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By: Mary Aida
By: Mary Aida

 

We are pierced by sorrows and pain, peace and freedom do not abide and love has abandoned us. Liberty knows not us, not even our ancestors had its beauty, and hatred fostered and grew up so fast in our hearts. We lost humanity among ourselves since then, we have taken ourselves for slaughter as sheep instead of lending a hand of help to one another.

Life was beautiful in my own land a few decades ago. The surrounding was peaceful and friendly even the animals shared dwelling places with us. Nothing differentiated us from one another and there existed no hatred, quarrel and tribalism among us.  For peace and liberty the freedom fighters took up arms but where is peace and liberty in our own land?

The mothers are wailing daily and the children are lamenting throughout the days. Men don’t belong to families anymore and life is a matter of chance and luck. Life seems to have become insignificant in my own land, worthless and rubbish life has become. Guns have gained greater importance than our own future and division has worsened life in our own country.

Remember the great and sorrowful memories fellow South Sudanese, the memories that kept us together for years. Remember, the old days were wild on us all. When the bullets rained on us, no one was spared and when poverty and death descended none of us survived. When the floods came our houses were all washed away and left homeless. The days weren’t pleasant to us.

For peace the mothers lament and for peace the men starve. What goodness did the conflicts come with apart from dividing us, destroying our villages, causing hatred and tribalism among us. It is enough I assume and let peace reign so that we may sit down and listen to the riddles and traditional songs again. The hope must be built, peace welcomed and hatred abandoned, we have had enough of conflicts, the days weren’t good indeed. 

To greater Upper Nile I cry and to greater Bahr el Ghazal I kneel and to greater Equatoria I weep for the sake of peace and unity. The country is torn and dying with no hope and sense of unity. To one another we must march because from one another we shall find hope and peace. Let the sorrows walk away and let miseries disappear. We must come together for the sake of peace and unity in South Sudan.

Sorrows and pain must not rule anymore, tribalism and division must end and peace and liberty must reign. In peace and liberty dwell hope and togetherness that can lift South Sudan to greater height of glory. The coming days must be beautiful and amazing if we choose peace and adore it and wear it like our own clothes.

”The walk for peace is an immense sacrifice for goodness, unity and liberty that we must take on with courage and good intentions. There is no hope without peace and no peace without hope”.