56. Choosing Wisely - By Br. Bill Firman

56. Choosing Wisely

Now that voter registration for the referendum has begun, there is an increasing air of expectancy in Southern Sudan. There is a large, ongoing exit of Southern Sudanese returning from the north to the south. Outside our parish church in Malakal, buses from Khatoum pull up periodically and tables have been set up to take the names and details of people returning from the north.

There is still no diesel available for sale in Malakal and many taxis have now ceased running as petrol supplies have also dried up – and thus the livelihoods of the taxi drivers. I don’t know how the buses get back to the north. Will this be a temporary shortage or is this a long-term strategy to unsettle a population that has been relatively calm? We don’t know. There is no doubt that the people of the south want peaceful secession but how this will be achieved is uncertain.

Last Sunday we celebrated the patron feast of the parish, ‘Christ the King’. The Apostolic Administrator of the diocese preached vigorously urging full participation in the referendum. The mass was advertised to start at 9:00. One had to arrive close to that time to secure a seat in the shade but it was 10 to 10 before the celebration actually began and well after midday when it concluded.

The Sudanese celebrate liturgy well and obviously enjoy their participation. The young liturgical dancers display both grace and vigour – and stamina! The choir loves to sing each antiphon twice between each verse, making the hymns very long but the rhythm of the drums and other instruments carries everyone along. No-one complains. After all, we are here to celebrate life as Sudanese Christians. All age groups seem well represented.

The very young children show remarkable patience and perseverance. There are many children but to witness one crying is rare. All adults seem to expect and get respect from the young people with little effort. A simple sign of ‘No’ is accepted without argument. The splendidly arrayed ‘mommas’ exercise a well-practised collective control. The children are compliant and seem to model clear expectations of behaviour to each other.

I guess the parents here still have control at the family hearth. Brother Damien commented perceptively, many years ago: ‘Many parents lost control the day TV entered their living room’. How much more access to outside influence do computers and the internet now bring – and by how much is the gentle modelling and guiding of parents diluted and distorted?

We cannot be modern day ‘luddites’ but can we learn from this society that guidance and restraint still has a place? Can a new Sudan emerge where the traditional values that maintain good order are preserved? For the returning Sudanese from the north, where access to first world commodities was undoubtedly greater, how difficult will their re-integration be and what values will they bring into Southern Sudanese society? The so-called ‘transition period’ after the referendum will be very important indeed.

Several people have expressed the fear that the general expectations of what will happen after secession, if it occurs, are far too utopian. Secession is not a panacea. It won’t bring immediate improvement to lifestyle but more likely a period of shortages. What will be needed is a willingness to share and compromise. Attempts at selfish exploitation are likely. So we pray for strong leadership from among the Sudanese who will begin shaping their known destiny.

We continue to count off the 101 days of prayer for peace and invite you to do the same.

- Br Bill