
If you thought it was difficult to get up at 6 a.m. Sunday to watch Concord High graduate Guor Marial compete in the Olympics from the comfort of your living room, consider the plight of his parents in South Sudan: They walked 30 miles to the nearest town with a television to watch the son they've not seen since 1993.
Marial didn't win the men's marathon in London - he came in 47th, 11:31 minutes behind the winning time - but that was hardly the point. It was only the third marathon he'd ever run. He was accepted into the Olympics at the last minute, meaning his body wasn't wholly prepared for the race. But he ran, he finished and, for a moment at least, he focused the world's attention on his troubled homeland.
Marial fled Sudan more than a decade ago, escaping a civil war that nearly killed him, as it did 28 of his relatives. He landed in Concord and, despite his own skepticism, joined the track and cross-country teams at Concord High School. For the first time, he wasn't running for his life but for the sheer sport of it. Turns out, he was good enough to use his new sport to make a political statement to the world this week: Don't forget about South Sudan.
Indeed, it's not a part of the world many of us worry about. South Sudan became an independent nation just last year after a brutal civil war that left millions dead and displaced. But that was just a first step toward establishing a government that its citizens could count on to provide the basics and maintain law and order. And so far, the jury is still out.
Despite oil wealth, the economy of South Sudan is among the weakest in the world, and basic infrastructure is nearly nonexistent. (When Marial's parents left their hometown to find a television to watch the Olympics, it wasn't just TV and electricity they were lacking, but a decent road to get them to one.)
Health care is rudimentary in South Sudan. Maternal mortality and infant mortality are high, as is female illiteracy. South Sudan and Sudan have yet to work out numerous issues about borders and oil. Each has accused the other of harboring rebel groups. Ongoing disputes and internal corruption have kept the government from fulfilling its promises. The goal of free university education has been replaced, for now, with severe austerity measures.
In some parts of the country, despite the official end of the war, inter-ethnic violence and armed rebellions persist.
In other words, this is a place that needs all the help it can get - including the inspiration of a favorite son.
"I have no problem. I live in the United States," Marial told reporters after the marathon on Sunday. "I have running shoes. I'm fine. What about the people that are out there? This is the reason I was finishing today. For those people. They are in a rough condition, and I hope that the world is able to help them."
Marial intends to continue running. Equally important, he will continue to remind those nations with resources and short attention spans that his homeland is still in need.
Newer articles:
- Sudan, South must cooperate to avoid 'suicide': ex-PM - AFP - 14/08/2012 16:30
- Turtle Bay: China brokers tentative oil agreement between the Sudans - Foreign Policy (blog) - 14/08/2012 14:37
- Kenya's Co-operative Bank sets up shop in South Sudan - Reuters - 14/08/2012 14:09
- US$ 3 billion pricetag for South Sudan's oil pipeline - Energy Global - 14/08/2012 13:04
- South Sudanese workers at UN demonstrate to get paid in $ value - Borglobe - 14/08/2012 06:55
Older news items
- South Sudan rolls out plan to counter youth unemployment - Al-Bawaba - 13/08/2012 15:20
- Sudan very optimistic about border agreement with S.Sudan - 13/08/2012 07:37
- Sudan very optimistic about border agreement with S.Sudan - Reuters - 13/08/2012 03:01
- Sudan very optimistic about border agreement with South Sudan - 13/08/2012 02:35
- Sudan very optimistic about border agreement with South Sudan - Reuters - 12/08/2012 20:36
Latest news items (all categories):
- UNDP and the Office of the Vice President Launches the Women and Youth Leadership Program in South Sudan - 14/02/2025 11:37
- The Grave Blunders And The Paradoxical Ways In Leadership Sector - 14/02/2025 11:32
- ADF approves $153.66 million for Uganda-South Sudan electricity interconnection project - 13/02/2025 20:48
- Rwandan peacekeepers in South Sudan get UN service medals for their service - 13/02/2025 20:44
- Afreximbank seeks to claw back US$657mn debt from South Sudan - 13/02/2025 20:30
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan peace talks break as crisis worsens - 02/04/2014 18:56
- South Sudan: After Violence, Hunger Kills Hundreds - 08/02/2014 07:16
- Sudan army clashes with rebels in border oil state - Reuters - 21/06/2012 17:37
- UN food program forced to suspend aid in parts of Sudan - 21/12/2023 03:01
- South Sudan in pictures: Threat of famine - 03/07/2014 01:10
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 72435 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22391 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21611 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 19469 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19253 times