(More about my Rumbek trip – sorry I know I’m repeating, but there are more pictures) So this is one of my first trips out of Juba. I was asked to participate in an assessment study of groundnut production. We flew to a town call Rumbek, which has a lot historical meaning in Sudan (as i mentioned last time). Hometown of John Garang. It was an unlikely capital because it had no paved roads and only had a population of 100k. But once Garang died, the capital was moved to Juba, which is larger and has some infrastructure, very little, but more than Rumbek.
In this trip I got the change to experience a landing on a dirt runway. I was truly scared, but I felt stronger after that experience. laugh!
We are constantly confronted with the remnants of the war. We had two members on the team who were formerly in the army (one of whom was only 14 when he was drafted). We approached this a town where there were holes dug out all along the ground. One of the former vets in the team told us about the fight that happened just 4 years ago in this very spot, and how he was part of the fighting that won the city back to the South. The dug out holes were used by the Northern army as a defense mechanism. This sent chills down my back. Everywhere we went there are left over shelled tankers, sometimes bombed helicopters, and old rusted bullets still lying randomly on the ground. And the demining team, who are constantly working on roads and farmland.
The cultures are so rich here. I didn’t want to stare, but the facial markings were so different for me. I don’t know if this is true, but I was told the culture of markings came from the missionaries/colonials who needed a way to identify one tribe from the other. Some other tribes remove the front 6 lower teeth. Yes ouch! And I couldn’t help noticing all the cows, everyone we went there were herds of them. Cows are considered a sign of wealth, so no-one is willing to sell their cows. Most of the beef eaten in southern sudan is imported from Uganda and Kenya, yet if you fly over Southern Sudan, you’ll see acres and acres of grazing cows.
Well once we got to Rumbek, I had a chance to visit some smaller towns / villages. We went to visit farmers, some of whom are recent returnees from refugee camps and some of whom lived here through the war. I found the Dinka’s huts very interesting. The farmers lived in these interesting huts that were mounted on sticks; it was like a 2 story hut. The height was used to deter animals from getting to their grains. In terms of marriage, there are no limits to the number of wives you can have. We met a man who had 9 wives, I was aghast. But he had good harvests and felt he could afford it. I have heard of a big chief who had 50 wives. So this man with 9 wives and quite a number of children, had three huts in his compound; One for him, one for the goats and one hut (on sticks) for the grains. The wives and kids slept under the hut on sticks. This was a very strange concept for me, but it is very accepted. I guess the grain is more important!
As most people have cows, the cows need to be fed constantly. Out of necessity and a way to support each other, most area’s have this things called “cattle camp”. Essentially groups of people join their cows together and send representatives from their family to manage the herd. The cow herders travel together in one group, setting up temporary camp and then moving once the grass is all eaten by the cows. Cattle camps of for young people, women, older parents and can be really important growth period in young boy’s lives. There can be up to 100 people in a cattle camp. A lot of people actually enjoy the camp because it is like a big camp party. There are a lot of young men who earn their right of passage by going through cattle camp. So it seems to be quite a significant part of their life. The herders burn the cow dung and smear it on their bodies to keep away tse tse flies. The cow dung is white, so they look a bit like ghosts. It’s a mixture of this elaborate clothing, deep facial scars and white dust on their faces. I have a picture in one of my albums. I really like that picture.
I was quite shocked by the level of comfort with nudity, most people had. In very remote areas most kids under 10 are naked and sometimes parents were partially naked. The kids all seemed happy though. It’s nice to see the smiles, contrary to the starving image on the news. After a while, it felt quite normal and I stopped starring. I guess in some ways if you can do this, there is less shame about the body.
I couldn’t help thinking how it seems like the world had stopped in this place. Cultures have been insulated by the war. And the bare necessity of just living is so apparent here. In the car, you can stand on top and look as far as the eye can see. The landscape is absolutely breathe taking. Virgin land, untouched and still. Such a contrast, 20 years of war (some parts brutal) and this virgin unbroken landscape. Hard to capture on camera... but this is my attempt.
I really enjoyed my trip to Rumbek. It was hot, and cramped at times. I had to stay at a camp where the rooms had lizards and frogs as regular visitors. But it was so much fun. I guess for a week, everything is still exciting. The camp we stayed in was owned by a Norwegian organization that had been in Sudan for 20 years; this means they were there even through the brutal times of the war. But somehow the locals knew and trusted them. So when war broke out, they always warned them or tried to avoid their area. Very touching to learn about their history and how this relationship developed. So the Norwegians are loved in Sudan.
Well I hope you enjoyed this. A small sliver into life here.
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