The Collo Kingdom Remains Underdeveloped: Five Hundred Years Later!

A Shilluk man (Image Credit: Paul Banks) 

By Jwothab Othow

February 3, 2025

The development of the Collo Kingdom has not been effectively pursued despite the education achievements of its people. Some Collo elites and politicians may argue that the Kingdom’s history of wars since 1821 has hindered its development. However, this reasoning does not hold up, as there have been numerous opportunities for progress since Sudan gained independence in 1956. Collo individuals have held positions of power in both the Sudanese government and the Southern Sudan regional government in 1972, yet they have not shown the desire to initiate development in the Collo Kingdom. Consequently, the Kingdom remains in a primitive state in the 21st century with no signs of progress.

It is evident that Collo themselves, who were present in both Khartoum and the Southern Sudan regional governments, deliberately neglected the use of the limited resources available to them for basic development in the Collo Kingdom. Although the Collo Kingdom has faced numerous challenges and wars during colonial times, such as encounters with the Turk, Arabs, and Europeans, they have failed to utilize their experiences and knowledge gained from these encounters to import new ideas like technology, science, improved farming methods, arts, economic systems, and industries, which could have been used for their own development.

Despite the lack of formal education, the founders of the Collo Kingdom displayed thoughtfulness and strategic thinking in establishing the Kingdom amidst numerous surrounding enemies. Even the way our founding fathers demarcated the boundaries of the Collo Kingdom and its neighbors in old Sudan is different from the current boundaries. Today, the Collo Kingdom has lost significant portions of its land due to the lack of clear strategic plans and the inability to maintain its security without losing any territory. The founding fathers, led by Nyikang Wa Okwa, were able to consolidate their hard-won victories and establish a formidable kingdom that lasted for over 500 years, despite their lack of formal education. The arrival of the Turks in 1821 and the subsequent Arab influence devastated the Collo Kingdom, leading to the loss of territories that were previously under Collo control.

It is clear that despite the great achievements in education by Collo society, the Collo Kingdom remains in a primitive and undeveloped state. Many people believe that the emphasis on education in Collo has actually created negative competition, which hinders the tangible development of the kingdom. This kind of selfish education only leads to destruction and obstacles for the progress of the Collo Kingdom. Some Collo elites even compromise the interests of Collo community for personal gain, which explains why Collo political leaders often rival each other without championing any progress for Collo.

Furthermore, there are elites within the Collo society who go against their own people and support members of other communities for their own selfish interests. Collo must eliminate and reject this kind of spirit that does not serve our best interests. The concept of Collo’s education has been tainted by some unapologetic educators who use their educational achievements for selfish purposes, such as pride, boasting, and self-glorification. These achievements do not contribute to the advancement of the Collo Kingdom, but rather lead to destruction. However, I have no doubt that there are great thinkers within the Collo Kingdom who are well-educated. If they are willing to work towards a common goal for the betterment of the Collo Kingdom and utilize their knowledge for its advancement, I am optimistic that Collo can develop their kingdom. Collo’s delusional attitude regarding their personalities and social psychological outlook seems to be hindering their progress. They believe that they are more educated and superior to others, which is a self-deceptive mindset.

Unfortunately, this attitude is preventing the Collo Kingdom from advancing and keeping it in a primitive stage of development, despite their high level of education. Before the Turco-Egyptian rule in Sudan, the Collo Kingdom enjoyed independence and sovereignty. However, their situation changed when Mohammed Ali invaded Sudan. Currently, the Collo Kingdom is marginalized in terms of political and economic power within the South Sudan government. The marginalization of Collo political leaders in decision-making processes has caused economic hardship since South Sudan gained it independence in 2011. Some Collo political elites argue that the Kingdom’s underdevelopment is a result of war and conflicts. However, there have been periods of stability in Sudan where Collo individuals held high positions in both Khartoum and Juba, such as during Ismail Al-Azhari’s and the Southern Sudan regional governments.

In fact, the development of Collo Kingdom has neglected and marginalized Collo elites and political leaders. A clear example of this is seen during the interim government of Southern Sudan in 2005 and after its independence in 2011.Unfortunately, during those times, they failed to utilize their resources to develop the Kingdom. In my personal opinion, it is crucial for Collo elites to devise a clear strategy that focuses on utilizing the natural resources bestowed upon the Kingdom by God. This approach would generate wealth and resources that can be used to transform the Collo Kingdom.

To enable Collo to escape poverty, it is essential to address internal issues such as envy, selfishness, pride, arrogance, boasting, and self-glorification. By doing so, we can join forces and work towards the development of the Collo Kingdom. Unfortunately, the pride associated with education has had a detrimental effect on Collo society. Some individuals in the community carry a sense of pride that makes them easily offended, hurt, and discouraged. They lack humility and believe that the world revolves around them, leading to disillusionment and cynicism. In my honest opinion, the political contradictions within contemporary Collo society, stemming from the education received by Collo elites during colonial times, pose a clear threat to the Collo Kingdom. This education is self-centered and fails to contribute to the advancement of the Collo Kingdom. It is important to note that the notion that Collo did not take the necessary steps to develop themselves is untrue. Instead, it was the Collo elites who took advantage of educational opportunities that should have been used to empower the uneducated population in rural areas. These opportunities should have been utilized for agricultural farming and small businesses, leading to the generation of wealth.

Reverend Daniel Amum once remarked that most Collo elites did not support the younger generation. For instance, many young Collo seeking educational opportunities have been asked this question. ‘Ya ba ojal ken, ya ba kwa ngo, poth wan ba keny’’ Unfortunately, the youth who were seeking educational opportunities were left without any support. It seemed that the Collo elites would only help if they were personally connected to the youth’s fathers or if they belonged to the same social class. This situation has caused deep resentment and trauma among the young people who were denied assistance. The treatment received by young people at the hands of the elites led to a sense of complaint. This lack of support created trauma and hindered any progress made by these young individuals. Unfortunately, these young men internalized this mentality and may carry it into leadership positions. This inward-looking approach prevents the development of a national sentiment within our community. While other communities support one another, this is lacking in the Chollo community. Ocollo is willing to stand by his brother and support members of other communities for his own selfish interests. This willingness to sacrifice oneself for personal gain is the reason behind the political rivalries, without any progress being made in Chollo, (Amum, 2014).

Collo must be reminded that we are one community and Collo must work together regardless of our political differences for the welfare of our Collo people. What is required from all Collo is to have courage to admit where things went terribly wrong in Collo society. This will help us to heal the internal wounds that have been inflicted in the soul of Collo nation. In fact, with openness and spirit of reconciliation, Collo can benefit from their experience by not repeating the same mistakes and this will help us to work together for the good of Collo nation. It is true that Collo is a part of South Sudan society and Collo is expected to contribute to its socioeconomic, political and process of nation building of the state. But this should be done at expense of Collo society to be destroyed through selfish political interest and negative competition, which has not affected Collo society and led to displacement of more than 75 percent of Collo people are not in the Collo Kingdom. If Collo education great achievement, skills and all other experiences in different fields are used for the benefit for advancement of Collo community, there is no reason for Piny Collo to remain undeveloped.

The contemporary Collo society, there are some individuals who are too greedy for power, and they see themselves and want to impose themselves to lead people without people while they are unable to bring people together. Collo Kingdom remain undeveloped due to the fact that Collo elites and political leaders are consumed with power, distracting concepts of hierarchy based on selfish interest and personal gain where they ignored the good of the collective is overlooked, leaving uneducated Collo population in difficulty situation threaten by the current state in South Sudan and displacing large population of Collo people from their land. A failed society is always forgetting its priorities. For example, some young Collo educate persons are more interested in making enormous analyses on social media on the issues they do not have power but for sake of discussion to show they are more educated than others instead of thinking critical about Collo people can change the condition they are in now in South Sudan where the Collo is facing existential threaten security threat. The young Collo educates lack of honest public debate on the issues facing Collo people but they are more interesting to make a general analysis on issues of South Sudan and the regions without using that energy they have to discuss issues facing Collo people. It is essential for Collo to be collaborative with themselves and foster open and respectful dialogue, where they can exchange knowledge, and sharing goals in how to help leverage Collo’s situation they are facing in South Sudan such as security challenges, economic hardship and stability in the Collo Kingdom. If Collo want to make progress and develop the Collo Kingdom, Collo must relinquish their unproductive negative competition which is driven by their greediness and selfishness within Collo and embrace working together for common good above the individual interest. There is a need of inclusive community-building involvement to create an environment where every member feels valued and empowered to contribute toward the development of the Collo Kingdom and together we can use our education achievement to develop the Kingdom by prioritizing on the empowerment of Collo rural communities and the issues that matter the most to our people.

The way forward for Collo is to remember that we are a united society and must collaborate, irrespective of our political differences, for the betterment of our people. It is crucial for all Collo individuals to have the courage to acknowledge societal shortcomings. This acknowledgement will aid in the healing of the internal wounds inflicted on our nation. By embracing reconciliation and maintaining an open mindset, we can learn from past mistakes and prevent their repetition. Ultimately, this will enable us to work together towards the improvement of our community.

While it is true that Collo is a part of South Sudan society and should contribute to its socioeconomic and political development, it should not be at the expense of Collo itself. Selfish political interests and negative competition have had a detrimental effect on Collo, leading to the displacement of over 75 percent of our people from the Collo Kingdom. If we utilize the remarkable achievements, skills, and experiences of Collo education to advance our community, there is no reason for Piny Collo to remain underdeveloped. Unfortunately, there are individuals within contemporary Collo society who are excessively power-hungry. They perceive themselves as leaders and attempt to impose their will on the people without fostering unity. The underdevelopment of the Collo Kingdom can be attributed to the fact that our elites and political leaders prioritize selfish interests over the well-being of the collective. This has resulted in an uneducated Collo population facing difficulties, compounded by the current state of affairs in South Sudan and the displacement of our people from their land.

A failed society often forgets its priorities. For instance, some educated young Collo individuals seem more interested in engaging in debates on social media about issues they have no power over, simply to showcase their intelligence, rather than critically thinking about how they can bring about a change for our people in the current challenging situation. Our existence and security in South Sudan are under threat, and it is essential that we focus on addressing these issues instead of indulging in self-serving discussions. Young Collo intellectuals often express their disappointment with the lack of honest public discourse on issues affecting our community. They tend to favor broad analysis of South Sudanese and regional matters instead. To tackle the security, economic, and stability challenges in South Sudan, it is crucial for Collo to collaborate, communicate openly and respectfully, and share knowledge and goals. Collo’s advancement requires overcoming internal greed and rivalry. Only through unity and a shared purpose can our kingdom truly flourish. We need inclusive community involvement to create a supportive environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute to the development of the Collo Kingdom. By prioritizing the empowerment of rural communities and addressing their most pressing concerns, we can utilize our education to build a stronger kingdom. May God bless the Collo Kingdom!

Best regards,

Jwothab Othow