List of the Traditional Leaders on Tour
(Nairobi, Monday August 21, 2006)
The fourteen South Sudanese and Nuba Mountains traditional leaders currently on historic tour of South Africa, Botswana and Ghana are:
- King Victor Oduho Lomiluk Lohide: King of the Latuka,Torit.
- Chief Dennis Dar Amallo Kundi: Paramount chief of the Bari, Juba.
- Chief Madalina Tito Ohirong Ohire: Chief of Lopit, Torit.
- Chief Louis Lopua Naita Lobor: Paramount Chief of the Toposa, Kapoeta.
- King Adongo Agada Akwai Cham: King of the Anyuak.
- Chief Philip Manytong Awin Manytong: Representative of the Reith (King)
of the Shilluk.
- Chief Issac Ruot Lam War Kur: Paramount Chief of Low.
- Chief Ireneo Kunda Tabur Unango: Chief of Raga County.
- Chief Pio Tem Kuag: Aweil North
- Chief Dut Malwal Arop Tong: Rumbek
- Chief Jacob Madhol Lang Juk: Twic Chief, Gogrial.
- Emir Kuol Deng Kuol: Abyei
- Emir Elamen A. Elgadir Dauod: Nuba Mountains
- Emir Yagoub Gebril Abdalla Makki: Nuba Mountains
They are in good hands: In company are Mr Nikodemo Arou Man Chot Ngot (Local
Government Secretariat Representative). Mr. Owar Ngot Ojang Odol (Assisting
the Anyuak King), Mr. Dau Reec Deng Lual (Representative of Bor counties).
Also in company are: Mr. Edwin Baba (UNDP), Swiss anthropologist Dr. Conradin
Perner, famously known by his Anyuak name Kwacakworo. Also in company is Gurtong’s
own, Ms Amer Ajok, known on the Gurtong Discussion Board as Amira Junub. Mr
Aly Verjee of Juba Post is the journalist in the company.
The team will be met in Johannesburg by Professor Kwesi Kwaa Prah. Prof. Prah,
who once taught in the University of Juba, prepared the Southern Africa programme
as well as that of his home country, Ghana, where he will lead and introduce
them to various kings and chiefs.
One sideline but important objective of the trip is that the leaders will get
to know each other better and share challenges. For example: at a reception
held in their honour in Nairobi on August 16, at the home of Mr. Arthur Mattli,
Charge d’Affaires a.i. of Switzerland and Mrs. Florence Tinguely Mattli,
Deputy Permanent Representative to UNEP, the Anyuak King shared with others
the plight of his people across the border with Ethiopia, to where most of his
subjects were cut off by colonial borders. Thousands of Anyuaks, he reported,
perished in recent armed invasion of his territory on the Ethiopian side by
“highlanders” of a different ethnic community. Now he has thousands
of displaced Anyuaks on the Sudan side of the border.
The Toposa Paramount Chief’s nightmares were centred on the chronic raiding
of “cattle and women” between the Toposa on one hand and the Turkana
(in Kenya) and the Karamajong (in Uganda) on the other hand. The chiefs of the
three ethnic communities meet often to settle problems as peacefully as possible.
“We are one people, same language, culture and so on; but now there are
too many guns in the hands of young people who will not listen to wisdom,”
he said.
The Bari Paramount Chief is determined to build a “home” for all
South Sudanese chiefs in the South Sudanese capital, Juba. He is already working
very hard to secure land on which to build, to begin with, “a rest house
for chiefs”. The idea had solid support from the traditional leaders with
him. While they intend to ask for outside support, some of them thought that
together they could contribute a substantial amount of the funds needed for
the project.
It should be remembered, however, that the traditional leaders on the tour
represent a mere proporti |
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