"War doesn't determine who is right, war determines who is left."

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War doesn't determine who is right, war determines who is left.

- Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), English philosopher, author, 1950 Nobel Prize-winner in Literature


Galib has had some time to reflect on the people of Sudan. Here are his thoughts:

"Well, it has been over month on the ground and I want to tell you a little about the Sudanese people. The ones I came here to meet and to possibly help. They are an interesting people, a social people with a great deal of pride. I love driving to work everyday by the villages and by the schools in the city and see the beautiful children, dressed in uniforms, the girls with head coverings and pants and the boys in clean white shirts and all with very white teeth wave at me and smile. It is truly amazing. The really incredible thing is that through the civil war, the famine, the droughts, the harsh climate and the snakes etc, the people manage to keep their dignity and their pride. For example, each morning while in Khartoum, I would look outside and see many IDP (internally displaced persons) families sleeping on cardboard boxes, sleeping under trucks (gotta look under before you drive off).

But when they wake up, the first thing is hygiene and brushing their teeth, cleaning their clothes and living with some dignity although they are incredibly poor. The begging is nothing like other countries including Canada. You know when one asks for money, they truly need it and not like some of the able bodied people I see at home (not trying to generalize).

The other thing about the Sudanese is that they are very social. English is spoken in the schools and taught, but mostly the children are adept at it. Some adults, particularly those in the UN or NGO system speak it and have to for work reasons, but it is minimal. They love to hear you speak Arabic and enjoy it very much. Salaam (hello), Tamam (I am good, or even how are you?). Alhamdulallah (by the grace of god or thanks to god). Many others, but if you try, as in any other country, they really appreciate it.

The social aspect is coffee or a meal in Sudan. Breakfast is at 1030 am and consists of beans cooked in oil, onions (called foule), maybe a liver sandwich cooked with onions, tea with lots and loads of sugar, or Nescafe with sugar and powdered milk (quite tasty actually). Oh, and for lunch, I sometimes have a Sudanese hamburger (bun with beef burger, a fried egg on top and onions, much better than goat). They love to have tea in the afternoon and they love to talk. There are many tea shops in Ed Damazin and even at our Sector HQ there are two.

As for television and the radio, I see the odd tv or satellite dish out there, but not much else. There is some censorship in the country for sure. We have no tv in our home, but power is a big problem as is water supply. So that may be the reason you see Sudanese kids playing soccer (footie) in the evening. Life for children is the same anywhere I think. But the reality of UXO (unexploded ordinances/ mines) during the rainy season is certainly something that is on everyone’s mind including the locals. Also the reality of violence, for example, this weekend some shooting broke out by some disgruntled police / soldiers over pay and people were running into their tukuls (mud straw thatched huts) and digging into the earth for AK 47s they had hidden after the war and after the UN arrived. Their hands were still muddy from digging as they ran into the streets with loaded guns firing into the air. So this still exists, they have guns and have not disarmed as is the requirement by the UN to be here. I was stressed over this incident as any spark such as this can lead to misunderstandings between either side and all out violence can begin with the UN in the middle and me trying to get UN staff evacuated to safety."

More to follow later.

~gb

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Photos

"Sudanese Toddler" by Kevin Carter
This controversial photo was taken by Kevin Carter, a Pulitzer prize winning South African photojournalist. This is a Sudanese girl who collapsed on her way to a food line. Her fate is unknown. Kevin Carter committed suicide in 1994.

One of Galib's Translators
Along with a few UN soldiers

Some greenery
Galib took this photo in Damazin

UN Chopper
Piloted by a Pakistani National

Comments

[anonymous]

Very enlightening!!! There is always a silver liningin the cloud no matter how rough the situation. Glad you're settled in and seems you have more of a purpose than when you first arrived. Warmest Regards, Gary

[Jambon]

No kidding...
I have found the same in Torit. No violent outbreaks to speak of, but in the region there is constant violence with cattle stealing, and raiding to steal women for marrying off in exchange for cattle. Cattle equal wealth in the South. And the cycle of revenge for past incidents continues over, and over and over...