to read in a bookshop. Eventually I came across : the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and Ulysses- by homer. Both of which I felt appropriate to read in this long trip across Africa.

I looked at the option of going up the Nile in the boat… but it had broken down and Hepatitis was so rampant that it was advised against. To give the reader some idea of the heat of the sudan… and the quirkiness of the place… I was amazed to discover that once the sunset … everyone left their houses and took a crap in the streets!...
I went to a restaurant and had dinner - Juba is a kind of lost colonial type town… with white painted trees and dilapidated buildings…I doubt its changed at all in the last 30 years. I met up with a Dutch aid worker and we began chatting about the state of Africa and all of a sudden he fell flat on his face! - just like that! - he fainted form the heat…

That’s one thing I want to advise Europeans about Africa… B prepared of heat exhaustion.. if you don’t take your salt tablets… it doesn’t matter … youre going down!

Now why do I call Sudan the INDIA OF Africa?- Why not other candidates like Ethiopia or zimbabwe?

Cecil John Rhodes saw his ass here… so did General Gordon. And Kitchener. They all got defeated - their grandiose visions of a railroad from Cape To Cairo - ended here. It stopped. The vision of an African corridor opening up the continent …that got stymied in the Sudan.

Sudan had never nor is not going to “get with the programme” - why-
Firstly, there is an invisible fence that exists that cuts across this vast landscape … it is the fence of religion.

Secondly, Sudan is a tribal country and as such …people live very much how they lived for thousands of years. Youre gonna see people still hunting with bows and arrows. Walking around stark bullock naked…
And burning cow dung to get rid of the mossies.


Thirdly, if they haven’t got it right for the last 200 years… theyre certainly not going to get it right now…the rest of the world has moved on from its petty civil wars …but not Sudan. You need to divide it into 2 countries. This is the only way that peace will come to this great country.Its just too big. I spent 4 and half months travelling around the Sudan and living with different tribes. I could have spent 4 and half years and still not seen it all.

Lastly, Sudan is the land that TIME forgot… what that means is ..the concept of time in the 21st century pretty much says…how fast society should develop…that doesn’t exist here… communications, roads, stuff like that… non existent.! The only investment of note all goes on in the north… this is a country that does funny things like pouring all the alcohol into the nile…( President Nimule)…yes it really did happen1 and yes, sudan is on its own time scale...so dont expect to operate on any western understanding of time...

I want to speak to you of all my adventures in the Sudan… I cannot AS THERE ARE TOO MANY.

Suffice to say… it’s a very big country…with a very big problem… and whats not helping that problem is the discovery of OIL!

They need to cut this country up in half and then there will be a possibility of peace. Like India was divided into India and Pakistan ( and Bangladesh?) - Sudan needs to do this.

This is the end of part one.

Sudan.. sudan...Africa's forgotten civil war...

---

---