To all our Muslim brothers and sisters!
My fellow blog author, aka akon2, is fasting this month and will most likely be fairly quiet with regards to telling us stories about Sudan.
I think its quite fitting too, that I am finally back in Juba after a few months hiatus. Got in yesterday to start a new job, and are staying at 'New York hotel'- where you pay an arm and a leg to live in a refitted container. what can i say?
In the 3 months i've been away they have built several multi-storied buildings... which kind of worries me because it seems contractors in this country don't worry too much about quality...3 months is too short a time for even the foundation to set in (i think), let alone put up 5+ stories. So, while I am looking for housing, i will not be trying to live in or even close to some of these buildings and especially because there is no oversight from a quality assurance agency.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Tea ladies.Some of my fav people.
To know me is to know my fondness of tea ladies and my Ethiopian coffee 'habit'.
This is a relatively 'new' phenomena.With the decline in agriculture{which really deserves its own post} the migration from rural areas to the big cities became a flood of people.Men being the traditional bread winners went first and families followed.With this social upheaval and grinding poverty in the cities outskirts,women found that they needed to work to add to the family income. Some sold kisra{our national dietary staple,a close descendant of the Ethiopian Injera},some sold Aragi{our national tipple,a liquor made from dates},some tea and coffee.Of course Aragi was the most lucrative but brought the most risk.With bread becoming more affordable and eating habits changing in the urban centers,kisra consumption declined.Tea and coffee sales flourished.
On every major street in Khartoum, the ubiquitous tea ladies line the sides of roads,huddling under trees,sheltering beside buildings and building thatch,rucksack or palm fronds leantos {called Rawakib,Rakooba for singular}to sell their wares to hordes of men sitting on tiny stools{or rocks}.
After that lengthy explanation I still feel that more information is needed.
What makes them so special?
Apart from the fact that these hard working ladies support families through their hard{and I mean hard} work,the difference between tea ladies can be astounding.
A great tea lady ,{this can be through brains,effort or just luck,usually all three} has a good location.Under a shady tree or with a well built rakooba,with red sand on the ground{sprayed sporadically with water to keep the dust down}.Her stools will be in good condition,her utensils clean and she will have incense[bakhoor}burning to keep away flies and put customers in a better mood.
As usually tea ladies are found in clusters,competition is high and the prettier ladies are often accused of using their feminine wiles to lure customers{which is occasionally true, though I can honestly say this has never affected my choice ,lol}.
Some provide ice water{as opposed to lukewarm water from big gourds called Zeers} and with the influx of Ethiopians,some added popcorn.
Despite being solely the domain of women vendors{except in Eastern Sudan,where the Handawa believe women do not know how to make coffee and only men sell it}only men sit down for coffee.Partly due to social norms and partly because of the bawdy nature of conversations found.Strangely,the tea ladies are generally exempt from offending comments{and her regulars will staunchly curse or beat anyone who offends their friend }although they are subject to a great deal of lewd stares.This is not to imply that they are meek helpless women in a sea of vicious men.Most are very strong characters who are quick to yell out a "Hoyy! Maallak?"[Hey!What's wrong with you?] to offenders[who slink off in shame amidst a barrage of hoots and laughter].
The smell of roasting coffee{over an open fire in a shallow pan},the swishswishswish of the beans being tossed expertly for an even roasting and the doogdoogdoog of the mortar and pestle as the beans are crushed to a fine grind in the early morning are probably some of the most relaxing minutes in my day.Brewed with cardamom,a touch of ginger and occasionally cinnamon,the dark{STRONG!} coffee is how I start my day.
Part 2 to come soon.
This is a relatively 'new' phenomena.With the decline in agriculture{which really deserves its own post} the migration from rural areas to the big cities became a flood of people.Men being the traditional bread winners went first and families followed.With this social upheaval and grinding poverty in the cities outskirts,women found that they needed to work to add to the family income. Some sold kisra{our national dietary staple,a close descendant of the Ethiopian Injera},some sold Aragi{our national tipple,a liquor made from dates},some tea and coffee.Of course Aragi was the most lucrative but brought the most risk.With bread becoming more affordable and eating habits changing in the urban centers,kisra consumption declined.Tea and coffee sales flourished.
On every major street in Khartoum, the ubiquitous tea ladies line the sides of roads,huddling under trees,sheltering beside buildings and building thatch,rucksack or palm fronds leantos {called Rawakib,Rakooba for singular}to sell their wares to hordes of men sitting on tiny stools{or rocks}.
After that lengthy explanation I still feel that more information is needed.
What makes them so special?
Apart from the fact that these hard working ladies support families through their hard{and I mean hard} work,the difference between tea ladies can be astounding.
A great tea lady ,{this can be through brains,effort or just luck,usually all three} has a good location.Under a shady tree or with a well built rakooba,with red sand on the ground{sprayed sporadically with water to keep the dust down}.Her stools will be in good condition,her utensils clean and she will have incense[bakhoor}burning to keep away flies and put customers in a better mood.
As usually tea ladies are found in clusters,competition is high and the prettier ladies are often accused of using their feminine wiles to lure customers{which is occasionally true, though I can honestly say this has never affected my choice ,lol}.
Some provide ice water{as opposed to lukewarm water from big gourds called Zeers} and with the influx of Ethiopians,some added popcorn.
Despite being solely the domain of women vendors{except in Eastern Sudan,where the Handawa believe women do not know how to make coffee and only men sell it}only men sit down for coffee.Partly due to social norms and partly because of the bawdy nature of conversations found.Strangely,the tea ladies are generally exempt from offending comments{and her regulars will staunchly curse or beat anyone who offends their friend }although they are subject to a great deal of lewd stares.This is not to imply that they are meek helpless women in a sea of vicious men.Most are very strong characters who are quick to yell out a "Hoyy! Maallak?"[Hey!What's wrong with you?] to offenders[who slink off in shame amidst a barrage of hoots and laughter].
The smell of roasting coffee{over an open fire in a shallow pan},the swishswishswish of the beans being tossed expertly for an even roasting and the doogdoogdoog of the mortar and pestle as the beans are crushed to a fine grind in the early morning are probably some of the most relaxing minutes in my day.Brewed with cardamom,a touch of ginger and occasionally cinnamon,the dark{STRONG!} coffee is how I start my day.
Part 2 to come soon.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
family planning
So... $4.6 billion recently pledged to boost modern contraceptive uptake (an extra 120 million women by 2020)
I think that's a big kudos!
and... apropos, I share this little story...
I was lucky to be involved in finalizing the family planning policy for South Sudan, (1st draft in Nov 2009, then a colleague revived it this year) and it was literally 5 of us in a room arguing about what needs to be in it or out.
one of the key things we stressed in the policy is that contraception is the woman's decision regardless of what her husband or her family believes/says. This is because we understand that it is women who are at risk of complications of pregnancy, and currently in South Sudan, women are supposed to bear as many children as they can. (Of course there are communities that practice family planning- e.g the Dinka who space children in 2-year intervals... but because the woman abstains for that two years... well, I have issues with that too)
Obviously we knew this will be resisted widely but felt that the policy should explicitly state this- and hopefully as our communities progress, this becomes a moot point.
So.... a couple of months later we were having a workshop with people involved in primary health care (state ministries of health, county health departments, health facility in-charges, etc.- they came from the 10 states of South Sudan) and one guy started talking about how at his health facility if a woman comes for contraceptives they send her home to bring her husband
*pause*
what?
so the maternal and child health advisor steps up and states that this is actually
not what should happen- the woman has the right to access whatever method she wants independently of her husband.
This resulted in a huge argument in the room and finally one guy stood up and was like
"Well... that doesn't make any sense. Of course the husband has to decide that's why its called family planning... Otherwise it would be called woman planning..
We have a long way to go....
http://www.economist.com/node/21558564
I think that's a big kudos!
and... apropos, I share this little story...
I was lucky to be involved in finalizing the family planning policy for South Sudan, (1st draft in Nov 2009, then a colleague revived it this year) and it was literally 5 of us in a room arguing about what needs to be in it or out.
one of the key things we stressed in the policy is that contraception is the woman's decision regardless of what her husband or her family believes/says. This is because we understand that it is women who are at risk of complications of pregnancy, and currently in South Sudan, women are supposed to bear as many children as they can. (Of course there are communities that practice family planning- e.g the Dinka who space children in 2-year intervals... but because the woman abstains for that two years... well, I have issues with that too)
Obviously we knew this will be resisted widely but felt that the policy should explicitly state this- and hopefully as our communities progress, this becomes a moot point.
So.... a couple of months later we were having a workshop with people involved in primary health care (state ministries of health, county health departments, health facility in-charges, etc.- they came from the 10 states of South Sudan) and one guy started talking about how at his health facility if a woman comes for contraceptives they send her home to bring her husband
*pause*
what?
so the maternal and child health advisor steps up and states that this is actually
not what should happen- the woman has the right to access whatever method she wants independently of her husband.
This resulted in a huge argument in the room and finally one guy stood up and was like
"Well... that doesn't make any sense. Of course the husband has to decide that's why its called family planning... Otherwise it would be called woman planning..
We have a long way to go....
http://www.economist.com/node/21558564
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The Failed State Lobby
so.. my friend in Khartoum sent me this article, with the preamble,
"welcome to the club{Having your country judged, dissected and ripped apart in the media,lol}"
im just gonna post this and leave it here. Some of the stuff in this article is quite upsetting and I hate the, 'I heard, he said, one policy maker source said, it was reported' tone of it..... and mygod enough of the enough project.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/07/09/the_failed_state_lobby?print=yes&hidecomments=yes&page=full
"welcome to the club{Having your country judged, dissected and ripped apart in the media,lol}"
im just gonna post this and leave it here. Some of the stuff in this article is quite upsetting and I hate the, 'I heard, he said, one policy maker source said, it was reported' tone of it..... and mygod enough of the enough project.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/07/09/the_failed_state_lobby?print=yes&hidecomments=yes&page=full
Interesting article I read today.
http://www.sudantribune.com/US-envoy-urges-S-Sudan-to-resume,43230
This article caught my attention for a number of reasons.
Firstly , my firm belief that both countries are playing economic Russian roulette .The idea that you can starve the other country out of it's position is one I find repulsive.Both countries are trying their hardest top do so.
Secondly , this quote : "However, different sources said the two parties are preparing for a big breakthrough in the talks and they might agree over different pending issues."
I really hope for a breakthrough in the talks.Both countries can live without oil but living without peace is impossible.
This article caught my attention for a number of reasons.
Firstly , my firm belief that both countries are playing economic Russian roulette .The idea that you can starve the other country out of it's position is one I find repulsive.Both countries are trying their hardest top do so.
Secondly , this quote : "However, different sources said the two parties are preparing for a big breakthrough in the talks and they might agree over different pending issues."
I really hope for a breakthrough in the talks.Both countries can live without oil but living without peace is impossible.
Monday, July 9, 2012
independence mabruk!
as a friend says...
May RSS be blessed for generations to come.
May all of her people, both the "big" and the "small", be responsible in collectively taking good care of the nation they chose to create. Creation is an endless process!
May RSS be blessed for generations to come.
May all of her people, both the "big" and the "small", be responsible in collectively taking good care of the nation they chose to create. Creation is an endless process!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Is this revolution ?
Two articles I think are relevant to this discussion:
http://transitions.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/05/why_we_re_ignoring_the_revolution_in_sudan
{as posted by akon in her previous post}
http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-used-nerve-gas-on-Friday-s,43175
The million dollar question is will Sudan actually 'revolt'{the catchy phrased coined by Aljazeera}?
Why is this not widely covered in the international media?
There are protests.Police and security have cracked down violently.The economy is in free-fall and after 23 years the opposition finally sees an opportunity to overthrow the regime. Sounds simple right?
A few things to consider:
-The protests have not spread widely yet.There is a very real chance that they will at some point.But they haven't yet.The government is very careful not to let the movement catch momentum which in turn leads to little coverage by media outlets which in turn leads to less momentum. Ad infinitum.Also as referenced in the first link,the world has largely painted Sudan as a nation of bigots and 'Arab' oppressors of the 'Black Africans'{which needs its own post}.Any change in this narrative is pretty much swimming against the current
-The opposition in Sudan has been gelded by the government for 23 years.The leaders of the political parties have been jailed,co-opted,bribed,marginalized,ridiculed ,exiled and generally discredited in an endless loop that has most Sudanese regarding them as irrelevant.Hence no viable leadership as an alternative.
-The 'youth movement' {which is a real alternative to stagnant geriatric politicians who would love nothing than to have the government overturned and handed to them}does not have a cohesive and unified voice with a clear platform.
-The economic meltdown has sent prices skyrocketing and people are scrambling to make ends meet .On the cusp of desperation but not yet at the point of nothing-to-lose.After all most people reason that even with a regime change,the economy will not automatically get better{even if,although doubtful,the economic sanctions are dropped}.
This is not to say that the revolution will NOT happen.As history has shown us numerous times,the slightest events can set in motion the revolution.
Last Thursday, I met with two good friends of mine {one who is involved with the girifna movement}who had participated in the Friday protest referenced in the second article.I consider both trustworthy people and both confirmed that the police and security forces cracked down exceptionally hard on the protesters.They were corralled inside the mosque and bombarded with tear gas and rubber bullets for 7 hours and managed to slip out after dark.Dozens were arrested.The thousands referenced in the article were not mentioned{they said hundreds}neither was nerve gas{which obviously would have come up in the conversation}.
This exaggeration is pretty standard for Sudanese opposition leaders and generally leads to their being dismissed.Which is a shame.No exaggeration was needed at all.The crackdown WAS brutal.People DID show up.Another example was a few weeks ago I was in Port Sudan and watching Alarabiyya news channel{a watered down and agenda driven news channel which models itself after Aljazeera} and reports of violent protests raging in Port Sudan were mentioned.I made it a point to go out and ask{Port Sudan is a very small city,you can walk from one end to another in two hours} everybody about the protests.No one saw anything.This forced talk of popular uprising leads people to being skeptical about these protests.
However, who knows what the coming days will bring? People are angry,the country is broke and the government acts with impunity and under the assumption it will not be challenged on its policies.After all there is no time for revolution .
Better late than never?
For the past few days I've been trying to organize my thoughts.I have a tendency to rant{a trait shared by the majority of this region's inhabitants}and in a an effort to shift blame I lay the blame squarely on not having a say in this country.Not just me but almost all Sudanese have no say in the direction of the this country.Like a lonely boat buffeted by maniacal fiscal policies{courtesy of our clueless minister of finance},economic embargo{a very stupid American policy},internal conflicts{a natural result of repression and marginalization } , misrepresentation in the media {in search of a quick and simple narrative by lazy and biased reporters}and a lack of a clear direction.{this is not a rant,I swear}.
As a result Sudan is mostly misunderstood and occasionally maligned.
akon has given me a platform to try and reflect my understanding of my country.I am grateful.
I humbly ask the occasional reader to forgive my rants and procrastination.
As a result Sudan is mostly misunderstood and occasionally maligned.
akon has given me a platform to try and reflect my understanding of my country.I am grateful.
I humbly ask the occasional reader to forgive my rants and procrastination.
Friday, July 6, 2012
July 9 2011- thought id post pics from last year!
 |
| prior to referendum vote! there was no campaign for unity at all |
 |
| Bashir came to open the Embassy of Sudan after the independence celebrations. This used to just by my house |
 |
| embassy |
 |
| couple of days later- a football match btw S.S and Kenya. See how high that wall is? I scaled it cause these guys dared me to |
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| Up on the wall taking pictures of the match. How the hell will i get down? these dudes were like, you know we are going to jump right? what are *you* going to do? |
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| Girifna was represented! |
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| stole this image from a devex article |
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| flags galore! |
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| these ladies marched from close by my house to the independence day celebrations, all the while singing and dancing. beautiful |
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| these dudes were running around the field the entire ceremony. we couldn't hear the speeches, anyway |
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| flags galore |
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| garang statue unveiled |
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| one of these copters must have dropped the flag somewhere! the middle one |
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| what's a long day without getting dusty? |
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| That is the question! |
Thursday, July 5, 2012
#SudanRevolts
im kinda curious to know your thoughts on this article, AFRICAN
http://transitions.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/05/why_we_re_ignoring_the_revolution_in_sudan
my perspective is biased- have friends who are part of girifna. we are all sure its regime-change!
on another note- south sudan's 1st anniversary of independence happens july 9th and i have been feeling really bad cause i am stuck in nairobi. but.... a friend just offered to buy my airline ticket so if we can get flights..... im in juba on sunday!! independence mabruk!
im gonna celebrate this event by posting pictures of last years' celebration- which was madness for an entire week in all of juba.
http://transitions.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/05/why_we_re_ignoring_the_revolution_in_sudan
my perspective is biased- have friends who are part of girifna. we are all sure its regime-change!
on another note- south sudan's 1st anniversary of independence happens july 9th and i have been feeling really bad cause i am stuck in nairobi. but.... a friend just offered to buy my airline ticket so if we can get flights..... im in juba on sunday!! independence mabruk!
im gonna celebrate this event by posting pictures of last years' celebration- which was madness for an entire week in all of juba.
The friend in Khartoum is me
The lazy, procrastinating and angrier counterpart to akon if you will.
I 'll post up shortly,Inshallah{The British colonists believed Inshallah meant never,hopefully I'll prove them wrong}.
I 'll post up shortly,Inshallah{The British colonists believed Inshallah meant never,hopefully I'll prove them wrong}.
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