Unity In Diversity Means Being Your Brother's Keeper

By Jacob J Akol*

"If you are safe I am safe" is a caring concept which makes us all our brothers' and sisters' keepers. Biblically it is "do to others what you would like them do to you". It is as simple as that.

In a family, there are elders and juniors. A household or clan well-managed, united, feared and respected, is governed by wisdom of the elders, who wisely share power, wealth and succession amongst members.

It is a little more complex with a nation; nevertheless, the behaviour of majority ethnic communities in accommodating minority ethnic communities in sharing power and wealth in the union is similar and vital. The old days of majority nationalities,(England against Scotland for example), clobbering smaller nations into submission are no longer tenable in today's global village.

Try to grab a piece of land from a Jurcol (Wau Luo in South Sudan) today and the rest of the world will know what you are up to in a few minutes and you are immediately classified as tribal and a bully; that's the reputation the Jieng of South Sudan, of which I am a member, have acquired, deservedly or not.

Unity in diversity is the in-thing. We can do that peacefully by taking care of each other.

Much of the responsibility rests with larger nationalities: The Dinka-speaking tribal groups, Nuer-speaking tribal groups, Bari-speaking tribal groups, Zande-speaking tribal groups etc. So far, their behaviour has not been exemplary.

*Jacob J Akol is editor of Gurtong Website, www.Gurtong.net