The entrepreneurial spirit of the South Sudanese people in the midst of war is a lesson in resilience for all of us

By Manal al-Tayyar

The ongoing conflict in South Sudan has resulted in multiple negative repercussions on South Sudanese society. One such repercussion, according to a recent UNHCR survey, is that over half a million men, women and children currently find themselves at risk of statelessness. As our own Brent Hamoud has pointed out in a recent post, statelessness results in a situation whereby persons find themselves unable to marry, find a job, go to school, own property, or claim a parent or spouse’s property because they lack the proper identification and legal paperwork that comes only with state citizenship. When individuals find themselves in a situation of displacement resulting from civil conflict, such documentation is extremely difficult to come by. An additional repercussion on South Sudanese society is that of the extremely low levels of education, especially for girls, resulting from constant displacement and the great potential for violence on the roads. In fact, South Sudan currently has one of the lowest levels of education in the world.

A third repercussion resulting from the conflict is that of severe food insecurity. Harvest season in South Sudan typically runs from October through December each year, yet this cycle has been disrupted by the conflict. As a result, there has been an increase of 1.4 million persons between this year and last who are unsure from where their next meal will come. Finally, the atrocity of the war itself has taken on such an extent that the United Nations has been able to document serious human rights violations and abuses against civilians that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity, all of this taking place in areas that used to consist of peaceful, multi-ethnic towns and cities – one such example being that of the city of Yei.

Fortunately, this is not the end of the story. The news from this past month has reminded us that even in times of war, the South Sudanese themselves continue to define and redefine their identities. The war will not define them. A recent New York Times article titled, “What War Can’t Destroy,” underlines the many aspects of life that war has been unable to extinguish as of yet. What is striking is the level of talent displayed by many Sudanese. Young Sudanese, some of which are amongst the tallest in the world, have a love and a real talent for basketball, with some even making it to the NBA. Whether athletes, comedians, musicians or otherwise, the South Sudanese continue to invest their time and talents into seeing their culture flourish.

Another form of resilience found amongst the South Sudanese has been the desire for people to design and produce their own clothing. Even in times of war, the South Sudanese plan to halt all imports by 2019 of what they have come to refer to as “the clothes of dead white people” (i.e. used and unwanted clothes from the West that end up in Africa). By designing, producing, and selling clothes representative of their own tastes, the South Sudanese can maintain their dignity while simultaneously promoting development through creative fashion design. In addition, Sudanese activists have taken proactive steps to “end the suffering of thousands of people that were denied the Sudanese nationality after the independence of South Sudan, particularly those whose mothers are Sudanese.” Sudanese authorities withdrew the nationality of South Sudanese born in Sudan after the 2011 South Sudanese secession.

As South Sudan receives little international press coverage, it is imperative that Christ-followers must not forget the issues happening there, or allow the conflict in South Sudan to become overshadowed by conflicts and crises elsewhere. Within international press coverage there often exists an implicit “hierarchy of concern” whereby tragedies happening in certain parts of the globe are prioritized, receiving far more attention and concern than those happening elsewhere. And yet, none is an island unto him or herself. “When one part of the body suffers,” the apostle Paul declares, “all suffer with it.” We are as interconnected with the South Sudanese as they are with us. As such, the global church, and Levantine church more specifically, must stand in solidarity with our South Sudanese brothers and sisters. But, we must also stand in solidarity with all South Sudanese as fellow bearers of the divine image, deserving of dignity, justice, empowerment and love. For this reason, we must advocate for all persons to receive the full rights and privileges conferred by state citizenship. Furthermore, all our efforts at charity, relief, social or economic development, and peacebuilding, must be undertaken with the full dignity, worth and empowerment of those receiving our help or advocacy in mind, lest we inadvertently do more harm than good.

For those interested in learning more about, and responding, to the critical issue of displacement, we encourage you to check out Strangers in the Kingdom: Ministering to Refugees, Migrants and the Stateless, by Rupen Das and Brent Hamoud.