Since
I was a primary school child, I was told in the school and TV that southerners are our enemy, they
want to control our country and if we let them to do so, they will confiscate
our houses and treat us as their slaves. They will destroy our mosques and burn
Quran. We told that they are already doing this in the areas controlled by SPLA. We were forced
to chant for Jihad, pay our share of feeding the soldiers and pray for our
brothers to be safe and win "our" battle of Islam.
I remember one of my class mates (Margret) was crying someday; she was terrified by war slogans and felt threatened by them. That day I questioned myself why the sweet Margret was terrified? We were chanting for the bad southerners not her, I told her she will be OK but somehow I felt guilty of letting her feel as such. Surprisingly I realized later all southerners felt like Margret.
I remember one of my class mates (Margret) was crying someday; she was terrified by war slogans and felt threatened by them. That day I questioned myself why the sweet Margret was terrified? We were chanting for the bad southerners not her, I told her she will be OK but somehow I felt guilty of letting her feel as such. Surprisingly I realized later all southerners felt like Margret.
The 9 years old girls started talking; why Margret was attending the school with us while all Southerners were attending Comboni school attached to the Evangelical Church? she will be fine there and will be easily integrated ignoring the fact that she is Sudanese and has the right to attend any public school.
Dear Margret;
please accept our deep sorrows and apologies for hate we spread; you know we liked you very much. We were just school kids and didn't mean to hurt you. Now I can imagine the pain you felt while the girls asked you to leave the school. The fear you lived in when we chant for Jihad and the killing of Southerners. If you voted to South Sudan separation no body can blame you. If you choose not to leave your home in Algazeera, you should have the choice, and for you Sudan revolts.
A very touching story Yosra. I hope that Margaret and all the southern Sudanese who had suffered since 1955 and until today find peace in their new home. In many ways I feel that separation was a worthwhile cost to be paid to end this war that started some 50 years ago and was never going to end until everyone from both sides was dead.
ردحذفthanks Osman, I hope the ongoing conflicts between the two Sudans will be resolved soon and peacefully all the wars in the new South come with an end.Southerners in the north feel secured and enjoy their life wherever they choose to stay
حذف