Abyei, You'll Come Back Home

Abyei, You’ll Come Back Home

 

Déjà vu! Nothing but broken bones and broken promises

Bad, grotesque and impious men in dangerous disguises

 ***

Years ago you were misled into pretentious consolation

For years you’ve yearned without confrontation
Coming home has become torturous and intergenerational
You’ve cried rivers but solution expected national
You’ve hemorrhaged plenty but the world is indifferent
Big men have intervened only to fall back in severance
We watched your homelessness with awful anger
Blackness, charred huts, dead youngsters… dreadful answer
But what has become of consciousness carers?
What has become of your leaders, who’ve become starers?
Late Nyankol asked relevant questions only to go unanswered
You’ve done much for yourself to be free and pampered
But no, your freedom has become bigger than your very being
Promises of 1972 are over and again being seen
You ask yourself what you’ve done to deserve this
And we ask ourselves how the sleepy leadership persists
The greedy old fellows sold you and passed
But like a strong, sleepy lioness, you won’t be suppressed
With white turban and gown comes the impious schemer
With blue suit and tie comes your leader, the clueless dreamer
With tears, blood, death, hunger, wretchedness you remain
We’ve seen the fat, pot-bellied dreamer in the main
You’ve been sacrificed as the turban and the tie bargain
You’ve been abandoned but the dreamers complain
Little to nothing is promised as 2005 promises are now 1972
You’ve taken it with grace and you’ll pull through
Wipe your tears for you need your strength and will
Document your sorrows for you’ll need them still
The world saw the smoke of your burning villages
It saw you burn down, watching emotionlessly like savages
Something reminiscent of the savage slave masters
It’s difficult to know who’s to blame in all quarters
But one thing we all know: your innocence shines
And in the thick of it all we are ashamed and you’ll be fine
All you’re asking for is to go home and be free
It isn’t too much to ask but it’s now at an exorbitant fee
Abyei, you’ll come back home!
Funny and sad because you’re home but not home
You’re near but you’re still far
In the end, you’ll be a free star!
Abyei, You’ll come back home!

(c) Kuirthiy 

Functionalization of Criticism

I've always maintained that critics are actually the friends of any government because they present the leadership with a mirror through which leaders can check their performance and public approval or disapproval.

In South Sudan, and other countries where repression and intolerance is the order of the day, critics are seen as the problem; the vilifiers.

Instead of capitalizing on critics, South Sudanese leadership tends to see critics as their enemies. The actual enemies of South Sudan are those who don't correct the errors. Those who see the leadership going astray and condone the act are the enemy number ONE of South Sudan.

What leaders need to do is to study what critics say or write and negate it by deeds that can be deemed helpful to South Sudan. A good deed is never criticized and that's what we tend to forget.

Let's functionalize criticism for our own benefit.