Our Peace, Our Land, Our Oil, Our Liberty

These are the words that welcome visitors to Juba International Airport in South Sudan. Sure, these words appear on a billboard for an oil company, but they do a pretty good job of summing up the political climate in this part of the country. Oil is king. And at this point, if the war between North and South Sudan flares up again, I have not doubt that oil will be at it's core.

I know that I have promised to keep this blog apolitical, mostly for personal reasons. Instead, it's supposed to be about culture, history, and geography. But it's hard to discuss South Sudan without venturing into the realm of politics.



While I will try my best to avoid politics, I think a brief bit of history is necessary. The civil war between North and South Sudan raged for nearly fifty years. The conflict began just a year after Sudan became independent from Great Britain. The country enjoyed a brief decade of peace between 1973 and 1983. But the recent war between the Government of Sudan, represented by the National Congress Party, and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) endured for over 20 years, ending with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on January 9, 2005. The CPA established a Government of National Unity for the entire country and granted Southern Sudan semi-autonomy within the country. Southern Sudan is governed by the new Government of South Sudan, which established its capitol in Juba. The President of South Sudan is also the Vice President within the Government of National Unity.

I had the opportunity to visit Juba during the first week of April 2008. I traveled with a Sudanese colleague from UNDP in Khartoum. The two of us spent 5 days in Juba meeting with UNDP colleagues, international partners, and local South Sudanese organizations. Below is a picture of Zeinab and with representatives of the South Sudan Human Rights Commission.


This was my first trip to the South, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Juba is green, notably cooler than Khartoum at this time of year, and more socially liberal than the North. (In other words, alcohol is legal and women wear knee length skirts and even tank tops.) Below is a picture of some mangos hanging over the White Nile in Juba. You really can't beat that! The tropics in all their glory... I was also able to buy some fabulous pineapples and giant avocados. You can't get avocados in Khartoum.


At the same time, Juba is incredibly underdeveloped. When it comes down to it, Juba is basically a large village. Sure, it's undergoing massive construction, but most people still live in tukuls (round huts...the same type of huts they call agdus in Eritrea). There are only two paved roads in all of Juba, and one of them was only completed about a month before I arrived. There is limited electricity and mobile phone service, and even members of the international community live in tents. Below is the OCHA tent camp where I stayed while in Juba. If South Sudan votes to become independent in the referendum scheduled for 2011, I have no doubt that Juba will become the most underdeveloped national capitol in the world.



But I learned something important about myself while I was in Juba: lifestyle matters. And, in my case, I would be happy to give up my Western-style apartment in Khartoum, restaurants, and other modern conveniences for an occasional cold beer and the right to wear a tank top. The fact is, I was much more relaxed in Juba than I've ever felt in Khartoum.

In addition, Juba epitomizes every preconception I had about Africa when I was growing up in the US: people living in mudbrick huts, open air markets, dirt roads, abundant livestock, women carrying things on their heads, people eating on the side of the road, and aid agencies everywhere you turn. Sure, as an adult I realized that Africa has major cities and telephones and ATM machines. But it was fun to see that the Africa of my imagination exists, and exists in a place that may one day be considered a capitol city.


In fact, it seems as if much of the world already thinks of South Sudan as a separate country. There are a number of consulates and possibly even embassies in Juba. They seem quite out of place among the long-horned cattle and mud huts. The American consulate compound in Juba is huge; apparently even larger than the embassy in Khartoum. In addition, the international community (IGOs like the UN and NGOs) are building infrastructure and institutions in South Sudan as if they were building a new country. And I guess they are...just in case.


But in amongst the new, which is everywhere, you also find the old...the history of South Sudan, whether that be the local Chiefs, who still exercise considerable power in this part of the world; these fences, which are everywhere; or relics from the British empire, like this 19th century sign post, which still points to "the Belgian Congo."


I wish I had more to say about Juba, but unfortunately I spent most of my time there working. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the time I spent there. I enjoyed the people, who all seemed more than eager to introduce themselves to me and tell me about what they were doing; the children, who asked to have their pictures taken; and the optimism with which people in the South view the future.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of those around the world who has been reading my blog over the past year and a half. I originally started this blog in order to keep in touch with friends and family while I was traveling. But I am very pleased to see that I have attracted additional readers from 6 continents and various islands. I know I haven't been consistent about updating my blog but know that your readership keeps me motivated.

Return to Oz

When I was living in Eritrea, I had a healthy understanding of the country. There were things that I liked and things that I definitely didn't. I made a lot of great friends, but there were also people who drove me crazy. I had certain advantages, but I also faced a number of challenges. I had a lot of fun, but I also got bored of doing the same things every week. I appreciated the beauty of the country, but I also knew what lied beneath.

But since arriving in Sudan, Eritrea has taken on mythical proportions in my imagination. Asmara has come to symbolize everything that Khartoum is not, my own hill-top Shangri-La.

So when I traveled back to Asmara during the first week of March 2008, I expected my illusions to be shattered and the truth about Eritrea to reveal itself again...for Eritrea to become a normal place again and not a figment of my imagination. Bizarrely, that did not happen. Rather, my week in Asmara further cemented the contrast between Khartoum and Asmara.

I left Khartoum on March 1. And interestingly, that day, it was like the city decided that now that it was March, it was time to be hot. I can't explain why, but the first day of March must have been hotter than the last day of February by at least 5 degrees centigrade. But I arrived in Eritrea at the perfect time. The winter had ended and the weather was perfect. It was sunny without being hot. It was dry without being dusty. When I walked down the street, children said hi to me, asked me how I was, and came up and shook my hand. In contrast, in Khartoum, when I walk down the street, men yell "khawaja" (white foreigner) at me, even out of car windows.

Asmara seemed prettier than ever. Flowers were abloom throughout the city. I had never noticed how clean the streets of Asmara are. But after living in Khartoum, where the sidewalks and roadsides are littered with garbage, the difference was striking. Also, whereas Khartoum is plagued with traffic, the crazy drivers I had once criticized in Asmara seemed liked the best drivers in the world. And I finally came to appreciate how slowly people drive in Asmara.

And then, of course, there are the easy things. First, I was reminded how much I really like Eritreans. And I didn't have to worry about being dressed inappropriately. I could even go out to bars with my friends and order wine at dinner!! For one week, I was at peace.

I got to see a number of friends from the old days: Anna, Genet, Soe, Rahel, Pete, Alex, Filmon, etc. I visited some of my favorite places: Blue Nile (officially the Blue Bird) restaurant, the Lion Hotel, Sweet Asmara Cafe, the market in downtown Asmara, the mes place, etc. And I even got to see Lea's new house. This one-of-a-kind house was under construction the entire time I was in Asmara, but at the time I left, I assumed it would never be finished. But it is!! And it's even furnished. And Lea has the most amazing garden. I knew she was a talented gardener. The garden at her old house in Asmara was beautiful. But the new garden is in a whole different league. And you can see most of Asmara from the main floor of the house.



But all good things have to come to an end. On Friday March 7, I went to a party at Alex the Greek's house. It was the perfect way to end the week, as Alex has always thrown some of the best parties in Asmara. Approximately half of the attendees were Eritrean, and the other half were expats. And everyone was very cool. I got to catch up with a lot of people I hadn't seen in almost a year. I drank a lot of wine. And danced. Oh how we danced... As friends and acquaintances jumped up and down in unison to "the Romanian song" (Maria he Maria hu Hello Salute), I wondered how I could possibly return to Khartoum in a matter of hours.

But all good things have to come to an end. And at 6 am, without having slept, I was at the Asmara airport. And I couldn't help but think about that saying, "you can't go home again." Because as much fun as I had had, this was not my home anymore. Many of my friends, both Eritrean and international, are gone. Those who remain have moved on. Their lives are their own. I tried quickly to fit back into that world, but it didn't quite work. Although I think I may still have more friends in Asmara than some of the people who joined my office after I left, it isn't my life anymore. And I have to move on.