New Life Ministry (For the Sudan Mirror)

The New Life Ministry for Sudan is an organization operating in Aweil in upper Nile. In its relatively short history the organization has achieved considerable successes. This is made all the more impressive given the obstacles which were faced during the first couple of years. James Lual Atak is Founder and President of the organization and he gave me some insight into how a young Sudanese man with no capital or resources came to establish an NGO that now runs four schools and an orphanage.

‘I started the organization about six years ago. It was a dream and the dream has come true. I was one of the lost boys who went to the United States. I was supposed to be in the United States. But after I got all the paperwork done to go to the United States I said no. I will go back to Sudan and help my people. I was twenty four years old. People said “How are you going to make it and I said I am going to make it. I had a feeling. I told people I was going back to Sudan. I had to go back. No one helped me. I was living in Nairobi under a scholarship of Christian Organisations. There was no one who gave me the money. Even the organizations who sent me to school did not give me the money.’

James threw himself into his work with enthusiasm that would eventually prove infectious. Taking the initiative himself he made his own way to Sudan and began preparation of a site for the orphanage he planned to build. ‘I decided to go and I went on May fifteenth 2002 and I started clearing the site by myself. Then I came back after spending six months without sponsorship. I had no money to pay for a plane so I had to ask for a lift. I said to a pilot “I have no money; I want to get to Loki.” I got a lift off Concern. When I came to Nairobi I showed the pictures to different organizations and I was given five hundred dollars by Open Doors. When I got the five hundred dollars I went back.’

This DIY attitude was to give James the momentum he needed to get his project off the ground. He started teaching classes on his own under trees. Teaching up to three classes at a time with no real resources to speak of he would spend his time going from one group to the next and give each class something to sing or recite while he moved between the three. He at this point had nobody else to assist him and he used to have to and fetch water from the river for the children. ‘I couldn’t afford even a bicycle.’ He tells me and explains that in those early days there were times when he had to sell his own clothes simply so he and the children could eat. However his use of the meager resources available to him was to prove crucial in securing further assistance.

‘One of the days I came to Nairobi. I went to Open Doors again and they gave me two thousand dollars. I took this money and I made a borehole. The children could drink close to their school and go to the class under the tree without textbooks.’

The local community also came to use the borehole. James then opened up three clinics in the area to help the local people in 2003. ‘I could not also close my eyes to those children who lived close to the school and were poor. I allowed them to come free to the school under the tree.’

‘When I came to Nairobi again I got money off a lot of different organizations. Any time I got anything I would rush in again because I was so touched. I was really touched by my people. When I came here I would run around with the proposal. I would get the money from different people and then I could establish a school for the outside community. Although the orphans were the priority I wanted to deal with the outside community first in order to keep them there. And also so they knew someone was thinking about them, who was one of them and giving the support they could.’

‘All the children were under the tree and they would leave when it got too hot and when the wind blew the papers in their hand would blow away and even the blackboard would blow over. When I got money I constructed classrooms for them.’

‘People in the area were going to the river for water and this often caused them to be sick so I constructed eighteen boreholes in the area. When I started in this area it was just bush but now it has become a town. People used to say “You will run away” and I said “If I run away God will see.”’

Once he had helped to ensure a future for the local people and they would not be forced to leave the area James was now able to concentrate on his main priority. Helping young people who like him had been orphaned. He explains how there were no shortage of children in need of assistance, ‘From there I could start concentrating on the orphans. From 153 orphans the number increased to 303 orphans last year, 2006 to 400 now in 2007.’

I ask him about how he feels that a young man like him should have to provide such services for so many people and if he feels the New Sudan is developing in the way it should he gives a typically candid answer, ‘Health is a big issue in Southern Sudan. We got peace but we are not concentrating on development. Then what did our people die for? They died for development, they died for education, they died for our rights, because of people being neglected. I want everybody inside and out to understand that it is our task to work to improve the situation, to change the system.’ He feels that it is the responsibility of Sudanese people to help themselves and to take the responsibility for the development of their society and illustrates the enormity of the task New Life Mission. ‘We have constructed the biggest orphanage in Southern Sudan, in a place called Aweil west. Aweil West County is our main headquarters right now but we are also supporting Aweil north.’

When asked how he feels about Foreign NGOS who come to Sudan and the way in which they operate he is equally frank, ‘They have the money. Millions of dollars and they could not even it use it wisely to focus on helping people. So they just spend money on constructing out of mud bricks. Which is not fair it is better to construct something permanent. Most NGOS, international organizations, have wasted their money. People come to Aweil now to see what we are doing and they are amazed. They wonder how this could happen. Right now we are building a big two storey building and it is the first building of its type in the area.’

James is also extremely proud that the buildings built by New Life Mission are made from concrete and not out of prefabs or mud bricks as many foreign NGOs use. He feels that it means that something will be left behind for future generations and the buildings will guarantee that children can be helped and educated for many years to come.

Further to this as he employs only Sudanese people he feels that not only is money not leaving the region but skills and experience are arriving. He feels that this experience will be invaluable. ‘What I need is for them to work hard. Every child of Sudan needs to work hard to build a future. Every morning at the work site we have 87 people working. Every single brick must be lifted up by hand and the water must be taken up. There was nobody who tried to improve their situation and tried to help them and tried to support them and show them the right direction. You see it was not easy when in the beginning I used to say “Hey Brothers it is good to work hard. To make what you need here.” People come at around nine o’clock and they want to leave at around twelve and I said no that’s out you cannot be paid a full day.’ However with their new income and skills the workers were able to begin improving their life situations, ‘With the money they bought cows or goats. Some got married.’

Skilled labourers were initially brought in from Kenya so the Sudanese workers could work with them and learn new skills, ‘The important thing is to get the skills from the Kenyans. I could see they are really working so hard to improve their situation.’

He feels it is extremely important that Sudanese people learn to help themselves and feels that anybody living in the Diaspora who have skills and experience that can help the people of Southern Sudan should return to help build a future for their people. If anybody is interested in visiting the project and learning how to initiate and run projects James is more than willing to help.

His contact details are;

Nairobi office: + 254 20 272 4700

Nairobi mobile: + 254 722 370 870

Satellite phone: + 88 216 4333 5404

Email: jameslual@yahoo.com

African Herbal medicine (For the Sudan Mirror)

A recent UN report warned that in ‘developing’ countries fake prescription drugs are now widespread. The International Narcotic Control Board warned that in some countries the figure for fake pharmaceuticals could be as much as fifty percent. This could have disastrous consequences for those using these drugs. Not only will they fail to treat the ailment but they could actually have adverse effects on the health of the people using them. Much of this could be as the result of the sale of ‘generic’ non-branded drugs on the market. There is also the problem of drugs which are available for sale on the internet which require no prescription. Many of these drugs are not traceable and carry no guarantees of their authenticity or safety.

Of course such issues are part of a series of broader concerns about the safety of many medicines. For example the use of antibiotics can cause many diseases to evolve and become more resistant to treatment making them more dangerous and meaning in turn that more and stronger medicines will be used to treat them adding further to the problem.

Examples of irresponsibility on the behalf of pharmaceutical giants can be seen when in the late nineties when an American company donated large quantities of medicine to NGOs and groups working in Sudan. However as it transpired these medicines were all expired and would have had to been destroyed otherwise. The company had reasoned that it would be cheaper to fly them to Sudan and offload them in this way than to destroy them in a proper manner which would have been costly. It is estimated that the company saved $42,000,000 us by doing this. Further to this when large companies donate to charity in the United States they are entitled to generous tax rebates. To make matters worse it transpired that a large number of these drugs were actually slimming pills. Something that certainly is useless in the middle of a war!

I learned the ruthlessness of multinational healthcare companies when I worked in a factory making medical devices. The pieces we made were used in procedures to unblock arteries and were designed to be used once as after this not only were they not sterile but they could actually cause a heart attack. However they were so overpriced that in many countries south of the hemisphere they were used three to four times as it was not affordable to operate in any other way. Western pharmaceutical companies make massive amounts of money from selling drugs to ‘developing’ countries. Very often however these drugs are based on traditional medicines that are being abandoned by the people who have practiced them for centuries.

Andrew Kuria is an herbalist practicing in the Kawangware district of Nairobi. He has been practicing for seventeen years having learned about herbs from his parents. He in turn is training his children in the same manner. Every family member learns this tradition but they also study pharmacology or nursing in order to allow them to diagnose their patients or to understand the medicinal qualities of the herbs.

Herbs that can have medicinal qualities are found throughout Africa in a variety of climatic and geographic conditions but the strongest herbs are found in the driest areas. This has meant that herbal practices vary from region to region. For example the treatment for malaria on the coast or in the higher regions use different herbs but to the same effect. Not only will the treatments vary but so to will the doses. Kamirithu herbs where Andrew Kuria works gather these different treatments and blend them into one strong drug that can be used by every tribe or in every region.

Kuria says herbal remedies are no longer as popular among many Kenyans due to the massive amount of money multinational pharmaceutical companies are able to spend on promoting their products. He also points to the failure of the Kenyan government to decolonise the health system. He tells me, ‘Currently we have nobody in the ministry of health who is responsible for herbal medicine. We are only covered by the Culture Ministry and this is more than culture. It is tackling health issues.’ This has meant that the herbal market is largely unregulated with no quality controls on products being sold. This has led to a situation whereby practitioners from outside of Kenya are able to import whatever they wish into Kenya and sell it there. Meanwhile the government will not even know if the clinic exists.

The other problem facing Herbalists is that ‘at the same time the multinationals have done a vigorous campaigning to promote their drugs. They have sophisticated ways, networks to reach their clients, to reach hospitals. Which is a definite advantage over us.’ The result is that Herbal medicine is lagging behind and the government has done nothing to promote it.

However many ‘conventional’ medicines are based on traditional formulas which can be duplicated and manufactured in large quantities at a cheaper price. ‘We have drugs for malaria, for syphilis, stomach ulcers. We have drugs for asthma, which can cure. So the only advantage I know is that herbal medicines have no side effect. They have no side effect because herbal medicines contain no chemical compound and therefore the issue of a dose does not arise. You can take as large a quantity as you want as long as you are able to. That’s why they are more effective. Herbal medicines are more effective in curing diseases that are chronic that are not easily treated with conventional medicines.’ A problem faced by herbalists though is that they don’t have access to the same means of publicity as the large pharmaceutical companies and so depend on word of mouth.

When I ask what it is that makes people choose herbal remedies he tells me, ‘What drives people to herbal medicine is when the disease becomes chronic. When they have been there in the hospital for five years and nothing is happening. That’s when they turn to alternative medicine. That’s why it is called alternative medicine. So when you come here you have developed a lot of complications and that is why it is not easy to treat you and furthermore it’ll cost you a lot of money. We are damn expensive.’ Here he hesitates as he decides on a price to tell me. ‘We can’t charge less than $50 us per month’s dose.’ With treatment possibly lasting a year or six months this can add up. This is of course expensive compared to mass manufactured medicines some of which are even given out for free by the government.

For the treatment of meningitis a course will last one month, malaria can be treated in two weeks. The medicine should be taken every day and it is important to eat a lot of food while undergoing the treatment. He feels that it is not the cost that is prohibitive but rather how people have been brought up. If somebody is raised to go to hospital for treatment they will do that but if they have been raised to see the benefits of herbal medicine they will prefer this treatment. However when hospital treatment fails people go for alternative treatment. Kuria however is quick to point out the limitations of herbal medicine. For example while he is able to treat a stomach ulcer if the patient has a perforated stomach he will refer them to a hospital to receive appropriate treatment. However this is a one way process ‘There is no Doctor who can refer somebody for herbal medicine.’ As they know so little, unless they come from a background in herbal medicine they generally will never refer a patient to a herbalist. This is because they fear herbal medicine as they do not how the drugs work and think that they are toxic. Some doctors will also tell their patients that they should not take both herbal and conventional medicines but according to Kuria there is no problem in mixing the two.

Another problem is the stigma attached to practicing herbal medicine. For a long time herbalists were portrayed as witchdoctors. This of course was discouraging to people who were Christian and did not want to be seen to associate with witchcraft and led to many to come from an environment were herbalism was looked down upon. ‘Now they are realizing that this is a tradition they have potentially lost. Now there are so many herbal products coming up. Why? Because people have started to appreciate herbal medicines.’ Kuria feels that many young people feel encouraged to return to herbal medicine and recover the traditions that their parents lost. He also feels that herbal medicine is of particular importance to young people as it provides an excellent treatment for STD’s such as syphilis and gonorrhea.

In order to become a herbalist takes quite a bit of time as there are many areas to learn and if Kuria is to believed will also cost you quite a bit of money but he is eager to point out that this can be retrieved quickly as the job of herbalist is quite a lucrative one.

Oscar Mutua is a Doctor in the clinic. He explains that honey is a large part of the treatment. Firstly it sweetens the taste of the herbs, which can be quite bitter but also it contains components such as fructose which help the treatment. Kamirithu herbs blends all its own herbs on the premises and creates the compounds necessary for treatment. Oscar trained in conventional medicine graduating just a year ago. When I ask him what made him turn away from conventional medicine he says ‘It’s not that bad, the only problem is that at the end of the day it leads you to create side-effects.’ The reason for this is that while conventional medicine may seek to duplicate the benefits of traditional medicine it involves the addition of chemical compounds to stabilize the drugs and to guarantee their effectiveness. This creates problems for the body as it puts pressure on the liver and on the kidneys. This means the body is weaker and therefore less capable of dealing with the disease. Oscar says herbal medicines are different as they leave the body easily and do not put the same sort of strain on the system.

He says that as many people come to an herbalist after undergoing conventional medical treatment it causes more complications due to the strain their body has been under and they then must carry out what he calls ‘damage limitation.’ When I ask how his family felt about him abandoning conventional medicine to pursue more traditional treatments he replies with a smile, ‘Believe me, they don’t even know I’m here. They have a dream of me being in the hospital and making money.’ He says that he feels it is a problem that many Doctors are more interested in their careers or in prestige and money and this was another incentive for him to abandon conventional medicine. He feels there is still a stigma attached to traditional medicine saying ‘It is mostly in the youth. Most people below the age of thirty years wouldn’t come here.’ His overall view of the situation is ‘The more people who can turn to herbal medicine the better.’ Emphasising ‘Good herbal medicine.’

Kola Boof- Blurring the lines between fact and fiction (articles for Sudan Mirror)

Kola Boof is a woman who is shrouded in controversy and even the facts of her life are often disputed. There are some who claim that she is delusional or that she has fabricated events in order to attain publicity but she refutes these claims and maintains that for various reasons there are many in the media who have a vendetta against her. However what cannot be denied is that she is an extremely talented writer.

In order to justice to her art it would probably be better to simply read her works and stay away from the issue of her personal life. But when reading her works the themes which she claims have dominated her life prove to be extremely relevant. Notably issues of race and women’s sexuality.

Kola Boof was born in Northern Sudan as Naima Bint Harith. According to the Sudanese authorities she was born on March 3^rd 1972 but she herself claims that she was born in March of 1969. Her father was an Egyptian Archeologist by the name of Harith Bin Farouk and her mother was a Somali by the name of Jiif. Her racial origins were to play a big influence on Kola’s life. Her father was Arabic and Muslim but was vehemently opposed to the oppressive Khartoum regime. This was to prove a huge influence on Kola and she always identified more with Black Africa and claims Sudanese as her nationality. However her parents’ opposition to the regime was to prove to be lethal and in 1978 they were killed by the regime. She claims that her paternal grandmother did not wish to take care of her because due to her mother’s skin colour she was much darker than the rest of her Father’s family.

She was put up for adoption and eventually was to find a new home in the United States with an African American family in Washington D.C. She has very fond memories of the African American community and says she was made to feel very at home in America. She still lives in California with her husband and two sons. Her life has been one of much variety. At one point she was a star of North African cinema and she claims that it was in Marrakech that she first met Osama Bin Laden. She says that they had a relationship but that this was against her will and that eventually she managed to escape. She refuses to use the term sex slave to describe the situation she was held in as it serves to disempower her. However claims have been made that her relationship with Bin Laden was as much a fiction as her stories.

It is too easy to become distracted by such controversies and to ignore the quality of work that Boof has produced. What is immediately notable in her poetry, memoirs and fiction is that issues of race and gender are at the forefront of her concerns. To her Black women are the most beautiful and powerful creatures on the planet and she rails against all injustices perpetrated upon women and black people. She renounced both Islam and Christianity, the two traditions in which she had been raised and adopted a Nilotic religion. She also insists on appearing bare breasted in photographs on the covers of her book claiming that it is the tradition of African women not to have to cover themselves and that men force women to hide their bodies as it gives men more control.

She prefers to describe herself as a Womanist rather than a feminist and her work is very much influenced by themes effecting women. In the story Day of Vow she details the story of a young South African woman who was raped by the son of her white employers. Boof brilliantly chronicles the thoughts and emotions of the protagonist Zorina as she describes the class and race structures of modern-day South Africa and the way in which Black women are oppressed because of both their gender and their race. However rather than simply pointing an accusatory finger at white South Africans she intricately narrates the complex prejudices held by people of colour in South Africa as they attempt to advance themselves in a world where all the rules have been made by whites and where it seems the only way to advance is to surrender oneself completely to the will of the white oppressors.

Themes of race and gender frequently occur in her poetry also. Given the nature of her childhood it is easy to see why race and identity are such an influence on her work. This led her to become politically active also and she claims that she was an intelligence agent for the SPLA. This however like many facts of her life has been verified by some and denied by others. She did however write a poem to commemorate the late John Garang and it was read at his funeral. This poem is quite typical of Boof’s work in the themes it addresses such as race and motherhood. It is reprinted below.

"Choll Apieth"
(black is beautiful)

a Poem by Kola Boof

_____

In the river crossing and coming through us

The egg has not drowned/Our mother’s long war

--hand of Nhialic, The blood

In the river crossing

and coming through us

Behold today/ that cattle have no tongues

And that the earth is cold where Macardit tangles

in the raid of horses/ charging in our wake.

--we have lost our best son

--we, who bring the morning her spears

--we who are like birds/tired of the Crashing

And have seen the Sky

itself

fall against our dreams

Choll Apeith, warriors!

In all my conversations:

the ones who are victorious...the ones

who are praying

Knowing that Papa Garang shall rise again

In the eye of our fists--the chant of our shouting

The Yoke of New Site/golden as sun and birth

This victory of the everborn's heartbeat...steadily rising

Be it on one foot--Garang

(be it on one foot)

Our hero of the landscape

In the river crossing and coming through us.

In all my conversations--

Come through here...river

Bloody Cross and our father rising from it

to deliver this Everborn;

bring us your cattle and your courage--

bloody womb; our mother, the Goddess Sudan.

Enchant us this victory.

His place with God/And no more flesh.

Everborn the victory...and no more flesh.

Garang...Garang

our best son!

And no more flesh.

Bird of the Sky--black as all black put together.

And no more flesh.

We who give birth to you again--and no more flesh.

Who Speaks for Women? (Article for Sudan Mirror supplement for International women's day)

When we see or hear of scenes of tragedy in the media it is often women who are shown as the ones who have suffered disproportionately. However when women are portrayed in such a manner, often rather than helping them or their plight it places them in the role of victims and sees them as little else. While those who portray women as constant victims may be well intentioned in doing so they rob women of their agency. Rather than being viewed as actively involved in the world in which they live they come to be viewed as passive victims.

The late John Garang said that women were the ‘Marginalized of the marginalized.’ They suffered not just because of the war but also because of their position inside their society. Their suffering was not simply because they were the wives, mothers or daughters of the fighters but because they were viewed as such. And because they were viewed as the victims of a man’s war. So much so that when women SPLM delegates campaigned for positions for women inside the new Sudan the GOS resisted saying that they had not been fighting women.

Among national liberation movements in Africa there was a tendency to ignore women’s issues. Women who dared to speak out against their oppression were accused of being selfish and ignoring the plight of their people as a whole. The result is that in the transition from one system to the next women never achieved any advances for their sex. When the struggles were gender blind when the time for negotiating peace came women’s issues were left off the agenda. So inside of the new societies women continued on with the same disadvantages as they had before. The new rulers of the society ensure that as men they are in a position of privilege and as such were not too quick to capitulate to the demands of women. So while women activists may have made sacrifices in order to help the struggle. They may not find this work rewarded especially if they were compliant with the demands of others to keep the gender issues off the agenda.

Similarly African women cannot look to European or North American women to understand their position and to help them. Western Feminists have a distinctly Eurocentric view. While the women’s struggle has been ongoing in the West for over a century the focus at present is very different. There is a danger that western feminists when looking at the situation of women in Africa will be able to see them as little more than victims. This can lead to a situation where a lack of cultural understanding can create the view of African women as being inferior in the eyes of Western Feminists and they will advocate changes which are not sensitive to the needs of African women.

The reason for this is a question of moral relativism vs. absolutism or universality. While certain human rights are taken to be Universal there are also certain rights which we consider to be a part of our culture. If we take for example the issue of Female Genital Cutting. The vast majority of cultures consider this to be an act of mutilation and an assault on a woman’s bodily integrity. Further more many quite rightly view it as a form of control that is exercised over women to deny them the right to control over their own bodies and places sexual control in the hands of men. However proponents of FGC claim that it is an integral part of their culture and say those who criticize it do not properly understand the practice.

So here then is a dilemma, should the concerned individual look upon the right to bodily integrity as a fundamental human right and campaign against FGM if they are not from a culture where it is practiced or should they regard it as a cultural practice such as any group have the right to? However there is a view somewhere in between these two. Any concerned individual does not have to openly attack FGM to oppose it but to oppose it from outside the culture in which it is practiced will actually strengthen it as a practice. Outsiders, especially westerners, opposing FGM can actually have the effect of making it seem a more important cultural act and hence increase its popularity. Here too women who are interested in their rights as women and in protecting their culture face a dilemma. While they might not agree with FGC they may want to defend themselves from what they see as an outside attack on their culture.

Similar attitudes can be seen towards the wearing of the Hijab. When the French President Jacques Chirac recently banned the wearing of veils in schools there was public uproar. Not just from conservative Muslims but also from European Liberals. In Europe the practice of women wearing a veil is seen as anti-women but the practice of opposing it is seen as anti-Muslim. So many of those Europeans who claim to promote Human Rights find themselves in a paradoxical situation. If they look at human rights in a universalistic manner practices they view as anti-women such be condemned no matter where they happen. But in order to look at them in a relativist manner, then the culture in which they occur should be respected.

Such phenomena are by no means new. In nineteenth century India as the British consolidated their control they outlawed the practice of Sati which is also referred to as wife burning. This was the practice whereby when a man died his wife while still alive would be placed on the funeral pyre and burned to death. While it was claimed that this was the wish of the wife as she did not wish to live on without her husband more often than not it was due to the husbands family who saw the wife as an economic burden and Sati as a convenient way of relieving this burden. The English placed themselves in the role of protectors feeling that it was their duty to protect brown women from brown men. However the real result of their action was that an obscure and dwindling practice enjoyed a massive revival as the Indians attempted to defend their culture from Imperialist attacks.

So in order for women to achieve their rights there must be a space inside their society for them to have their voices heard. Too often other forces will claim to represent the interests of women while fundamentally undermining their position and their rights. Many of these forces will also seek to prevent women’s voices from being heard. Rights for women are something that should be guaranteed inside of any society but in a society that denies women their rights every effort will be made to prevent their voices from being heard.

The Origin of the State and the Right to Representation (article for Sudan Mirror Human Rights supplement)

One of the most important and fundamental rights of human beings is their right to live in a democracy, to receive adequate care and representation from those who claim to be their leaders and to live in peace and security. For the people of South Sudan such responsibilities will belong to the Government of South Sudan. Democracy is at best a subjective word. There are few regimes who would describe themselves as undemocratic. In most countries elections of one sort or another are held but how transparent or representative these are varies to a wide degree. However after decades of being denied the right to vote the citizens of South Sudan will finally be given a chance to make their voice heard in the forthcoming midterm elections and again in the referendum on secession. Also people are entitled to a nationality as is outlined in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, but again what this is may not always be the most straightforward thing to describe. For the purpose of this article when I use the word State I am not referring to one component in a Federal System but rather to the federal system as a whole. By saying State I am referring to those elements which govern a Nation.

But to properly gauge this process we must first look back into history. One could argue that at the root of all of Sudan's problems is the fact that the State that came to be known as Sudan was not a Sudanese invention. Instead it was the result of European leaders drawing lines on a map of a place they had never been while sitting in a conference room in Berlin in the late nineteenth century. In Europe at this time two things were already well established. The notion of a nation-state and that of Imperialism. Perhaps it should be said that a state is much easier to define than a nation. A state has borders, institutions, legislative bodies and security organizations. A nation is a much hazier idea that many have tried to define. One could for example define a nation as a group of people living in the same place at the same time, but to paraphrase the writer James Joyce; if a family lives in the same house for twenty years does that make them a nation? And if we restrict the idea of nationality to location what then of the Diaspora? There are many millions of displaced people all over the world; this would then leave them without a nationality. But often it is those who are furthest from their homeland who value their nationality most dearly as it gives them a sense of identity in a world where much else may seem alien or unfamiliar. Also if we attempt to define a nation along cultural or ethnic lines we will alienate those who live among us as friends and neighbours who may not share all of our history or culture but do occupy the same place as us at the same time and participate in the same society.

If we are to look for example at the question of Israel and Palestine we can see the problems that such blurred definitions create. For thousands of years the Jewish people were people without a state. However more than Judaism simply being a religion it embodied a culture and a sense of identity that may well have been reinforced by the collective persecution of the Jewish people at various points in history. However some felt that at the heart of the suffering of the Jewish people was their lack of a homeland. Hence following World War II and all the suffering inflicted on the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis many settlers began to arrive in what was then known as the British mandate of Palestine. Territory that had been liberated from one empire; only to be subjected to the control of the British Empire who performed the role of 'caretakers'. The problem however was that this was not virgin territory. It was a land that was already inhabited by the Palestinian people; it had of course been some two thousand years since the Jews had been forced to leave. The Jewish settlers initiated a terrorist campaign against the British administration and Palestinian natives. This eventually led to the recognition of the State of Israel by the United Nations in 1948.

This has led to further problems. Firstly the Palestinian people who had been living in what they considered their home for thousands of years found themselves suddenly resident in a State which did not recognize them as citizens. They had their homes and lands seized, were pushed into refugee camps or controlled areas and many were exiled. So now the Nation without a State had one but at he expense of making another Nation Stateless. For the Israelis Israel had to be Jewish state, otherwise there was no point to it but many Jews around the world refused to support the Israeli state or to participate in it as they felt it had been created on and operated along an unjust basis. So these Jews then continued to be Stateless.

From a European perspective there was a huge level of cultural arrogance that went into defining what it was that made a Nation-state and for most Europeans they do not see the distinction between one and the other. They view the Nation-state as people of a common culture and language living inside the same set of borders and controlled by the same legislature. However rather than being innate in Europeans this sense of nationalism had to be created. This was usually done through primarily enforcing a common language on the people, such as in France or finding all people with a common language and declaring them to be a nation, as in Germany. The Nation-states of Germany and Italy as we know them now did not come into existence until the nineteenth century. Prior to that the areas that comprise these Nation-states had consisted of a number of kingdoms who were often in conflict (or alliance) with one and other. However treaties and wars served to create a common sense of identity and purpose and unity was born.

Such tactics however did not always work. English monarchs saw little sense in being surround by Celtic people (Irish, Scottish and Welsh) and so decided to assimilate these people and territories into their own 'United Kingdom'. However after prolonged attempts at colonization of their closest neighbours they were never able to completely eradicate their sense of identity. If we look at a map we can see that part of this could be explained by the geographical layout of the Islands. Ireland is an Island on its own and as such the continued occupation of the Northeast corner of the island by Britain continues to a sore point for many who feel that not only does Ireland have a separate culture and identity but is easily identifiable as a separate geographic entity. Wales and Scotland continue to be part of Britain but have their own parliaments and limited autonomy as well as their own languages and cultures.

So when Europeans began to colonise the rest of the world they began with the conceit that nation and state should be one and the same thing. They approached North and South America with much the same approach as they did Africa. As there were no clearly demarcated borders or flags. And no strong central authority they regarded this land as virgin territory. In order to avoid inter(European) state conflict Otto Von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of the newly united Germany, called the Berlin conference which ran from late 1884 to early 1885. The aim of this conference was to regulate the 'Scramble for Africa' and to divide the spoils of Africa between the European colonizers as if Africans had no right to them.

So it was from this situation that modern African borders arose and when the period of decolonization came in the mid-twentieth century they were adhered to as if they had existed since time immemorial. Tribes were divided by borders and geographical boundaries served to bunch together groups who had little interaction and may even have been hostile prior to this. This situation can especially be seen in Sudan where the British and Egyptians conspired to create a large Arab dominated state that would protect their mutual interests. When the people of South Sudan began their struggle for survival it was not because they longed for an abstract notion of a nation or for the organizational structure of a State to call their own but rather because they were defending themselves from an attempt to eliminate them. There were of course the same differences between the people of South Sudan as there were between the peoples of all the other artificially created states but through their collective struggle a sense of identity was born.

The ultimate outcome of the civil war was the comprehensive peace agreement which guaranteed a certain level of autonomy to the people of South Sudan. The people of South Sudan now have an opportunity which they never had before, the right to representative democracy. For the first time they will be able to participate in elections and cast a vote for the representative of their choice. They will even have the right to run in elections themselves if they so wish. As I stated above, democracy is a subjective word and it would be hard to find any system in place in the world which could be described as perfectly democratic but the key to democracy is responsibility. It is the responsibility of the politicians to represent the people in the best way they can and to serve their interests. It is the responsibility of the state to serve its people and to ensure their welfare in the best way they can. But it is also the responsibility of the people to ensure that their politicians represent them properly and do not mismanage what they are given to protect.

For the people of South Sudan what they have gained now is more than just peace, for even peace can be fragile. In the past representation came from the north, from a system that had no aims or ambitions to represent the people of the south and cared little more about representing even their own people. When the war began and the people of the South asserted themselves leadership came through a military command structure and from those who campaigned for independence. In such a situation the lines between military and civilian life can become very blurred as it becomes impossible for anybody to remain uninvolved in the conflict. Many of the tasks that should in peacetime have been the responsibility of the government were carried out by NGOs who provided emergency food and healthcare. In the past nobody stopped to ask the people of South Sudan what it was they wanted but soon they will have this opportunity.

As part of this process the census is being carried out in order to (a) count the population and decide on how to divide the country into constituencies and (b) access the future needs of the new Sudan. While to many the census may seem intrusive and ironically an infringement on their right to privacy it is also an important part of guaranteeing their democratic rights. However it is also important to be aware of the fact that many may seek to fabricate the information in the census reports to serve their own ends. In order for the new Sudan to be as democratic as possible it is important that the census should be as accurate as possible. The figures that the census reports will decide on constituencies for the election to determine in what way the people should be represented. It will also calculate such things as how many schools or hospitals are needed in a certain area and allow lawmakers to plan for the future development of the new Sudan.

It is important that people realize that for such things to succeed participation is absolutely necessary. Representative democracy can be quite democratic, but in order to be truly so it must be participative democracy. Now is the time for Sudanese people to assert their rights in dealing with their leaders and the institutions that will be created. It is probably innate in all of us not to trust politicians but this is unlikely to bother them unless we are willing to question them and their actions. While the war may be over there is a struggle to build a new society. In the new Sudan responsibility will extend both ways. It is the responsibility of the State to guarantee the welfare of its citizens and to protect their interests and their rights but it will be the responsibility of the citizens to participate and to ensure that their rights are protected.

Oil and Human Rights (article for Sudan Mirror Human Rights supplement)

Oil is perhaps the resource which has caused the most conflict and suffering in the modern world. It is a resource which has enormously transformed the world in which we live for better and for worse. Many people in Sudan have suffered hardship and displacement as a result of oil companies and government actions. Sadly such occurrences are not isolated. Oil has led to conflict in many parts of the world including in Iraq and Nigeria. It is in the interests of oil companies to extract oil in order to make profits for their shareholders. It is however not one of their main priorities to safeguard the environment or the welfare of those who live in and around the oil producing area.

The oil which they are extracting however is the property of these same people who they inflict suffering upon. The resources of a land belong to its people. Normally the conduit through which companies gain access to the oil however is the government of the country in which the oil is. They will act as the representatives of the people in dealings with the oil companies who want to extract the oil. Unfortunately when a government is corrupt they will more be likely act in their own interest rather than that of the people and those people living closest to the oil, rather than benefiting from it, will suffer terribly. So rather than investing revenues back into the country the government will take it for themselves. This however will produce huge levels of discontentment in the oil producing areas and will jeopradise oil production. As a result massive amounts of money will be spent on security. That is, ensuring the security of the oil companies from the people to whom the oil rightfully belongs.

However many governments will claim that it is in the national interest to extract the oil and that those who oppose the extraction are being unrealistic as they do not appreciate the benefits the oil will bring. However if we are to look at the case of Nigeria we can see that for most people living in the oil rich Niger Delta all that almost fifty years of oil production has brought is environmental destruction and suffering. Here fishermen have found that the waters which once teemed with life now carry little more than poisonous oil slicks and this pollution has led to sickness as well as poverty. Farmers found that the oil giants were able to come in and seize their land with impunity and construct pipelines where they pleased. Further to this flaring of gas meant that some children have grown up constantly in the shadow of the smoke from the flarestacks. The main culprit in this exploitation was Royal Dutch/Shell, the same company who own the refinery in Khartoum. Any community who dared to voice any opposition was dealt with harshly and swiftly. Although Shell claimed to have had no involvement in the atrocities carried out on communities local residents reported seeing soldiers carried in on helicopters and boats that were owned or leased by Shell.
The writer and academic Ken Saro-Wiwa was so appalled by the suffering of his people, the Ogoni, that he was moved to set up the Movement Of the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) which practiced non-violent resistance and protest. In the book Where Vultures Feast: Shell Human Rights and Oil, Ike Okonta and Oronto Douglas detail how Saro-Wiwa and eight other leaders of MOSOP were framed for murder and were hanged on the 10th of November 1995. The two main prosecution witnesses later admitted to fabricating their evidence and claimed that they had been paid by Shell.

The constitution of Southern Sudan guarantees certain rights to the people when it comes to oil. Even in the preamble it states itself as being; 'Conscious of the need to sustainably and efficiently manage our natural resources for the benefit of the present and future generations and to eradicate poverty and attain the Millennium Development Goals.' So that oil should be used for the benefit of the people of South Sudan is enshrined in its constitution, not just here but in several places. Article 40.2.(b) states that one of the duties of the government is to 'protect and ensure the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources including land, water, petroleum, minerals, fauna and flora for the benefit of the people of Southern Sudan.'
So not only should the revenue from the oil be used for the benefit of the people but the oil should be extracted in a sustainable manner to ensure its long term benefits and this should be done in an environmentally friendly manner. The oil industry is one of the most notorious polluters on the planet. The Interim constitution however promises people a clean and healthy environment in article 44;
'44. (1) Every person shall have the right to a clean and healthy environment.'
The next section of this article puts responsibility for this on the government;
'(2) Every person shall have the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative action and other measures that:
(a) prevent pollution and ecological degradation;
(b) promote conservation; and
(c) secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting rational economic and social development so as to protect the bio-diversity of Southern Sudan.'
Section (c) above is very important as it states that not only should the development of South Sudan's resources be sustainable but that they should be used for rational economic and social development. Further to this part three of article 44 also states that not only are people entitled to share in the economic benefits that oil production will bring but that their energy needs must be met also;
'(3) All levels of government in Southern Sudan shall promote energy policies that will ensure that the basic needs of the people are met while protecting and preserving the environment.'

Oil is a finite resource and one that is in great demand all over the world. In the past year prices have reached unprecedented levels due to declining availability of easy to access stocks and global economic and political conditions. Those countries with the greatest thirst for oil have long since depleted the stocks available to them on their own soil. For this reason they are anxious to gain access to new reserves. The new but fragile peace in South Sudan means that many companies are willing to exploit the massive reserves which are now accessible. However it will be in the interests of the oil companies to extract the oil at as low a cost as possible in order to maximize their own profits. This may often mean infringing on the rights of the people by not fairly compensating them or doing excessive damage to their environment.

However if a company feels that the only way to guarantee their profits is by acting in an ethical manner it may provide some incentive for better practice. An example of this can be seen with the French company Total. Total suspended their operations in White Nile State due to the outbreak of civil war in 1985. However they paid a retainer fee to the Sudanese government on an ongoing basis to guarantee their access to the oil if the situation ever improved. This however did not stop the GOSS from granting their concession to another company, the aptly named White Nile. Under this deal White Nile will have sixty percent of the concession block and the remaining forty percent will be controlled by Nile Petroleum corp. the state oil company of South Sudan. Total is challenging this in the UK courts but is also considering allowing the South a share in the block in order to make themselves seem a more attractive partner. Indeed Total seems to be very anxious to resume activities in Southern Sudan and sees the disputed block as a very lucrative prospect. Also in order to avoid the pitfalls of operating inside a hostile situation they are attempting to make themselves seem attractive to the local community as well. This is in direct contrast to the Canadian owned company Talisman energy who willing collaborated with the Khartoum government in displacing people and destroying homes in order to gain access to oil in the south. However such was the outcry that Talisman were forced to examine if it was still profitable to operate in a situation where their reputation was being damaged around the world and so they eventually sold their stake in 2003.

In September of 2005 Total undertook a research trip with the Corporate Engagement Project in order to access how they could operate in South Sudan with the minimum of conflict with local people. They met with local as well as government representatives and decided that such things as employing as many local people as possible and educating outsiders on Dinka customs and culture would create less conflict. They also decided that opening more offices in the South would help them to liaise better with authorities there. Such measures however are still only recommendations and there can be no guarantee that they will actually be put into practice. However it shows how anxious Total are to recommence operations in South Sudan and how lucrative of a prospect it must be. Their approach is however a marked contrast to the actions of the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation who willingly collaborated with the Khartoum government. When International pressure was being brought to bear on the Government of Sudan not only were the Chinese happy to exploit the nation's resources they were also willing to sell arms and equipment to the Sudanese army. This cooperation had notable benefits for them with some seventy percent of Sudan's oil exports going to China, fulfilling six per cent of its rapidly increasing energy demands. There are also reports that Chinese workers were armed and opened fire on civilians as they were fleeing.

So as we can see oil can produce great incentives for governments and corporations to infringe on human rights. Not just on peoples rights to have control of their resources but also on their most basic right s and freedoms by unleashing campaigns of violence and intimidation. Further to this they may cause untold environmental damage and further take away this most basic right from people. It will be the duty of the Government of South Sudan to negotiate the best deal possible for its people and guarantee the rights of its people when negotiating with those who want to exploit the abundance of natural resources that exist inside its territory. However it will be the people who will suffer most if this does not transpire and so they will have to remain ever vigilant throughout the time of rapid change that oil drilling will bring.

Powercuts

So while I sit here we're in the middle of another power cut. Thank goodness for the little bit of battery life my laptop manages to have. It's just another one of those little things you get used to in Nairobi. Like no road markings, very few footpaths and generally poor infrastructure. What it results in now is that there are a bunch of people sitting around the office up to nothing in particular because not only can they not work in a power cut they can't even go on the internet and waste time that way. The back up generator is proving to be sadly disappointing as it doesn't provide enough power to run anything properly. The internet just keeps coming on and off as occasionally the server is fed enough power to function for thirty seconds or a minute. The internet connection, and we have a relatively decent one here isn't up to much at the best of times. Even things like emailing a photo that hasn't been shrunk down to a postage stamp size prove to be a bit of a task sometimes.

Of course in terms of deficiency of services this is hardly the worst thing happening in Nairobi. The conditions that some people are subjected too bring out a mixture of feelings in me. Notably anger, sadness and frustration. To see good people deprived of such things as a paved road outside of their house or running water inside is not something I find easy to rationalize. There are no shortage of intelligent, talented and decent people in Nairobi who have been left without decent opportunities. When I remarked to one Kenyan recently that people here were hard working he asked how I could say that when there was no work for most of them to do. Later that evening when leaving a friends house I fell into a hole due to a lack of street-lighting and my right foot went down into an open drain and got soaked. The lads were very apologetic and seemed to feel bad that this had happened to me while I was in their neighbourhood and with them but all that had happened was that I had been given a little glimpse of the (literal) obstacles most Kenyans face every day. I wasn't injured and thankfully the collection of cds they had just burnt me were unharmed. I now have some excellent conscious reggae and hip hop added to my collection.

When the lads were walking me home we were stopped by the police who pretty much asked them in Swahili 'What are you doing with this white man?' Even without understanding the language I could figure out what was going on. The cops never once spoke to or addressed me; it's unusual for me to be the one they are looking out for. It reminded me once again of the very different situation that white people live in here (as if I needed to be reminded!). They replied 'We are walking our brother home.' To which the cops said 'He cannot be your brother he is white.' The lads set him straight though by saying 'We are not racists!'

One European aid worker I know however spent a couple of days in a cell the other week for what was pretty much a drunk and disorderly offence. He was held with fourteen other people included 'suspected Islamic militants'. These guys had fled over the border when the Americans bombed Somalia and been picked up by the Kenyan authorities. Included in the bunch were one Briton and one American who were receiving regular visits from the security services of their respective countries. Apparently they claimed they were innocent but there case may not be helped by the fact they were carrying AK47s when they were picked up! They said they had been given them for self defence and were then pointed in the direction of the Kenyan border.

A lot of people here are blaming the recent upsurge in violent crime here on the number of militants and weapons driven over the border by the American bombing in Somalia (Thanks again Team America!). Another story I have heard however is that in 1999 all the street kids were gathered up by the police and were shipped off to the Congo to join with the rebels. When the media started asking questions they were quickly told to shut up so it never really became common knowledge. Now the situation there has stabilized and these 'kids' are returning with weapons and military training and raising hell. However whatever the cause of the large number of shootings recently one can also never be completely sure that it is as dangerous as the media make out. Still there is no point in taking unnecessary risks but if we allow fear to become our most powerful emotion we are in danger of becoming blinkered

Rich, Rich Mama Africa

At the weekend I took a drive out to Nivasha, which is a lake about an hours drive from Nairobi. Well I didn't drive but that's neither here nor there. On the drive out of Nairobi we passed through sprawling suburbs that consisted mostly of shanty towns and markets. They gradually became less and less dense and Donkeys, goats and cattle became more frequent. It is hard to tell where the city starts and ends as there is not really anything you could describe as planning involved in the construction of a slum. Once we moved into the countryside I was amazed by how lush and green it is. Another myth busted.

In Europe we are always told how poor Africa is and true the people are poor but this is the richest continent on earth. When we got to Nivasha I saw Masai tribespeople herding cattle and goats and Zebras were just lounging on the side of the road as if they owned the place. Take a picture of a Zebra in front of an African and they will think it's hilarious! Zebras here are like rabbits in Ireland. I also realised something about wildlife documentaries when we went looking for wildlife and couldn't find much because of the vegetation. They are only filmed when it is very dry because the animals are easier to see and the more difficult conditions make it more dramatic. It's quite similar to the approach of the western media really. They only report of Africa when there is a drought or a civil war, I mean who wants to hear good news about Africa? So we as westerners develop a mindset that Africa is a poor place and that the hardships that occur happen because they have no water and no resources. We develop images of Africans as being helpless people, children who couldn't feed themselves if it wasn't for the benevolence of the west.

Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything most of the suffering in Africa has been caused by wealthy as Imperialists, old and new, sought to dispossess the Africans of what was rightfully theirs be it land or resources. Take Sudan for example. The civil was there was caused by the creation of a State where the Muslin north was in control of the African Christian and Animistic south. The south however had water and oil. Two things any country needs. However the Arabs in the north had a problem. There were black people living on all the water and oil that they felt was rightfully theirs. The solution? Genocide. So the southerners had little choice but to defend themselves. The result was twenty years of civil war and two million dead as well as millions of people displaced. Now however they have a fragile peace. The Chinese are courting both sides in order to get access to the oil. They have always been supportive of the northern government and seventy per cent of all Sudanese oil is exported to China.

The old Imperialists, the British, created a situation where civil war was inevitable. The new Imperialists the Chinese were willing to exploit this situation in order to develop their economy. They were willing to do business with the most one of the most despotic regimes on earth supplying them with weapons and infrastructure in order to keep the oil flowing. Now there is peace they are free to take the oil without anybody having to fire a shot. The southern Sudanese don't face the genocide that their countrymen in Darfur do but it will remain to be seen if they ever benefit from the wealth of their country. Or if to quote the song 'It's the same old song with a different meaning'.

First and Second Impressions of Nairobi

I'm having a great time in Nairobi, but it is a little crazy as well. It is always hot here! But it rains a little as well, but that's hot running water! So far I have only seen bits and pieces of the city. Last night Godano, who works for my uncle, took me to a bar in the slum where he lives. It was the best place I've been so far. Everybody was very friendly and the beer was very cheap. But most importantly I was the only Mizuno (white man) there. If you saw how some Europeans live here it would make you sick. A lot of them just seem to be here to enjoy themselves, well at least of the ones I've met so far. I guess everybody wants to enjoy themselves but I suppose what bothers me is that if you are white here you are seen as different. People presume you are rich and for most of the time they are right. But even a poor European like me is rich by African standards. Seeing the slum last night was a little crazy. It is full of life and music and it is peoples home. Most of the buildings are shacks made out of galvanise with little shops and bars dotted about the place but a lot of them don't even have running water. It looks cool but then you remember that you are a voyeur and that this is how people have to live and that they are struggling. But still the ones I met in the bar were genuinely friendly and lovely people. I felt more welcome there than in the bars where the Europeans and rich Africans go. But I still think that I wouldn't dare to go there on my own yet. Poverty leads to crime and like I say when people see a Mizuno they presume he is rich and even if I was on the dole in Ireland it still makes me rich by the standards of most Kenyans. Car jackings are very common here and often people are shot. The most desirable cars for the carjackers are the top of the line landcruisers most aid agencies use that cost e60,000 plus. A couple of friends of my uncle were carjacked and shot dead last week and a couple of hours later the police found the thieves and shot them dead.
There are huge shopping centres here were the wealthy people go and you can by all the same stuff you would find in Europe at similar prices. They are full of security guards carrying huge nightsticks and in Lavington, the neighbourhood where i am staying, most of the houses have security guards and there are mobile patrols all over the place. It reminds me again and again of all the Marxism that so many people are so quick to dismiss. It was the analysis of Marx and Engels and of Malcolm X and of the Black Panthers and I see it in evidence everywhere here. That the police are only needed when there is a such a gap between the rich and the poor that crime becomes inevitable. Here the gap is massive and the police and security presence and is huge and militaristic. Last night I met a friend of Godano's in the bar who is a policeman. For the boys from the slum it gives them a chance of security and respect. It means they can be the big man in their neighbourhood and inevitably there are huge problems with corruption in the police force here.
For Kenyans education is extremely important. Sean, who works for the paper, has been in Africa for as long as my Uncle and was a priest too, said a few years ago he was involved in a survey in the slums where they asked people what their priorities were. He said that above health, sanitation, roads and everything else. Everybody said that there main priority was free primary education. When the one party system ended about four years ago and the new government came to power their main (and some would say only) achievement was the introduction of free primary education. However it is still of quite a poor standard but at least it gives people a chance of literacy that they never had before.
At the moment there is some sort of a function taking place in the house next door. Apparently it is rented out for weddings and other such events and they are blasting out the music. Africans love music and I have heard some fantastic stuff since I have been here. I have heard some live music (including what is coming from next door now) and really want to get out and here as much as I can. I understand a bit more now what Ken Saro-Wiwa meant when he wrote 'Dance away your anger, dance away your sorrow, dance the guns to silence, Dance, Dance!'
I'm going to throw in one more quote and I can't remember who it is from, maybe one of you can help, 'It is not those who can inflict the most but those who can suffer the most who can triumph.' It is something I thought of again and again during the blockades and pickets in Bellinaboy and it something that I sincerely hope is true.
You see I'm not sure what natural resources Kenya has and most of the economic activity I've seen is on a small scale and I am left to wonder again and again where is the real hope for this country and it seems to be in its people. There something inspiring about their spirit and their attitude. If they can ever shake off their corrupt rulers and their exploiters both native and foreign then they can have a real and viable future, but I guess you could say that it's the same the world over.